While you may enjoy the summer in Brighton, hunting for a new job in the warm weather can be a bit of a chore.
If you feel that you’re treading water and not getting the breaks you deserve, it may be because you need more control over your career path.
Here are our top tips for getting more focused and creating better prospects for the future.
1. Take a Career Audit
We can often find ourselves drifting along. The wages aren’t bad, you’ve got a decent job and the company you work for is reasonably good to you. But can you see yourself sitting at the same office desk day after day for the next thirty years or so? Most people can’t.
Now is as good a time as any to sit down and take a look at your career to date. Make a list of your jobs, your qualifications and your skills, including transferable skills. This is what you are going to use as the baseline to take control of your career. Are you where you hoped you would be or lagging a little behind?
2. List Your Goals
What do you really want to achieve? This can be a difficult one to answer when you lack direction. If you have just stalled your career progress it can, however, be great for getting you back on track. Try to look at all the possibilities and then start listing your goals. What do you really want out of your job? Don’t forget that old cliché interview question: Where do you see yourself in five years’ time?
If your goals seem too big or unachievable, the best thing to do is to break down them down into smaller chunks.
The next thing you need to do is think about how you are going to reach those goals. It may mean applying for new jobs, developing new skills or taking on more responsibility. In order to work, though, they need to be easy to understand and deliver a clear route to success.
3. Find a Mentor
Careers can be tricky things and talking through your problems or your aspirations with a like minded individual is important. Getting a mentor or hiring a personal coach has become a popular strategy for those who want to develop their careers.
Even if things are going well, it’s good to sit down and talk through the next steps with someone who is on your side and is able to give you some sage advice.
4. Get Out and Network
Networks aren’t just for business owners and entrepreneurs. Not only are networking events more prevalent nowadays, they are the perfect way to meet and get advice from people who operate successfully in your industry or location.
Another important part of networking in Brighton is that you can often get to know about those prime job opportunities long before they’re even advertised.
5. Dare to Think Big
Finally, if you want your career to move to the next step, it helps to have a ‘can do’ attitude. Just because you don’t have all the qualifications for a particular role, that shouldn’t stop you applying. If you can bring something to the table that employers like to see, chances are you’ll at least be invited to the interview stage.
Thinking big is a state of mind and the quicker you get into it, the more likely you’ll find your career moving forward.
Reviewing where you are at in your career and setting achievable goals are both important. The first you should be looking to do on a regular basis.
The second you need to monitor closely so that you stay focused on achieving your goals. Get it right and your career will undoubtedly move ahead. Check out the latest Brighton jobs.