2021: Ready Set Grow… Your Career

There is something about the new year that seems to light a flame of motivation in every heart. January is notorious for inspiring new visions and goals. One of which, at least for most professionals, is career growth. But, following a year of turmoil and a looming pandemic still in full swing, how can anyone bother to be inspired, let alone focus on growing their career?

Even after facing immense financial loss in his early life, J.D. Rockefeller could not be unsettled; in fact, he said, “I always tried to turn every disaster into an opportunity.” Given today’s unprecedented circumstances, some may question where an opportunity lies. The answer to that is everywhere! With the swift transition from 9 to 5 office life towards flexible and remote work shifts, the ability to expand your professional expertise and even network has only elevated.  

To start taking advantage of career aspirations with a clean slate and a new year is by making a list of goals to accomplish, arranged by priority, and detailed with the steps you will take to achieve.  Here are a few options to help you get started with your list. 

Certifications and Education:

For many professionals, an additional certification or some education signifies their commitment to staying on top of industry standards. Aside from the obvious benefits of providing the latest skills in a particular field, platform, or profession, it stands to impress both current and potential employers. A great place to get started finding the latest in course certification are sites like Udemy, Coursera, and LinkedIn Learning. All of which offer free or discounted trials to 100’s of tutorials and certification courses and reasonable monthly (or annual) subscriptions. 

Personal Resume:

An up to date Resume should be one of your top priorities in rejuvenating your career deck. You might be surprised to know that the recommended time frame for updating your Resume is every 6 – 12 months. By revisiting yearly, you stay on top of your goals and provide accurate details to advance your career track.  *Remember to add in your most recent certifications and project fulfillments. 

Digital Portfolios: 

While the world revolves around digital connections, take this moment to introduce yourself and your accomplishments virtually. Moving beyond the traditional Resume is the online portfolio. A digital portfolio can be as simple as adding some samples of your work as attachments to your LinkedIn profile, or a little more complicated like a website dedicated to your projects and work over the years, giving potential clients, employers, and networking prospects the ability to see what you bring to the table. Plugging into sites like Wix or Squarespace are excellent and user-friendly options to get you well on your way to building your digital portfolio.

Career Coaching:

Many times in life, we seek outside expertise. Expert input from doctors, therapists, counselors, and trusted peers helps alleviate the questions we cannot answer ourselves. Similarly speaking, adding Career Coaching into our professional life can become a key to unlocking areas of occupational weakness that we’ve become blind to and provides a clear pathway on overcoming. 

When looking to work with a career coach, it’s always best to look for trustworthy individuals who have the experience to back up their advice. Pedagog’s founder and CEO, Jeff Bockelman, has over 24 years of experience working with thousands of professionals in a multitude of industries, and searches totaling nearly $100M in salaries. Jeff has developed a unique strategy designed to help any professional expand on their current networking know-how with new search and communication capabilities. Whether you are building a pool of prospective clients or looking to move on to your next job opportunity, Jeff’s strategy is guaranteed to open the door to the right conversations. Just listen to what one leader had to say recently about the value of a career coach.