Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes: 2018 Resolution Ideas To Kick-Start Your Career

The beginning of a new year feels like the best time to start doing those things we keep putting off. Kick that habit, hit the gym, smile more… But what about your career goals?

When making resolutions, it’s easy to simply write GET A JOB or GET A NEW JOB or GET BETTER AT INTERVIEW STUFF. But is this actually going to motivate you and get you on track? Or are you setting yourself up to feel upset and frustrated?

While your career goals are a great thing to focus on, setting yourself some specific targets to work towards will help get you where you want to be far more effectively. Here’s a quick list to help make sure your 2018 really kicks ass.

What is it you really want?

Simple as it sounds, this isn’t always the easiest question to answer. Take the time to really figure out what your long-term goals and dreams are and then consider whether what you’re currently doing aligns with them. What changes could you make to get a little closer?

Struggling to come up with some goals? Don’t worry; it’s not always the easiest task! Check out these eight questions, or these seven, and see what you can come up with!

Identify things you may need to start, change, or improve

What part of your job hunting strategy is letting you down? What behaviours at work are keeping you from growing? Take the time to recognise these issues – and be honest with yourself! What could you change or start to do that would, in turn, make 2018 great for you?

Struggling to come up with things? Ask someone! A friend, family member or colleague, pick someone you can trust who will give you a fair and honest opinion. Whether you’re studying or in work, ask someone to review your current performance. Perhaps you just need to be a little more outspoken? Or maybe you need to work through your ideas more thoroughly?

Is there a part of the job hunt process that you need to improve?

Bad at interviews? CV in a mess? Avoiding cover letters? Or do you simply need to update your job alerts and make more time for hunting and applying?

Whatever may be letting you down, it’s important to identify it and kick yourself into shape. The longer you put off fixing things, the higher the chance is that you’ll miss a job or opportunity that could be perfect for you.

Create a habit

Forbes suggests (amongst other things) that forming a daily habit is an effective way to stick at your career goals. Rather than scrawling down a throwaway line about ‘getting better at ____’, actually thinking of something you want to begin to do regularly and challenging yourself to do it is more likely to have results that you can be proud of.

Despite rumours that it takes 21 days to form a habit, research shows that it’s more like two months – but don’t let this put you off! The whole point is that, by springtime, you’ll have formed a positive habit that will (hopefully!) already be showing results.

Stay tuned

Guilty of scowling at social media feeds in class or in the office? Tend to zone out in meetings? The simple act focusing and listening more can hugely impact your life.

Check out Business Insider’s ideas on how to focus better at work. They suggest things like working offline and minimising the amount of time you spent multitasking.

Try something new!

It’s a new year and what better time than to start something new and exciting?

Think about your career goals or pick out an area you feel you might be letting yourself down, and start there. If you’re really eager to change the type of work you do, consider taking a course that’ll help you get there. If you want to work or study aboard, then enrol in a language class – or at least download an app!

If you know you’re not very confident at public speaking, and it might affecting your interview performance, then why not take an acting class with a friend? Or at least start rehearsing interviews with them!

Not into resolutions? What about anti-resolutions?

The anti-resolution is a relatively new idea in which, instead of making a list of things that you want to start doing, you choose things you want to stop doing. The theory is that your actions will become more intentional – and meeting your goals more achievable.

For example, instead of simply deciding to eat healthily, say you’ll stop eating fast food. Applying this to your career goals could end up sounding something like: “I will not be late for work”, “I will stop mumbling in interviews”, “I will stop biting my tongue in meetings”, “I will stop putting off my work to the last minute”, “I will stop missing deadlines” or “I will stop putting things off.”

If job hunting or coursework is getting you down then you could add: “I will stop putting myself down”!

Inspiring Interns is a recruitment agency specialising in all the internships and graduate jobs London has to offer.