Halloween is over and the rush to the end of the year has begun. Things are going to get busy….really soon. If you have career goals that are still hanging out there, this is the time to sit down and make a plan to move forward.
Whether you are looking for a promotion, transfer or something new altogether, now is the time to take action to make that career move.
But where to start?
Make time – carve out 20 minutes every day to work on your objective – either block it in your calendar or make it the same time every day.
Make a list – who do you need to meet and how can you connect with them. Email, voice mail, and LinkedIn are all options – decide what is most likely to get a response.
Reach out – start connecting with your targets and following up
Expand your network – send LinkedIn invitations to colleagues, neighbours and the guy you met at that thing last week.
Promote yourself – find articles that are relevant to what you do and post them on LinkedIn. Your connections will see your content and be reminded of your expertise.
Send thank you notes – everyone appreciates being recognized and the good will that is generated will translate into all kinds of neat things.
Take calls from Headhunters – these calls can provide good market intel on your skills and what they are worth – don’t ignore us.
Apply to job postings – notice this is way down the list? The best career opportunities come from connections and good connections come from doing the work in the first place. Don’t just rely on the application process. It will rarely show you any love.
You can follow Laura Machan on her twitter account @recruiterscouch. A complete list of her articles can be found here.