Goal setting for the New Year — Betty’s Career Tip

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Career

Happy New Year!

I usually associate the new year with starting fresh and a good time to set goals. When you think of goal setting, do you immediately think of eating healthier, starting an exercise regimen, saving more money or reducing stress? These are all great personal goals, but I would also encourage you to develop your career/professional development goals. You may have some goals in mind, which is fantastic. If you’re not sure, you may want to consider:

  • Narrow your major into functionality (e.g., research, design, testing, operations, etc.).
  • Identify your skills and translate them into employer needs.
  • Generate a list of industries/companies of interest.
  • Create/update your resume.
  • Develop your elevator pitch.
  • Practice behavioral or technical interview.
  • Research and join professional associations.
  • Build/update your LinkedIn profile.
  • Establish or expand your professional network.
  • Look for an internship.
  • Search for a new job.
  • Pursue career advancement opportunities.
  • Develop re-careering strategies.

For successful implementation, apply these easy steps:

  • Evaluate each goal and prioritize them by importance:
  1. Not important.
  2. Somewhat important.
  3. Important.
  4. Very important.
  5. Extremely important.
  • Identify the goals with highest importance.
  • Develop an action plan for each goal:
    • What specific steps are needed to reach each goal?
    • List the goals and steps in a word document.
    • Assign realistic deadlines for when you want to complete each step in the action plan.

For example, if you decide to create a resume using Optimal Resume by February 1, an action plan may include:

  • Create an Optimal Resume profile – January 12.
  • View and select an Optimal Resume sample for edit – January 13.
  • Update resume with your employment, internship, and academic projects – January 17.
  • Submit resume for review – January 19.
  • Update the resume with recommended changes and resubmit for another review – January 28.

Finally, post your goals where you can see and read them on a regular basis, preferably weekly. Reminding yourself of your goals will help you stay motivated and reach them.

Remember you don’t have to do this alone. The Fulton Schools Career Center staff is here to assist you with your career goals. You can schedule an appointment through Handshake.

Betty Boza is a career development specialist for the Fulton Schools Career Center. Her primary responsibility is assisting online, graduate and doctoral students with all aspects of career development including resume preparation, professional network expansion, effective job search strategies and mock interviews.