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Month: August 2021

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Attracting Your Dream Career Business promoting Career Development Networking Promoting yourself Uncategorized

How to Change Careers Smooth And Effortless

How to Change Careers Smooth And Effortless

If you need to find a job more suited to your skills, here are some steps to help you to change careers easier.

1. Know Yourself

Before you change your career, take the time to understand yourself better. Most people never pause to reflect on who they are and what they want from their lives.

Career changes have become more common since the pandemic since people have more time to reflect and reconsider what they’re doing in their lives.

For many people, a career move can be a life-changing opportunity to find their passion and choose a career more suited to their aptitude and personality. 

If you had to sacrifice your passions and dreams to provide for your family or be a better parent you should try to understand your personality, aptitude, and life purpose before making a career change at 45. You can check these Steps to Grow Your Personal and Career Development to identify what you want and need to learn.

This doesn’t mean you need to sit cross-legged and meditate, but that you should figure out how you can apply your skills to live a happy and fulfilling life.

You can also read Mistakes To Avoid In Creating Career Development Plan to make sure you’re on the right track.

2. Adopt a Growth Mindset

Making a career change is all about being open to new possibilities, and when it comes to success in life, having the right mindset is everything.

Learn the difference between a fixed mindset vs. a growth mindset and the four most common mindset shifts for developing a success mindset.

So, what mindset are you? Are you trying to prove yourself and win? Or are you trying to improve yourself? Do you have a beginner’s mind or are you a know-it-all?

There’s no shame in going back to school for a career change. Whether that means learning new skills or upgrading the ones you already have, being open to learning new skills with these online courses and training will help you become a more suitable job candidate.

3. Find the Best in Yourself

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do with your life but have hesitated from doing? Ask yourself why and be open and non-judgmental of your answers.

According to Conley, weighing your career decisions with empathy and curiosity through the process of Appreciative Inquiry can help you open up to new possibilities and career opportunities.

4. Connect With Your Network

As a mid-career or older professional it’s likely that you have already built a good professional network. Sometimes connecting with your network and letting them know that you’re looking to change careers is all it takes.

You can put out feelers and send a message to people like me on LinkedIn saying, “I want to change my career to [mention your career preference here]. Can you help?”

I’m always willing to help someone I like and respect, so only connect with those with whom you feel likely to share a friendly and mutually respectful relationship.

5. Create an Impressive Resume

Don’t write your entire career history in your resume. The ideal resume is one that is tailored to the job description that you’re applying for. It’s best to start with a career summary and use one of the many popular resume formats available.

Don’t make your resume more than two pages long and avoid mistakes such as irrelevant details and creative fonts. Write a career objective statement that matches the job description and company to which you’re applying.

6. Create a Social Media Presence

Today, it’s common to use social media to find a job. Most companies check out the social profiles of candidates they plan to interview for a job.

If you don’t have a social media profile, start by creating one on LinkedIn and use these 7 Ways to Improve your LinkedIn Profile Strength to ensure that your social profiles are professional and job-ready.

7. Brush Up on your Soft Skills

Soft skills are essential skills to have in the workplace. These include communication skills, interpersonal skills, effective teamwork, and leadership skills, and time management skills.

It’s expected that mid-career and older professionals will have developed good soft skills from many years of experience in the workplace. However, some professionals may lack social etiquette soft skills.

8. Start your Own Business

If you fail in your efforts to find a full-time job, don’t lose hope. You can start your own home business as a consultant, or trainer.

As a mid-career or older professional, you have a lot of wisdom to share. You can get paid for your wisdom by sharing it with others as a coach, consultant, or trainer.

Whether that means becoming a life coach or a business coach, or making the change from corporate to teaching, it’s a wonderful thing to discover what midlife wisdom you can share while helping others.

So, if you’re considering a career change, these tips for choosing a new career will help you in changing careers change smoothly.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now!

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How to Develop A Winning Job Search Strategy That Work

How To Develop A Winning Job Search Strategy That Work

There’s more to a job search than simply applying for online postings, though the majority of job seekers confine their job search to exactly that.

It may sound crazy but job postings are not the number one method employers use to recruit. A good job search strategy includes a number of job search techniques and approaches, including utilizing your network — the number one source of productive job leads.

