9 Ways To Boost Your Career Development (by the end of the year)

It is hard to believe that September is nearly half over. As the fourth quarter rears it’s head, individuals looking for work wonder how to keep the momentum up during the holiday season. Many wonder if continuing a job search is even worth it during this time. It is and here are nine things you can do to boost your job search strategy in the next few months.
 
Take Control. Managing a career and a job search is work. It is easy to start down a path and get side tracked. Now is the time to review where you are and where you want to go. Realizing that no one cares about your career more than you do and committing to taking control of your future is the first and most essential step.
 
Review Your Brand. This is a good time to review if the activities you have been doing so far are reinforcing the brand you wish to portray. If you are unsure what your brand is, then this is a great time to figure that out. Make sure that everything you are doing on and offline is showing potential employers who you are and the value you add.
 
Review Your Marketing. Growth happens through marketing. Whether you are looking for a new career or looking to further the one you have, a great marketing plan is necessary to get you there. Review your marketing plan, remove activities that are not moving your career development further and try out a few new ones that you had not considered before.
 
Revise Your Resume. If your resume has not been updated in a few months it may be time to make some revisions. Even if you are not actively looking for a job, your resume should always be up to date. Further, if you are not getting results from your resume currently, a revision is necessary to ensure the proper keywords and achievements are highlighted.

Refresh Your Skills. Whether it be something big like go back to school or on a smaller scale such as sitting in on some online webinars, the fourth quarter is an excellent time to look at what additional knowledge you could gain that would help in your career development.
 
Network, Network, Network. I know this is really no different advice for the fourth quarter than could be given at any time of the year, but the holidays do offer a unique opportunity to network in very relaxed settings. There are typically more networking events or parties happening at this time of year and those wishing to boost their career development can certainly use them to grow their network and meaningful connections.
 
Reach Out To Old Friends and Colleagues. The holidays also offer a wonderful opportunity to reach out to friends or colleagues that you may have fallen out of touch with. We all have friends we’ve been “meaning to call” for months and the nostalgia that accompanies the holidays gives us the perfect reason to do so. Catching up also presents the opportunity to share about your goals. You never know who has that contact you need.
 
Take On A New Challenge. It could be a volunteer opportunity or a project around the house. Maybe it is pro-bono work in your field or learning a new skill entirely. Whatever it is, giving yourself a new challenge, a new goal to focus on will keep your mind sharp. Accomplishing that new challenge will give you even more self confidence to rely on in the coming year.
 
Take A Break. The fourth quarter is the perfect time to take a step back, unwind a little and relax. While I do not advocate taking the entire holiday season off, a day or even week isn’t going to hurt anyone. Taking the time you need to refresh and refocus is essential to staying the course in the upcoming months.
 
The holiday season offers tons of unique opportunities for individuals to give their overall career development a boost. While many assume that this would be a slower time of year for these type of activities, the truth is the timing could not be better.

It is hard to believe that September is nearly half over. As the fourth quarter rears it’s head, individuals looking for work wonder how to keep the momentum up during the holiday season. Many wonder if continuing a job search is even worth it during this time. It is and here are nine things you can do to boost your job search strategy in the next few months.
 
Take Control. Managing a career and a job search is work. It is easy to start down a path and get side tracked. Now is the time to review where you are and where you want to go. Realizing that no one cares about your career more than you do and committing to taking control of your future is the first and most essential step.
 
Review Your Brand. This is a good time to review if the activities you have been doing so far are reinforcing the brand you wish to portray. If you are unsure what your brand is, then this is a great time to figure that out. Make sure that everything you are doing on and offline is showing potential employers who you are and the value you add.
 
Review Your Marketing. Growth happens through marketing. Whether you are looking for a new career or looking to further the one you have, a great marketing plan is necessary to get you there. Review your marketing plan, remove activities that are not moving your career development further and try out a few new ones that you had not considered before.
 
Revise Your Resume. If your resume has not been updated in a few months it may be time to make some revisions. Even if you are not actively looking for a job, your resume should always be up to date. Further, if you are not getting results from your resume currently, a revision is necessary to ensure the proper keywords and achievements are highlighted.

Refresh Your Skills. Whether it be something big like go back to school or on a smaller scale such as sitting in on some online webinars, the fourth quarter is an excellent time to look at what additional knowledge you could gain that would help in your career development.
 
