Navigation 101: Setting Your Professional Course
I quickly learned in boating that if you don’t set a specific course you can wander aimlessly. You can waste time, money and even meander into dangerous situations unwittingly. The same is true for making sound professional decisions. Like it or not, we all make choices every day that affect potential career growth. So how do we chart a course?
The biggest factor to consider is daily performance. We all need to identify goals, achieve them and be ready to use them when preparing a resume. Performance measurements that should be on a resume include goals that have been met or exceeded, new records that have been set, new processes or strategies that have benefited your employer and awards or recognitions that have been received. Including these items on your resume will provide a springboard when you are ready to make a move forward. It is also invaluable if your references can include superiors who can vouch for your most noteworthy accomplishments.
A second factor to consider when navigating through your career is stability. Don’t leap precipitously from one job to another. Whenever possible you want to establish a track record of success and stability in each position you hold and then make a well thought out move to a new position. Things to consider when making a move include the quality of a company and their reputation in the industry. Also look at the position offered, is it a promotion or a lateral move? Only in rare situations do we advise that people take lesser positions. For example, if you are working as a DOA, we don’t suggest that you move back into an admissions representative position unless there are extenuating circumstances. Also consider, are there opportunities for advancement with this organization? Again, every move should make sense for the long term development of your career.
There is also the issue of relocation. It’s tougher today to sell a house, move and resettle into a new area, but it’s not impossible. Would you rule out relocation if it is the key to the right career opportunity for you? Some people do, but it we don’t suggest that. You could be missing out on a wonderful opportunity to advance your career.
Next, we recommend that you have a few key people in the industry that you can trust to serve as mentors. This may be a previous supervisor, a trusted management recruiter or possibly a colleague that has been supportive and helpful. Better yet, develop a network of professionals in the industry that can provide insight into opportunities that might come along.
Lastly, we suggest that you keep abreast of what is going on the industry. Read industry publications like CCC on-line, follow media coverage and stay connected with relatively new internet features like LinkedIn and Twitter. This will greatly increase your awareness of what is going on in the career school industry and what companies may be desirable future employers.
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