1. Career Brainstorming

It’s very important that you have a good understanding of what you’re looking for in your career before you launch your job search campaign. This doesn’t
mean you need to lock yourself into a lifelong career decision. On the contrary, you just need to determine your unique profile; for example, the type of work you enjoy, the cultural environment that best suits your work style, your key strengths, the industries that you have interest in and your geographical preferences. This will help you focus your time and energy on exploring the right companies and jobs to match your interests and aspirations.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself that can help you focus on the right job search criteria. I encourage you to take out a blank sheet of paper and
write these questions down. Under each question, write down the answers and rank them in order of best or most important to worst or least important. This information will be very helpful as you begin building out your job search strategy, and will help with formulating your target company list.
̥

What are your key strengths?
̥ What industries are you interested in?
̥ What size company and culture interest you the most?
̥ What are your geographical preferences?

2. Develop You Target Company Lists

There are several ways that can be used for developing companies. You should start by listing 30-50 companies that you feel you would like to work for. You can speak to friends as well as colleagues and see the companies that they recommend. LinkedIn also has a very strong feature of company job search which can help you in your job search.

For this, you need to go to LinkedIn, click on the menu button and then on the search bar. You then need to select the companies and start the search. The Advanced Job Search strategies options can also be used by you by clicking on Advanced, which is located adjacent to the search bar.

In case you come across a company that seems interesting to you, click on the profile of the company and find out if it is the company that is of interest to you. In case you like it, then you need to click on the Follow button so that the updates, as well as the messages of the company, are sent to you.

3. Develop An Effective Marketing Strategy

In today’s job market, your resume and LinkedIn profile are your two most important marketing tools. Cover letters are important too, and often can help separate your application from the pack. Before you kick off any major job search campaign, take the time to optimize these career marketing tools so you can hit the ground running.

The development of a professional resume (identifying your skills to solve employer problems), cover letter and other job search correspondence is essential. Often these “tools” are an employer’s first contact with you. If your “tools” are sloppy, chances are your work performance will be as well.

4. Reach Our To Hiring Managers

Once the companies that are of interest to you have been identified, you need to identify the people who are working in these companies. For this purpose also, LinkedIn is a great tool. You need to begin by identifying the hiring manager along with the staff in the area where you would like to join. You need to look for the people who will be your colleagues as well as their managers. Then you need to find out the LinkedIn groups that they have joined. This is significant as if you also join that group, you will be able to communicate with them free of cost, without having to update your LinkedIn account. 

You need to find out if they have taken part in any of the group discussions. It will be a great way of entering the conversation and begin to showcase your expertise. Remember that your comments need to be professional, positive and upbeat.

5. Dust Off Interview Skills

As job hunting isn’t usually an everyday task, even the most self-assured creative candidate can get a little rusty. Before an interview, consider what questions may be asked and prepare thoughtful responses. Practice the answers with a friend. This will build confidence, alleviate anxiety during the real interview and reveal opportunities to fine-tune your presentation.

After each job interview, jot down any questions that proved particularly difficult to answer, or moments that caused you to stumble. Self-awareness and continued practice are keys to being an adept and poised interviewee.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now!

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4 Easy Steps In Creating A Career Development Plan

4 Easy Steps In Creating A Career Development Plan

To create a career development plan, start by defining your results and motivation. Next, determine the required skills, perform a self-assessment and identify one area that needs attention. Finally, you can develop an action plan using the “SMART” goal-setting method.

A career development are seen as distinct avenues of self-improvement, but the two go hand in hand. If you’re interested in creating a personal and career development plan or working towards personal and career growth, you’re likely to experience a pleasant side effect of learning new skills or strengthening abilities you already have – achieving your personal goals for work.

It is important to focus on you, knowing your potential will accelerate your career growth. Having the initiative to be proactive and rising to a leadership position requires you as an employee to distinguish your blind spots and aspire to do better in order to continue your career rise.  Do not limit yourself and your ability. Knowing what works for you and what you want to achieve will allow a more natural career development prospect.

1. Identify your current position and career options

The first step in creating a career development plan is to assess your current position with regard to your past experiences, your strengths, specific skills, and values. Taking note of your success metrics will help you identify how the current projects and responsibilities map to your ultimate goal. 

Identifying your current job position also helps you to narrow your options so that you are not overwhelmed along the way. Take into consideration factors such as your current position in your field and academic ambitions, as they provide a basis for your potential. 