Network, Network, Network. I know this is really no different advice for the fourth quarter than could be given at any time of the year, but the holidays do offer a unique opportunity to network in very relaxed settings. There are typically more networking events or parties happening at this time of year and those wishing to boost their career development can certainly use them to grow their network and meaningful connections.
 
Reach Out To Old Friends and Colleagues. The holidays also offer a wonderful opportunity to reach out to friends or colleagues that you may have fallen out of touch with. We all have friends we’ve been “meaning to call” for months and the nostalgia that accompanies the holidays gives us the perfect reason to do so. Catching up also presents the opportunity to share about your goals. You never know who has that contact you need.
 
Take On A New Challenge. It could be a volunteer opportunity or a project around the house. Maybe it is pro-bono work in your field or learning a new skill entirely. Whatever it is, giving yourself a new challenge, a new goal to focus on will keep your mind sharp. Accomplishing that new challenge will give you even more self confidence to rely on in the coming year.
 
Take A Break. The fourth quarter is the perfect time to take a step back, unwind a little and relax. While I do not advocate taking the entire holiday season off, a day or even week isn’t going to hurt anyone. Taking the time you need to refresh and refocus is essential to staying the course in the upcoming months.
 
The holiday season offers tons of unique opportunities for individuals to give their overall career development a boost. While many assume that this would be a slower time of year for these type of activities, the truth is the timing could not be better.

It is hard to believe that September is nearly half over. As the fourth quarter rears it’s head, individuals looking for work wonder how to keep the momentum up during the holiday season. Many wonder if continuing a job search is even worth it during this time. It is and here are nine things you can do to boost your job search strategy in the next few months.
 
Take Control. Managing a career and a job search is work. It is easy to start down a path and get side tracked. Now is the time to review where you are and where you want to go. Realizing that no one cares about your career more than you do and committing to taking control of your future is the first and most essential step.
 
Review Your Brand. This is a good time to review if the activities you have been doing so far are reinforcing the brand you wish to portray. If you are unsure what your brand is, then this is a great time to figure that out. Make sure that everything you are doing on and offline is showing potential employers who you are and the value you add.
 
Review Your Marketing. Growth happens through marketing. Whether you are looking for a new career or looking to further the one you have, a great marketing plan is necessary to get you there. Review your marketing plan, remove activities that are not moving your career development further and try out a few new ones that you had not considered before.
 
Revise Your Resume. If your resume has not been updated in a few months it may be time to make some revisions. Even if you are not actively looking for a job, your resume should always be up to date. Further, if you are not getting results from your resume currently, a revision is necessary to ensure the proper keywords and achievements are highlighted.

Refresh Your Skills. Whether it be something big like go back to school or on a smaller scale such as sitting in on some online webinars, the fourth quarter is an excellent time to look at what additional knowledge you could gain that would help in your career development.
 
Network, Network, Network. I know this is really no different advice for the fourth quarter than could be given at any time of the year, but the holidays do offer a unique opportunity to network in very relaxed settings. There are typically more networking events or parties happening at this time of year and those wishing to boost their career development can certainly use them to grow their network and meaningful connections.
 
Reach Out To Old Friends and Colleagues. The holidays also offer a wonderful opportunity to reach out to friends or colleagues that you may have fallen out of touch with. We all have friends we’ve been “meaning to call” for months and the nostalgia that accompanies the holidays gives us the perfect reason to do so. Catching up also presents the opportunity to share about your goals. You never know who has that contact you need.
 
Take On A New Challenge. It could be a volunteer opportunity or a project around the house. Maybe it is pro-bono work in your field or learning a new skill entirely. Whatever it is, giving yourself a new challenge, a new goal to focus on will keep your mind sharp. Accomplishing that new challenge will give you even more self confidence to rely on in the coming year.
 
Take A Break. The fourth quarter is the perfect time to take a step back, unwind a little and relax. While I do not advocate taking the entire holiday season off, a day or even week isn’t going to hurt anyone. Taking the time you need to refresh and refocus is essential to staying the course in the upcoming months.
 
The holiday season offers tons of unique opportunities for individuals to give their overall career development a boost. While many assume that this would be a slower time of year for these type of activities, the truth is the timing could not be better.

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