Get set for your next career move

“Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir men’s blood……Make big plans; aim high in hope and work.”   ---- Daniel Burnham

Into a job does not mean that you do not have to work out your future moves. You need to bring your future into your present so that you can do something about it today. If you worry in advance, then you can think and plan in advance. The fact is that a good plan today is better than a perfect plan tomorrow.

Organizing is what you do before you do something, so that when you do it, it is not all mixed-up. The same is true for your career. You have to find your next career move. Here is how you can do that:

·   Be familiar with yourself:  You should spare time to evaluate your strong points, vulnerabilities, prospects and risks. In doing so, you will get to know yourself better and thus will be better poised to acquit yourself well. 

·   Rate yourself pragmatically:  You should prefer to pursue an opportunity that gives you prospects of advancement on all fronts. It is essential that you consider your workplace environment and people around you also; money aspects should not be accorded high precedence.

·   Maximize your merit: You should have clarity of thought and direction. This is possible only if you reorganize and simplify your functioning. Anything that is not your major aptitude should be discarded.

·   Perk yourself up:  What you should endeavour on a continual basis is self-improvement. Be it your overall performance or spoken reputation, people should acknowledge you and your contributions.

·   Be better poised:  In order to progress, you have to keep abreast with changing environments. You need to possess manifold perceptions of various issues; if you are able to incorporate your outlook with others, you will comprehend things holistically and stand at a higher pedestal to face challenges.

·   Sell yourself:  You must sell yourself for the job and position that you are seeking. You must dress and conduct well; your personal dealings should be par excellence. 

·   Appreciate long-term effects:  You should try to get into an appointment where you cannot be dislodged in the immediate future. If you happen to be an intern, recall the dedication with which you went to college and the outcome it had.

·   Empower yourself:  You must allow yourself aspects like knowledge and education. These entail interacting with people and enlarging contacts at one end of the spectrum to making yourself presentable by having good attire on the other.

·   Refine your representation:  You should be clear about the image that you want to represent. It is only after you are able to do this, you should draft your resume; needless to state it should be accurate, brief and concise. Remember that your resume is a perceivable and concrete document and hence everything in it should portray you in a positive manner.

·   Take care of your networking:  Your list of contacts should be ever increasing. You should keep meeting people and discern their thoughts and plans so that you can be of assistance to them. Remember that you cannot predict when a person can be of help.

·   Interact with well-informed people:  You should remember that if you know relevant people and also how to connect with them, they will render you correct advice. Their recommendations and suggestions will surely make you more valuable at work.

·   Be venturesome:  You need not be extra cautious in your approach and dealings so as to preclude your individuality. You must continue to give wings to your passions without having fear of failure. It is best to proceed ahead in keeping with what your conscience prompts you.

If you are working, you are not chasing a retirement plan. You are working to succeed in life; and for that you need to be full of zip. Let your next career move be well-judged and well thought-out.