2. Identify your career destination 

The whole point of a career development plan is to design a strategy to help you reach your ultimate career objectives. Take time to understand where you want to be in, say, the next ten years, and compartmentalise your career within that timeline.

For example, if your dream is to be a senior project manager in a midsize energy company, be sure to incorporate it into your plan. 

Ideally, it is advisable to establish where you want to be in small increments; take into account where you are and what you want to do in the next two years. It is easier to visualise and achieve the ultimate goal if you work on it in smaller portions. 

3. Create your career development plan

Now that you have identified the skills and experiences you need to achieve your career goal, you can proceed to create a concrete plan on how to achieve it. Here is what you need to do:

Set small, task-oriented goals as part of your action plan — Create a set of tasks and identify means of accomplishing them. For instance, if one of the needed skills is to learn how to operate certain software, take a course to polish on it. 

Organise — Organise your goals around a reasonable timeline and start with short-term goals that you can achieve quickly before moving to long-term goals. It’s also important to track your progress as you go along.

Think SMART — The SMART goal template (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound) helps you to design your goals, ensuring they are tangible and realistic, and therefore achievable. 

Create task deadlines — Working with deadlines is a sure way to complete your tasks within the set timeline. 

4. Measure your progress and be ready to evaluate

Implementing your career goals and evaluating them along the way ensures you are on the right path from beginning to end. For guaranteed success, you need to keep track of every activity to make sure you are doing everything in the correct order. Equally important, consider milestones and update your goals as circumstances change and more opportunities present themselves. 

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now!

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Smart Goals to Enhance Your Personal Development At Work

Smart Goals to Enhance Your Personal Development At Work

Personal development plays a crucial role in one’s career growth. An individual who can contribute not only in his area of expertise but other domains as well are bound to get quick promotions and lucrative incentives and rewards. Trust me, personal development is imperative not only for career growth but also for mere survival in the organization. No organization would like to retain an individual who is resistant to changes and fails to perform in unpredictable and unforeseen situations.

Personal development helps you set goals and expectations for yourself. Any individual without a vision in life not only fails to deliver but also gets easily lost in the crowd.

It is important to set expectations for yourself. There is a scope of improvement always. Never ever feel that you are the best and you know everything. Believe me, that there are many things under the sky which we still do not know and need to find.

1. Build and Improve Professional Relationships

You spend a lot of time with your colleagues, so it is important to build good relationships with them. After all, team cohesion relies on mature working relationships, as people typically work better together if there’s a personal element to their relationship.

Having positive professional relationships can lay the foundation for your ultimate success. Because each person’s role in your organization either directly or indirectly affects your performance, it’s important for you to nourish these working relationships so you can work in harmony with others.

To improve your professional relationships, help other members of the team whenever you can, and engage in open and honest communication with your colleagues.

2. Improve Your Time Management Skills

Throughout your professional career, you’ll face deadlines and competing tasks that fight for your attention every day. As your workload increases, it may seem impossible to be able to get everything accomplished.

In these instances, your ability to manage your time will be tested. Having effective time management skills will help increase your productivity and efficiency, decrease your stress, and  allow you to have more time to dedicate to other endeavors.

Make sure that you’re keeping track of how you spend your time if you feel like time management is an issue for you. Schedule a specific amount of time for every item on your to-do list and don’t allow interruptions during these times. This will help you be more efficient, and once you get the hang of working this way, it will become second nature.

3. Define Your Own Success

You don’t have to abide by everyone else’s definition of success. You can define what being successful and happy mean to you, which will help you clarify what you need to do to achieve it.

Once you dig deep to uncover your values and purpose, you will recognize that if you try to chase everyone else’s idea of what success is, you won’t achieve it. In doing this, you have to make it a point to not compare yourself to other people. The things that you see other people have don’t define or impact your success. You’re the only one who can decide if you have achieved your goals thus far.

4. Grow Your Network

People do business with others whom they know and trust. And the truth is, “companies” don’t make business decisions, people do. Having a strong professional network can help you advance in your career in ways that you would not be able to do alone.

Not only can networking lead to connections with people who can help you enhance your expertise and knowledge, it can also help you stay on top of potential opportunities for advancement in your career.

