Top Ten Ways to Recharge Your Career
By: Katherine O''Brien
They say no one in the workplace is indispensable, but with a few simple changes you can make yourself invaluable to employers and jump-start a stalling career.
1. Set Goals
Know thyself -- where you are today, where you want to be, the type of skills you want to develop, and the aspects of your job that you don''t like. Remember, if you have an idea of where you want to go, it''s easier to get there! So set short- and long-term goals, clearly spelling out the actions you need to take in order to reach them. If your goals can potentially be derailed by procrastination then put some measures in place to help you stay on track. Don''t wait for someone else to give you incentives -- bribe yourself with flowers or dinner out every time you meet one of your goals. The Get More Done web site suggests breaking large jobs into smaller, more manageable tasks, and sharing your goals and timelines with friends, asking them to check up on you.
2. Keep Track of Your Achievements
Keep a log of your accomplishments and hang on to e-mails or letters praising your work. As career activist Mark Swartz points out, you can talk about these accomplishments when you have a performance review with your manager. Better yet, create a portfolio of your achievements that you can display during performance reviews or show to people when you are job seeking. Remember to update your resume regularly, and make sure that it focuses not on the duties you performed but the skill with which you completed them.
3. Broaden Your Skill Base
In this fast- moving society you need to keep on top of trends and learn new skills. Mark Swartz encourages workers to take advantage of free training. Find out if your company will pay for night courses. Be assertive and ask your company to pay for relevant workshops, seminars or professional associations. Also, take the time to find out how to operate your office equipment and to really understand the computer programs that you use. Read manuals, use the "help" menus, find info on the Internet or ask your co-workers questions, writing down the answers. Just be careful not to hound fellow employees too much; you aren''t going to win friends and influence people if you are forever distracting people from their work.
4. Create Projects
Take a long look at the organization where you work and find out where it is heading. As iVillage.com points out, maybe you can come up with a project that would contribute to the company''s vision. If you have a well-planned idea for a new and relevant project, share it with management. And don''t be discouraged by a "no." As Possibilities career expert Susan Stone puts it, sometimes employers will dismiss an idea but will come up with an alternate idea that better meets the company''s needs. Don''t focus on the rejection so much that you miss other opportunities. And if you do end up with a new project, suggest some ways that some of the (boring) work you currently do can be eliminated or farmed out.
5. Build Your Network
Don''t stay hidden away in your cubicle at work. Get to know the people in your organization. Find a mentor, attend work-related social events, or volunteer for office or union committees (something that can also build new skills). You also need to build your external network. Join associations and attend trade shows, seminars and the like. See our networking articles for more ideas. And once you make contacts -- keep in touch. Periodically call or e-mail people or set up lunch dates.
6. Take on the Role of Expert
Career management specialists advise creating "visible exposure" by becoming known as an expert in a particular job or industry. Enhance your profile by writing articles for the company newsletter or providing workshops or seminars. You can also write articles for newspapers or external publications and take on outside speaking engagements. Make sure your boss knows about any outside speaking engagements or writing assignments. Just remember: you must actually know something about a subject, and you must acquire solid communication skills for this to work for you. People like to listen to an expert, but no one wants to listen to a bore.
7. Learn to Speak in Public
Joining Toastmasters or other public speaking organizations can lead to improved communication and presentation skills. After speaking in front of your fellow members you''ll be able to wow people with your confidence and presentation. Public speaking and the ability to motivate and persuade are good skills for those on the way up. And don''t forget that joining organizations offers great opportunities to brush up on your networking skills.
8. Keep a Positive Attitude
If your job is mind-numbingly boring or so stressful you often feel ill, keep in mind that there are things you can do to make the workday more pleasant. Despite the temptation, don''''t drain your energy by focusing on the down side. Actively work to keep your attitude positive. Do something -- anything -- to keep from running screaming into the night. Brighten your workspace by bringing in a plant or photographs of your cats. Organize a company potluck or a noon-hour walking club, or convince management to bring in ice cream for a staff meeting. (And speaking of ice cream, Ben and Jerry''s Ice Cream Company actually went so far as to create a Joy Committee.)
9. Have Fun!
You can also use fun and games to keep your spirits up. If pointless games are your thing, then check out Deep Fun for inspiration. Just make sure that you throw in a little work with all that hilarity. Keeping a few plastic gizmos on your desk is one thing, distracting your co-workers with every time-wasting game imaginable is quite another. Remember -- it''s a fine line between funny and fired.
10. Pursue Your Passion...Elsewhere
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