Five Career Development Plan Tips

Want to know the 5 top tips to make big things happen in your career?

The biggest mistake you can make, is only taking care of your career when your back is against the wall! Career maintenance should be taken care of on an ongoing basis!

In today’s current job climate, the competition can be fierce. That’s ok. We are resilient beings. Here we provide 5 top tips to make big things happen in your career — quick & easy tips on managing your career and finding new opportunities to improve your profile to hiring managers.

Easy tips on how to put your best foot forward in determining your career

Tip #1:

Maintenance is key. Give your career a regular tune-up.

A birthday is a sacred day: gift yourself with a scrub of your resume and all your marketing tools (resume, Bio, email signature, voice mail message, references, recommendations, business card, summary profile, etc…) If you do this, you’ll be good to go for the next 12 months! You ARE an organic person; let your career evolve along with you! Take advantage of your birthday for reinvention!

Maintain regular check ups on your career

Keeping a commitment to check on your profile yearly makes sure you are up to date & attractive to hiring managers

Tip #2:

Plan your approach(es) thoroughly.

Most job seekers don’t take the time to script and rehearse their approaches to hiring managers. Just prepare a simple script before a phone call (10 mins), drafting an email (2-3 short paragraphs) or reaching out over LinkedIn (short messages only; keep your outreach social in nature — read: warm, fuzzy). Script preparation includes: a short introduction (your full name) with context (why or how you came to be reaching out); 2-3 point form list of what you can bring to the table professionally (skills, knowledge, media reach); a clear ask (what is it that you hope to achieve by this outreach); and next steps (which, if you’re smart, you’ll take charge of…). The result: you’re in charge, not them!

Putting energy into how you are going into applying for a new job can make a huge difference in the outcome

Tip #3:

Do your research.

A great way to end up in a lousy job is to NOT do research on the company before you apply and/or accept a job offer. There are countless platforms like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Facebook … where you can get the inside scoop on a company, either through news releases, or, from comments former staff make. Make it your job to find out their financial health, their corporate social responsibility, and their on-boarding, team building efforts, salary increases/bonuses, before you join! We have a great tool for that in our Career WorkBook!

Research the companies you want to work for

Researching the companies you want to work for can help you feel prepared & confident in your choices

Tip #4:

Outshine the competition by making your “Business Case”

Job seekers don’t thoroughly think through their reasons for applying to jobs. It’s important to do the math up front, on any given company. More importantly, doing the math up front is really smart and makes you way more competitive. Answer these four questions for any job you are applying to …

Why would they hire you in particular?
Why would they hire you now?
What role do you want to play for them, specifically?
And why do you want to work with this company in particular?

If you make a point of articulating the answers to those four questions in a screening call, in an elevator pitch, in an interview, and/or a mini-version in your thank you note, you are sure to get a hiring manager’s attention. Cause 80% of people just aren’t doing their homework!

Tip #5:

**Invest in yourself: both time and money!**

Most job seekers are not taught, or encouraged, to regularly and consistently invest in themselves and their own development. Therefore, we recommend you invest money as well as time in your precious career! Professional development is becoming increasingly important. With the state of most company’s financials these days, there’s no way they’re going to pay to train you! In other words, professional development becomes a “do-it-yourself” proposition. Stack those small “c” credentials onto your resume whenever you can. Take side courses, webinars, seminars, and read your business trades … do everything you can to increase your skills and knowledge. Employers will recognize individuals who are better “rounded”, than others who simply have not made the time or taken the opportunity to broaden their skills and knowledge.

Paying attention to the five big career mistakes, will therefore ensure you greater career control, and success!

Watch our vlog on 5 Biggest Career Mistakes here.

Careers AF! can provide everything you need for learning how to go after your dream job.

5 Top Tips to Make BIG Things Happen in Your Career