5. Pursue Ongoing Professional Development

This is another personal development goal that will keep you on top of your game at work. Employers are often reluctant to invest the money in sending their employees to seminars or conferences, but engaging in professional development will help you maintain your competence in your field and excel when faced with the competition.

Ensuring that your professional skills remain up-to-date in our rapidly changing world is critical to your long-term success. Your education certainly doesn’t stop with your diploma, and staying abreast of changing trends in your industry will help you be an in-demand candidate for prospective future employers.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now!

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Improve your Career and Personal Development

Promote Yourself Training

Improve your Career and Personal Development

Are you working hard at your job? Yet promotions are eluding you? The fact is thousands of employees like you are working diligently and competently each day to get the next promotion. So what makes you stand out from the rest of the crowd to get that highly coveted promotion which you have been eyeing for a while? In this challenging and highly competitive global job market, it has become difficult to hold on to a job for a long time by simply doing what is expected from you. It is imperative that you go above and beyond the call of duty to climb the corporate ladder to success.

Once you start climbing the up ladder, you will find yourself getting promoted to higher designations, having additional responsibilities with increased salary, and managing teams as well. Hence you will need new skills to deal with the new responsibilities. 

Career and personal development goals naturally make their way into New Year’s resolutions because, let’s face it, if you work full-time, you spend a lot of time at your job. Being the ambitious woman that you are, you’re no stranger to thoughts like, “What do I want to do next in my career?”, “How can I advance within my job?”, or “How can I ready myself for a promotion this year?” The list goes on but the point is: You’re proactive about your career future.

Motivation is undoubtedly one of the key factors that will enable you to move forward in your career. However, you will also need to keep updating yourself and learn new skills for your career development. Improving your skills and knowledge will help you to become more productive at the workplace and improve your earnings potential.

Each type of job requires you to have some specific skills so that it can be performed with excellence. Upskilling allows you to gain additional skills through qualifications and training and thus enables you to become a more proficient and competent employee.

Given that I am a Career Coach, it seems only fitting that I should share my best tips for making the most of your career and personal development regardless of what state your career is currently in. The tips below will help us all stay on track this year and totally kill it.

1. Train for your promotion.


Here’s the thing about promotions and raises—they rarely just “happen.” Book a meeting with your boss to ask her what skills or experiences you need to develop to advance to the next level. Next, fill those skills gaps by taking online classes through a site.

2. Create your professional support team.


Develop relationships with people that will help you advance in your career by advocating for you, sending you a job referral, offering insight, etc. Start by finding people at your current company or at companies you’re interested in. If you’re not sure what companies interest you, consider the sites you visit daily, the products or services you’re a fan of, or a company you could see as a potential employer in the future. Don’t be afraid to reach out via LinkedIn to a company’s current employees with some questions about their own careers. Go to lunch, follow up, and build a genuine relationship before you need something from them.

3. Track your progress.


Keep a work journal to track your accomplishments, feedback, areas for improvement, and new ideas for your job to share with your boss. These days, companies want their employees to be in the driver’s seat of their own career growth, and a work journal will help you keep your big career picture in mind without losing yourself to daily to-do lists.

4. Update your LinkedIn profile.


When your parents told you that a job wouldn’t just land in your lap, they were…wrong. Sorta. 94% of recruiters use LinkedIn to help them source candidates for open roles. Optimize your LinkedIn profile and let the recruiters woo you into an awesome new job!

5. Find a job you love by trying a new job search strategy.


The secret to job search success is targeting a company first and then working your way into a job there rather than the usual approach (applying for countless jobs online, then crossing your fingers). Online job sites have a reputation as internet black holes for a reason.

6. Learn about leadership.


Leadership skills don’t only apply to managers and C-suite executives. Start learning and preparing yourself for leadership by reading some books or listening to a podcast. Because at a minimum, you’re the leader of your own life.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now!

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Steps to Grow Your Personal and Career Development

Steps to Grow Your Personal and Career Development

Dedicating time to your development and growth is associated with many benefits – life satisfaction, increased competitiveness and adaptability, good health. But if you want to really succeed in your personal development and growth, what do you do?

Diya Jolly, Chief Product Officer at rapidly growing Okta, an identity management company, shares she accepted a pay cut and a lower title at three points in her career in order to build the skills to get where she is today.

Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft, spends an entire week every year, alone in a remote forest home, dedicating all of his time to reflecting, reading, and learning.

