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2018: The Year You Finally Take Control of Your Career

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We bet that there’s something on this year’s resolution list regarding

Est. Read Time: 5-7 minutes

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Each year, Singaporeans from all walks of life promise themselves that this year will be the year that they finally take control of their career and…

  • #1 Earn more money
  • #2 Get a promotion
  • #3 Get a job/career that they really love
  • #4 Make a name for themselves in their company or industry
  • #5 [Insert any other aspirational career goal that seldom gets fulfilled by year’s end]

Does this sound familiar to you? –

This year will be different.

As career development experts, we’ve seen many professionals get exactly what they want from their career.

And we’re going to share 5 of their secrets with you.


Secret 1: Reflect on the past year

Put 2017 in perspective by reflecting on everything you’ve done right, and wrong, in the past year.

Think about what you’ve done to take your career up to this point, and celebrate your successes.

Here’s how we’ve done it as a company. Yup, we made a video for everyone to look back at the year gone past.

 

 

Now think about where you want your career to be by the end of 2018.

Look at the gap between your present reality and your aspirations – then write down (in a journal) all the steps you’ll need to take in 2017 to bridge that gap, and take your career to where you want it to be.

 

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Secret 2: Identify exactly what’s holding you back

Has 2017 gone as fruitfully as you wanted it to go?

For most of us, we’re likely to have made some progress in our career, but are still falling short of where we’d like to be in terms of career advancement, income, recognition, or any combination of these factors.

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Think about what’s been keeping you from reaching your career goals. Make sure these are internal reasons, and not external factors that are beyond your control. (i.e. “My boss is sucks!” doesn’t count, as it isn’t within your control.)

 

 

Is it a lack of focus? Are there distractions in your personal life that are preventing you from going full out in your career? Do you need more motivation? Is ill health or a lack of energy keeping you from your dreams?

Whatever they are, identify the top 3 factors that are keeping you back – then come up with a strategy/ action plan to resolve these issues. This will help get your career on the fast track that it deserves to be on.


Secret 3: Update your career plan

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When was the last time you updated your career plan? If this sounds like a foreign concept to you, don’t worry – most people have never properly planned out their career either.

And here is where the problem lies.

On the bright side, this is also something you can figure out by simply taking an hour right now to think through your career and where you want it to be. Have it in a plan on paper – you’ll gain incredible clarity in your present and future.

 

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When people map out their careers, they tend to find a newfound level of purpose and motivation to take action. This can mean anything from being more proactive in their work, to speaking with their bosses about a raise, taking on more responsibilities, or seeking out better opportunities in a new, fulfilling career.

 


Secret 4: Nurture your network

In today’s interconnected world, your network is incredibly important.

We’re not talking about adding random people to your network so you have over 500 connections in LinkedIn – we’re referring to improving the quality of your network.

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A quality network is one that you’ve spent time nurturing with genuine care.

It brings you quality leads and opportunities that range from client/customer contacts, lucrative job opportunities (that may never see the light on public job portals) to even quality recruiters reaching out to you with the industry’s most attractive jobs.

So what’s the best way to nurture your network?

By being genuine, and adding value to the people in your network.

Keep in touch with them, be generous in sharing relevant news and recommendations that you know they’ll appreciate, and assist when they reach out for help.

This way, they’ll be more than happy to return the favour when they’ve got an interesting opportunity to share.

 


Secret 5: Upgrade yourself!

One of the key secrets to staying employable, is to continually upgrade yourself.

Remember, no one suddenly “becomes too old” because they’ve reached a certain age.

They’ve only become too old when their personal and professional skills have stopped progressing for the past 10 years.

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So whether you’re 20 or 50, it’s important to keep learning and adding to your repertoire of personal and professional skills.

Think of your collection of skills as “ability points” – the most points you have, the more attractive you are to potential employers. With high ability points, there’s really little reason for your existing employer to not offer you that promotion – since your impressive skillsets are of value to the team.

 


Are you game for an awesome 2018?

Now that you’re armed with these 5 secrets to success, we’re challenging you to take control of your career and excel in 2018.

Go figure out what makes you tick at your job. What do you live for?

And if you need some inspiration, we’ve got some of our colleagues at BGC Group to share with us what they live to do and how it applies to their role.

First on the list of BGC Group’s #ILIVETO mini-series, reflecting on the broader purpose behind your work… Jay!

 

 


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Also, here are some relevant reads that might be interesting: 

The post 2018: The Year You Finally Take Control of Your Career appeared first on BGC Group.


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