On the strike of midnight on New Year’s Eve in every part of the world, everyone hopes for an extremely fruitful year ahead. Especially in the Philippines, where burgeoning economy is paving way for more industries that are actually quickly expanding with more investments coming through.
But before you start the first day of the New Year off-right, let’s take some time to reflect on your previous career track.
What have you done well in the past year and what will you do to make the current one an even more rewarding year?
We have put together a list of resolutions you may consider taking up for the year ahead. You may or may not already have made them, but we do hope this serves as a reminder as to why you’re sticking to them, especially if you’re working towards a breakthrough for the year ahead.
Pick Up an In-Demand Skill
Coding, digital marketing, application building, and user experience – these are some of the most in-demand industry skills that one needs to keep up with. You don’t need to be an expert in these areas, but having a fair understanding of them could create value for your role and impress employers.
Expand and Maintain Your Professional Network
Seeing that it’s the start of a new year, reach out to the contacts you’ve not spoken to or heard from in a while. Go for networking and coffee sessions where folks in your field gather, and network! You may not be actively seeking a new role right now, but having that ‘new’ connection from fellow industry folks can definitely give you the little boost you need in the long run.
Meet Someone from another Team or Function
Also a part of expanding your network, try talking to someone you otherwise wouldn’t have on a regular day at your workplace. It could be someone you’ve just met or someone you’ve seen every day for the last year but have never spoken to. Strike a conversation in between pantry breaks, find out what they do in and outside of work, and at best, exchange career best practices!
Hygiene Check Your Resume Every Quarter
Make time to reflect on every quarter that’s passed. Were there any noteworthy achievements that you’ve snagged you feel can be added into your resume? Include them when you can, you’ll never know when the next opportunity will come along where you’ll need to shoot your CV ready out.
Sort Out Your E-Mails
Is your e-mail inbox bursting? Are your emails lying everywhere, unlabeled or unread? A messy inbox can disrupt workflow if you’re not careful – from taking a much longer time to locate a particular thread, to losing an important email altogether.
For a start, begin sorting your emails with free available tools, extensions and plugins out there like Sortd and Streak, and start labeling your mails properly so you can find them quickly.
Leave Work on Time
If official work hours are between 9am – 6pm, how many of you actually leave at 6pm, sharp? Similarly for those who work outside of office hours, do you leave your work on time?
If your workload is too heavy to make leaving on time possible, consider bringing the matter to your manager’s attention to see how this can be sorted out. But if it’s because you’re getting onto Facebook way too often, it’s time to click out of it.
Most Importantly, Be Proud Of Every Piece Of Work You Deliver
This should be the benchmark for everything you do at work. Always remember, if this isn’t something you want your name branded on, then it’s not considered done.
Now go forth and conquer your year!
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