Do you need to do all of that to succeed? Not necessarily. But you need a robust plan to help you identify what you want YOUR personal and career development and growth journey to look like. 

Identify what you want and need to learn

Having a clear vision of what you want to achieve is the first step in putting your plan together. Whether you have a mindset on a specific goal, or you are just exploring opportunities, here are some steps to assess what skills and knowledge you need to develop.

External: How is your job/industry changing?

  • Read industry trends reports – from the big consultancy companies (PwC, Deloitte etc) or from specialists in your niche.
  • Register for Google Alerts for your sector – you can customise the frequency (daily, monthly etc).
  • Consider if globalisation, technology, change in demand are likely to impact your industry – you may need to develop skills such as coding to stay abreast of these changes before they have happened; or do a stretch assignment to expand your responsibilities to other countries.
  • Speak to experts in the field – whether at your company or outside. Besides being a great way to pick up on trends it’s also a wonderful conversation topic for your next networking event!

Internal: What are your personal interests and aspirations?

  • Ask yourself how do your interests fit into the way you see your company or industry change in the future? Learning is more effective when it is aligned with your interests.
  • Look at some recent job ads in your sector. Which ones appeal to you and what are the skills and knowledge required which you don’t currently possess?
  • What are your values which you cannot compromise with? Whether that’s flexibility, financial security, creativity, etc, identifying these early will ensure you stay committed and are fulfilled when you reach your goals.
  • What do your peers, stakeholders, clients, say are your strengths and blind spots?

Identify the best way to develop these skills and knowledge

Formal, structured learning may not cover everything the job entails. You’re also learning in someone else’s way. On the other hand, on the job training means we tend to do what we have done before. So a combination allows you to open up new possibilities, knowledge, and skill areas.

Experience

  • Don’t wait for your boss to challenge you. Ask them to take part in an upcoming project or pick up a task from them or a colleague.
  • Actively seek lateral moves to same level, but different type roles, thus developing new ways of thinking, problem solving and adaptability.
  • Volunteer to projects and boards outside of work – this is a great way to get exposure to new tasks and skills.

Social

  • Remember the field expert you discussed the future trends with? They are an excellent candidate for your mentor!
  • Volunteer to be a mentor – this is a great way to develop your influencing, communication and leadership skills, regardless what level you are at.
  • Network with people in your desired job. Find out what skills and knowledge they wish they had when they started.

Learning

  • Identify what your company offers – there’s often more than you realise!
  • Ask for sponsoring your training – demonstrate the benefits to them such as productivity and performance; self-efficacy and team competitiveness. In the worst case, they say No but you have demonstrated your commitment to learning.
  • On demand training is becoming more accessible. Some options are YouTube, podcasts, blogs, LinkedIn learning, You can also explore short courses in your city or local university.

Identify and address barriers

Internal or external barriers may hold back your progress and cause you to give up. Identify these as well as ways to address them. Here are some examples:

#1 Lack of time

The number 1 reason employees say holds them back from spending time on their development is lack of time.

#2 Keeping Momentum

We start strong but as committed as we are, competing priorities such as childcare or day to day work may take over

#3 Losing interest

You need to see some value and reward in order to sustain your effort.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now

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Personal Development Tips to Advance Your Career

Personal Development Tips to Advance Your Career

Just as a book is often judged by its cover, people are judged by its presence. First impressions are critical towards anyone’s success and as we know, first impressions are often lasting impressions. To ensure you can advance in your career, compiled below are some tips you can implement right away to make sure your most professional presence is seen.

Learn to say ‘no’ to things that don’t elevate or progress you. 

If you find yourself people-pleasing all the time, or taking on more work than you can handle, politely decline the next time someone asks you to do something outside of your scope. Assertively stating, “Thanks for the opportunity; while I normally would love to, my main focus is currently on ___. If I find myself with time to spare, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
Your boss and colleagues will respect you more for being assertive.

Don’t be afraid to ask for special requests.

If you’re shy, you may feel uncomfortable speaking up and asking for something. I’ll be the first to tell you that you’re missing out! If you’re wondering something to yourself, politely ask your question. The worst thing that would happen is that you would hear, “Sorry, we can’t accommodate that.” And if that’s the case, you’ll find yourself back at your original position anyways.

Make sure you have a professional email address and voicemail box recording. 

