Kick Start Your Career this 2014!

The start of the year will mean various resolutions for a lot of people. Eat better, lose weight, save money are a couple of common goals. Others will try to jump start their careers by landing a new job, getting a promotion or asking for a raise.
The holidays are a great time to reflect and begin implementing your resolution plan and it’s fairly common for most people to have career-related New Year’s resolutions because work is vital aspect of our lives. It is in everyone’s interest to try to become better at what we do for a living.
Below are career-related resolutions to kick start your year.
Salary Increase or Promotion
Understand what it will take and what timeline to expect to receive a raise or promotion. Having specific, tangible and measurable goals makes your career advancement much more realistic to achieve.
List your daily responsibilities, major projects you’ve worked on, recommendations or endorsements, future responsibilities, how you’ve made your manager’s job easier, and if possible, quantify your accomplishments. Do note that mentioning that you work hard or you’ve been with the company for a long time is not a valid reason for promotion or raise. Longevity doesn’t necessarily count but results do.
De-stress
Know the sources of your stress. It may be coming outside, supervisor or colleagues, or it may be self-induced. You might be putting too much pressure on yourself. Step back and start with simple things like sleeping better and exercising more. You can’t do everything so don’t try to.
Everyone is different so know what works for you, it maybe walking for a while, calling a friend, playing online or just breathing deeply. Try your best to fit an activity to de-stress in your daily regimen.
Get a New Career
Only consider this if you feel stuck, hate your boss or the company, or you feel like there’s no growth and your skills are not put into good use. Take matters into your own hands and look for a place or role where you’ll feel compelled to go everyday.
However, you could always consider a new role within your current company. This internal move is usually easier and quicker way to achieve your career goals. You’re already known so you have an advantage.
Network Effectively
Become more active on LinkedIn or other professional networks. Schedule at least 10 minutes of your time three times a week to setup a great profile and connect with colleagues and former colleagues and surf around to see where you can add value and what features of the site can be of help to you.
If you don’t like digital interactions, make an effort to attend more networking event. Start with a realistic goal of once a month. Keep in mind to attend events that really appeal to you so you are more likely to push through and have fun.
Improve Work Relationship
There’s one relationship in your office that you should keep track on constantly, that’s your relationship with your boss. They have the greatest control on your career in that company so it won’t hurt to develop a really strong professional relationship with them and to further improve that.
Of course, your other coworkers must not be left behind. It is welcomed that you have colleagues that can back you up in time of need. It’s not always possible to get along with everyone but make an effort to know them better and offer them help when they need it.
Get Certified
There are endless of options for those who want to get certified. You should get the wheels in motion by researching programs and setting a date you wish to complete the training. Microsoft Office Specialist certification is a good starting program to jump-start your career this 2014. Click here for ACP’s training services and know more how we can help your career this new year.
Better Attitude
A good attitude can bring you better success in not only your career but your life as well. People want to interact with people who are positive. A good attitude will more likely attract more people and opportunities. Take good care of yourself, spend more time with your friends and family, and do the things you love most. This will condition yourself to be more optimistic.
Follow Through
Unfortunately, most people forget about their resolutions after a couple of weeks. They get caught up in the day-to-day tasks and shot term goals.
But if you really want to stick to any goal, the best thing to do is get clear on the outcomes you want and what it takes to achieve them, set actions in your calendar so you really make time for your goals.
If you really can’t stick to all resolutions, focus on a couple that is most important. After done, pat yourself on the back and move on to the next one. Tackle a few in the first months and assess your progress.