Not for your career goals !!
New year not off to a great start ? Feeling like a deflated balloon ? New year resolutions forgotten or abandoned already ?? Its certainly not too late to give yourself some career goals for 2013....we still have 51 weeks to go !!!
It's very easy to make resolutions, under the influence of the glow of Christmas and new year and a few drinks but back to the icy reality of the weather we are having just now and trying to pay bills, and the future does not look so rosy !!
It does help if the goals and plans have been realistic to start with so try breaking them down into immediate, short and longer term goals. Some examples might be that you can start a diet today, just don't expect to lose 2stone in a week. Hopefully while looking for a job, or instead of one, you can start building up a self employed income to give yourself work and come off state benefits , you can start this immediately and build it up, but if you want a holiday, the first one for years, that may be a longer term goal as buying a house is likely to be. I remember when I went to a course for budding entrepreneurs, being taught to look at short, medium and long term goals for building a business. We were encouraged not to hang about though...a quick goal was to start bringing in money !!! ***
Short-term objectives are points that may be accomplished in the next couple of weeks or maybe subsequent couple of months...like having a clear out and de cluttering. Such plans may be carried out in stages, e.g. one room at a time in the case of a de clutter..Working through the stages completes the goal. In the case of job hunting, an example could be, to complete firstly a generic CV, then build up a collection of job specific CV's for the roles you are going to apply for. Gaining a qualification begins with finding and enrolling on a course !!
Long-term goals often call for a number of steps and don't happen overnight. A good example was my realisation that I could use my way with words to write and make an income,,the process is very akin to applying for more 'normal' jobs...I apply and some I get and some I don't. I won't have a good income, tomorrow but it can and will be possible.
Of course you will have listed your resolutions /goals somewhere, even if just in your head, but career goals tend to be recorded more formally. This is often because you are part of a government employment programme and have to record your job search activities. I have written previously about the importance of doing this, and some systems to use.
Keep a record of your objectives. And use some of the brilliant on line ideas to help you to do so. Although probably intended more for personal goals, Bucket lists are very much the in term these days. I started a bucket list and shared it in an earlier blog entry. However, finances and Job centre rules meant that I didn't have much time for it, but I do hope to enjoy developing it and seeing me tick off achieved aims.....try this download...http://www.myspreadsheetlab.com/2013/01/free-excel-template-bucket-list-template/
Of course for many of us we have no choice but for professional goals to take precedence over personal ones, so you may well have to be prepared to adapt and don't be too hard on yourself if something doesn't work out.....celebrate your achievements !!
*** You won't get rich quickly but if you have indeed set up a website or blog, get it up and running, regularly put content on it and monetise it with e.g. affiliate programmes, i.e. selling based on your niche...children, computers, weddings etc. etc.....much more about this in the months to follow....
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