If you don’t have a Gmail account yet I recommend you sign up for one and create something as simple as your full name. If it’s unavailable, you can get creative with a middle name or number. This isn’t the time to be funny, cute, sexy, or difficult to search and remember. On a related note, is your voicemail box customized? Does it sound clear and professional? Be sure it’s along the lines of,  “Hello. You’ve reached *insert full name’s voicemail*. Please leave your name, number, and reason for calling and I’ll be sure to return your call as soon as possible. Thank you and have a great day!”

Remove yourself from negativity.

It’s a good rule of thumb to avoid negative gossip, rants, or conversations in the workplace. As much as you would never bash anyone or any company during the interview, make sure you apply this golden rule to your workplace. Negative energy fuels negative spirits. Try to be the one who turns a negative into a positive. People will remember you for this and won’t have anything negative to say about you during future reference checks!

If you’re on time, you’re late.

Arrive 10 minutes earlier than you really need to show up. 

Do you find yourself constantly apologizing for being late to events or meetings? My military friend told me, “If you’re on time, you’re late.” If you need to be somewhere at 10:00, make that 9:50 in your mind. Always leave 10 minutes of extra cushion time in case you experience traffic, parking troubles, lines, etc. Get creative and set your clock 10 minutes early if you need to or edit your calendar invites 15 minutes early.

Always bring a book with you everywhere. 

Whether it’s an audiobook, ebook, or physical book, carry one around on your phone or in your purse. It’s amazing how much you can read when you account for all of the additional random minutes in a day when you’re just waiting in line… or find yourself arriving 10 minutes early and have nothing better to do.

Blend in with your team and company culture.

In the past three companies I’ve worked for, it was very apparent who wasn’t aligned with the company culture. If you find everyone is dressing up for Halloween except you, try to make an effort so you’re not the only person in the entire group photo that thought it was just another Friday. If your entire team is going to happy hour week after week, try your best to make it to just one, even if you need to leave after 30 minutes. Trust me, people notice the odd ones out.

Be open to constructive criticism and welcome feedback. 

The only way to grow is to not take things personally. Constructive feedback and criticism are essential to one’s growth. If you find your emotions being hurt whenever you hear negative feedback, ask yourself what the messenger’s intentions are. While it may be difficult to accept at first, you may find the message is to bring awareness of any shortcomings so you can improve (and grow) in the future.

Continue networking even if you absolutely love your company or job.

You never know when you may need to call upon a favor for introductions. The better networked you are, the better you position yourself over time. Make an effort to join professional organizations where you meet people with similar skills, backgrounds, or interests. Try to make a minimum of one new meaningful connection each month as well as re-connecting with an existing meaningful connection. You will have made 24 strong connections by the end of the year by staying consistent with a small goal.

Personal and Career development is a continuous, ongoing life process. Along the way, there will inevitably be bumps in the road and, at times, you may find yourself falling short from this list. Completely 100% ay okay! As humans, we all fall short of perfection. The beautiful thing about falling short is that every opportunity is a lesson learned and there’s always a choice on what we want to feel, think, and do.

So, if you find yourself wanting to improve in an area, ask yourself, “What is really holding me back and what would I like to do instead?”

I’d love to hear any other personal development tips you have to enhance your career!

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now!

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Attracting Your Dream Career Career coaching Career Development Marketing Networking Promoting yourself

Mistakes To Avoid In Creating Career Development Plans

Mistakes To Avoid In Creating Career Development Plans

When putting career development plan ideas together, it’s easy to imagine that people will follow a linear path that’s easy to predict. It could be a simple matter of following an organizational chart to plan advancement or looking at the basic qualifications for a specific dream job. 

Locking into a rigid career path, however, might make it difficult to identify unexpected opportunities, making it one of the career mistakes to avoid.

Planning to take on a higher job role in a specific company, for instance, could be a recipe for disappointment if the company goes out of business before that happens. Focusing instead on ascending to a job position in an industry, however, leaves the door open to many possibilities that could accomplish this goal.

Lack Of Career Development Focus

At the other extreme, jobseekers often make the mistake of not being focused enough when formulating their career development plan. They may list too many things to work and fail to prioritize anything. Choosing a few specific goals with clear steps for achieving them is a good best practice to avoid this problem. When goals are not clearly identified, it can be hard to determine when they’re close to being achieved.

