7 Tips for Setting Career Goals for the New Year

7 Tips for situation Career Goals for the New Year7 Tips for Setting Career Goals for the New YearThe New Year is always a time of new beginnings, a time for a change, and a time for setting goals. Its the time of year when many people departure thinking about looking for a new job or initiating a career change. In fact, January is the busiest job searching month of the year. If youve been thinking about switching up your career, this is among the best times to do it. The New Year Is a Good Time for a Change For those who are contemplating a job or career change, the arrival of the New Year presents the perfect opportunity to reflect on your past experience and think about which direction you might want to take in the future. Even better, employers are hiring, and job opportunities are plentiful. If youve been thinking about shifting gears, you should know that you arent alone. On average, most peoplechange jobs10 to 15 times during their working life, so you dont have to stay on a career path thats not right for you. There are many practical reasons you might feel the need to stay in an unfulfilling job, but one key reason is the lack of a clear plan for an alternative career. Clarifying your career objectives, and thinking about whatcareer pathyou would like to be on, can provide the impetus and momentum for you to make the change to a more rewarding career. Think of the New Year as a time to make a fresh start, and then take advantage of that energy. Here are some activities to help you to establish new career goals. Top 7 Tips for Setting Career Goals for the New Year 1. Inventory Your Skills.Review your work, volunteer, extracurricular, and academic history to identify activities or elements of your past roles that you found energizing or enjoyable. What did you like the best? Inventory the skills which you have enjoyed using. Heres alist of required skillsfor many different types of jobs. Develop a preferred skills list of six to nine skills or ac tivities that you would like to utilize in a new career. 2. Engage in Career Research.The more you learn, the easier it will be to make decisions and set goals for yourself. Start to read about careers of interest by browsingwebsitesor publications at your local bookstore or library. Identify two new careers to research each week, and keep a diary of your interest in each. Measure the careers against yourpreferred skills list. For those fields with a genuine appeal, compile a list of questions to research so that you can fully appraise the suitability of that career for you. 3. Check Out What Your Friends Do. Do you have friends with jobs that sound like something you might be interested in? Activate your curiosity about the work lives of people in your social network. Think about the roles of colleagues, suppliers, or clients that might be a good fit for you, and interview them about the nature of their work.Share your skills list with them, and ask for help brainstorming career op tions that might be worth considering within their sector. Ask your contacts for introductions to people they know who are in fields that interest you, and inquire about the possibility of meeting for aninformational interview. 4. Set Up a Job Shadow (or Two). Set up somejob shadowingopportunities with contacts in fields of interest during your vacation time to gain more concrete exposure to the field. It will give you real-life exposure to what the occupation is really like. 5. Volunteer to Gain Experience.If possible,look for volunteer positionswithin your chosen field. For example, if you are considering geriatric social work, help out at a senior center. If you are in school, unemployed, or working at home, consider a part-time internship in your target field. Besides helping others, youll get some relevant experience to add to your resume. You might even be able to turn your volunteer position into a job. 6. Go (Back) to School.If interesting options require further education, take aclass online to boost your career skills, consider earning a certificate in a career that interests you to boost your employability, review the offerings of local colleges, or consider taking a course at a local community college or adult education center to get a feel for your field of interest. Schedule meetings with faculty chairs from relevant departments to learn more about how the program might work for you. Completing a degree mid-career may seem daunting, but with the right support from family and friends,it can be feasible. 7. Contact Your College.If you need further help, contact your alma mater (or an area college career office) for a referral to a localcareer counselor. For most people, career focus wont come as an epiphany from soul searching in isolation, but rather through active engagement with career resources and people in the work world. So why not start the New Year off with an active campaign to find some new career options?