Stephanie Klein, president and CEO of the Experience Factor, is a regular columnist for the Denver Business Journal. Her most recent column is reposted here.
What does the end of the year mean to you? Aside from the normal holiday parties and time off with family and friends, the end of the year offers us a legitimate reason to separate the past year’s experiences with our plans and hopes for the future. Typical New Year’s resolutions focus on eating healthier, exercising regularly or spending more time with family and friends. However, for some, the new year offers the opportunity to make a resolution to conduct a year-end career review.
Most of us are busy, with competing priorities and over scheduled lives. Our to-do lists are overflowing, and our priorities are constantly shifting. Because our career impacts so many other facets in our life, acting on this resolution should be at the top of our list.
Whether you’re a CEO, an entrepreneur who started your own company, just recently started a new job, or are a tenured employee, the following year-end review questions will help you think honestly about your job, performance, and can guide you when creating your career goals for 2015.
- What were your top three accomplishments at work this past year?
- What were the top three greatest lessons you learned in 2014?
- What are three great things about where you work, and what you do for a living?
- What were the three greatest challenges you faced at work in 2014?
- What are your three greatest assets or strengths that you regularly utilize at work?
- List three gifts of knowledge or expertise you have gained or developed this year.
- List three traits, skills or strengths you want to, but cannot, utilize more at work.
- List the three things you would change about your job or career.
If you take the time to thoughtfully reflect on these questions, you can objectively evaluate if your current role is in alignment with your life. Still not sure? You are not alone. As recruiters, we constantly meet people who are looking for a new job, or want to make a significant career change. When we ask what they are hoping to find, many can’t put their finger on what exactly they are looking for; but can quickly recount why they want to leave to leave their current job. Seldom is it all about “the money.” Usually people are feeling conflicted due to one of the following scenarios: They are no longer feeling fulfilled, or valued.
- They have lost respect for their manager or leadership.
- They feel that promotional and or development opportunities are limited.
- They are no longer having fun or have identified that learning has been replaced with routine.
- Their best skills are not being utilized.
How do you get back on track once you have clearly identified that you are not in the right job or career?
Sometimes looking back will give you the clues into your future. Look back over your career. Plot out on a graph all the jobs you have had, and make bullet points of your major roles or responsibilities at each company. Place a plus sign next to any job, culture or task that you enjoyed. Next, place a minus sign next to any job, culture or job that wasn’t a fit. When you are done, focus on all the plus signs and you’ll begin to decipher the trends and the types of roles, companies and tasks you enjoy the most. Typically when you’re using most of your skills and strengths in a culture you like, you will thrive and feel successful. Make note of the negatives experiences too. They should inform you about what types of roles or organizations you should avoid. This seems obvious, but when is the last time you looked at your old performance evaluations or assessment results? Are there any trends?
All of these data points are helpful when forming a career action plan. It can be extremely difficult to navigate this journey by yourself. You may also consider hiring an expert. Working with the right a career coach can be extremely helpful. Coaches can be objective, challenge your preconceived and or self-limiting ideas and help to create action steps to help you implement a career plan for your future.
The truth is, your job can and does significantly impact your life and the lives of your family and friends. In our recruiting firm our motto is “A Good Job equals a Good Life.” We know that taking the time to set accountable goals for your work life is the best investment in your future, and will pay better dividends beyond any other. As you look at your to-do list for the new year, is it time to further invest in your current role, or take the leap to find a new and better opportunity?