A good career development plan should always have mechanisms in place to assess progress, whether through quantifiable or observable methods. Researching career development goals can help to dispel any misconceptions about roles or positions, keeping development focused on skills, competencies, and experience that will help professionals to succeed when they actually reach those milestones. 

Over-Idealizing Your Career Goals

There is a difference between identifying career development plan goals that will be fulfilling professionally and fantasizing about the “perfect” job. It’s important to have a realistic view of what a future position will be like ahead of time; otherwise, leaders could be setting themselves up for disappointment and frustration.

The world will not stop just because they’ve reached their goal, so they need to be sure to focus on the implications of the goal and not simply on achieving it.

Failing to Emphasize Your Skills And Experiences

While technical skills and experience are often prerequisites to step into many positions, at a certain point career advancement becomes less about specific competencies and more about your skills, such as one’s ability to influence others, manage conflict, and communicate effectively. 

Developing emotional intelligence and active listening skills is crucial to becoming a successful person, but it’s easy to forget about these qualities when looking at the technical skills that might be expected of more high-level positions.

A good career development plan should place special emphasis on identifying potential mentors and coaches in a chosen field.

Building a relationship with a a professional career coach can also help to reinforce your skills that are so essential to bring you success.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now

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Attracting Your Dream Career Career coaching Career Development Marketing Networking Promoting yourself

Simple Steps In Building A Career Development Plan

Simple Steps In Building A Career Development Plan

Setting specific, measurable career development goals can help you get to the next level in your career. While developing a career plan can entail a significant amount of work, it will pay off in helping you to understand where you want to go with your career next and what you need to do to get there.

The secret behind building a career development plan is taking responsibility for your own professional growth. No one is going to come in with a magic wand and give you your own business or ensure you’ll achieve a leadership role at your current company – you have to create a career development plan for yourself.

What Is Career Development?

What is career development? It depends on who you ask. Young professionals may equate making a career development plan with making more money. Small business owners likely see career development as a tool for enhancing the lives of employers and employees alike, since fulfilling careers create happy, hard-working employees.

For people at any stage in their career, the prospect of building a career development plan often sparks mixed emotions, from excitement to apprehension about all the unknowns. So when we ask what is career development, what we’re really getting at is values. 

Career development is directly linked to the goals and objectives set by an individual. It starts with self-actualization and self-assessment of one’s interests and capabilities. The interests are then matched with the available options.

What Is A Career Development Plan?

A career development plan is a personal action plan that you can use to create a roadmap for your career. The typical career development plan example outlines:

  • The starting point: Where you are now in your career
  • The destination: Where you want to go in your career
  • The gap: The obstacles you must overcome to reach the destination
  • The route: How to close the gap to reach your intended destination

Your personalized development plan will help you to identify specific, achievable career goals and then design and implement strategies to reach your goals.

1. Identify Your Current Job Position

The first step in any career development plan is to identify where you are now in your career. This step also allows you to reflect on your current skillset and strengths.

At this stage, you should consider questions like:

  • What are my past experiences?
  • What do I enjoy doing?
  • What kinds of natural skills and talents do I have?
  • What am I doing when I feel most excited or motivated at work?
  • Do I prefer leading a group, working with peers or working alone?
  • What energizes me? What drains my energy?
  • Do I have a specific calling in life?
  • What about my career motivates me to get up and go to work in the morning?

Take some time to write down the answers to these questions. Note your current position in your field, including whether you have finished your education or would like to pursue additional graduate education and where you fall on the career ladder.

2. Consider Your Career Paths

When building a career development plan, you must also consider the career paths available to you. Unlike career ladders, which are vertical, career paths explore options in all directions, potentially in multiple organizations.

To find your career path, look beyond the obvious career ladders to the more nuanced options, like horizontal career lattices, dual career ladders and encore careers. Examining multi-dimensional career development paths provides more options for discovering what really inspires you.

3. Set Goals For Your Career

In order to learn how to create a development plan for your career, you must set goals for yourself. Where are you in your professional journey right now and where do you want to be? Don’t just make up a vague goal like “get a promotion.”

Think of a specific goal you can track. For instance, decide you want to be vice president of a Fortune 500 company in the next 10 years. Pick an objective that’s within the realm of possibility that you can realistically begin working toward.

Why You Should Consider Careating A Career Development Plan?

Whether you just graduated from college or you have been in the workforce for years, a career development plan can be an important tool to advance your goals. Mapping out your future career will not only help you to reach your career goals, but will also help you to stay motivated and inspired at work, increase your productivity, and strengthen your relationship with mentors and supervisors.

Stay on top of your plan, and chances are you will be able to take your career to the next level.

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now

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Attracting Your Dream Career Career coaching Career Development Marketing Networking Promoting yourself

Career Development Tips That Will Help You Keep Ahead Of Your Career Plans

Career Development Tips That Will Help You Keep Ahead of Your Career Plans

Career development is important for both employees and employers. There may be several unintended and undesired changes as well as consequences that can change the entire scenario. In such a situation both employees and employers must be ready to keep with the changing environment and act accordingly.

Employees continuously need to upgrade their skills and competencies to meet the current demands where as organizations must be ready with those employees who can handle the pressure efficiently and cease the risk of falling prey to the changed scenario. Therefore, understanding the importance of career development is very necessary for both the parties.

Career development is a must if you expect to gain maximum success and happiness from the hours you invest in work. You are likely going to work 40 hours a week for your entire adult life, and by managing your career effectively, you can make the best of those 40 hours.

Developing your talents and skills will stretch your world and enable more of your unique contribution. This, in turn, can make your career successful.

Set Goals And Create A Plan To Achieve Them

Could your career development and management use help to gain momentum? People who are the most successful and satisfied in their careers have proactively determined what they want from work.

First consider what you want to achieve, and then commit to it. Set SMART (specific, measureable, attainable, relevant and time-bound) goals that motivate you and write them down to make them feel tangible. Then plan the steps you must take to realize your goal, and cross off each one as you work through them.

Careate A Career Development Roadmap

Evaluate where you are and where you want to be in your career/careers. It can help you decide if you want to change career paths and can guide you in searching for a new job. The road map identifies the following four cyclical steps:

  1. Know yourself
  2. Explore and choose options
  3. Gain knowledge and experience
  4. Put it all together: the job search process

Do The PDCA Method (Plan-Do-Check-Act)

PDCA (plan–do–check–act), shown in Figure 1, above, is a four-step strategy for carrying out change. You can use it to evaluate where you are in the career-development process and to identify your next steps. The strategy is typically used in the business arena as a framework for improving processes and services. But you can think of your career as a personal product you are offering or selling.

  1. PLAN: What are your goals and objectives? What process will you use to get to your targets? You might want to plan smaller to begin with and test out possible effects. For instance, if you are thinking of getting into a certain career, you might plan to try it out first as an intern or volunteer or on a part-time basis. When you start on a small scale, you can test possible outcomes.
  2. DO: Implement your plan. Sell your product—which is YOU and your skills, talents, energy, and enthusiasm. Collect data as you go along; you will need it for charting and analyzing in the Check and Act steps ahead.
  3. CHECK: Look at your results so far. Are you happy with your job or wherever you are in the career-development process? How is your actual accomplishment measuring up next to your intentions and wishes? Look for where you may have deviated in your intended steps. For example, did you take a job in another city when your initial plans were for working closer to friends and family? What are the pros and cons? If you like, create a chart that shows you all the factors. With a chart, it will be easier to see trends over several PDCA cycles.
  4. ACT: How should you act going forward? What changes in planning, doing, and checking do you want to take? The PDCA framework is an ongoing process. Keep planning, doing, checking, and acting. The goal is continuous improvement.

Remember that setting goals for work is best when it is an ongoing practice. Line up your personal goals for work in a way that allows you to gather those accomplishments and learn the skills.

As a Career coach I am here to help you create an effective career plan that brings you one step closer to your dream job. I will teach you on how to design and implement your career plan, create a personal development plan , and set achievable goals

If you want to learn more go and Book a Free Call Here!

Hi, I am Ruth McCrackin!

 Your Career & Success Strategist Coach with well over 11 years of experience working hand in hand with Human Resources and Business Partners in achieving company goals and mission. It is my wish for high achievers to getting their high-end position in attracting their dreams and passion. Avoid the loop holes of missing great opportunities by applying job search strategies, LinkedIn Branding, storytelling, and much more to up level your career and lifestyle. Start Your Transformation Now