Self-Development to Boost Your Career

Whether you are aiming at promotion, looking for your next career move, or simply want to improve your employability, we have created 7 tips to help you focus on self-development to help boost your career.

1.Work on a new or existing skills

It is very easy, not just in the place of work, to stand still and become complacent. You might be comfortable as you are, but if those around you are seeking self-development whilst you are sitting back, you may end up effectively going backwards as the standards around you are raised. Don’t take your eye off the ball and seek continuous improvement by developing a new or existing workplace related skill this year.

2.Work resolutions

Every New Year, people all over the world set themselves a New Year’s resolution - failure to see resolutions through is something many people are all too familiar with. Why not make it a work-related resolution to do something better this year? It might be that extra little push that is needed to succeed where you may otherwise not have.

3.Clean up on social media

In today’s business world the LinkedIn profile is becoming increasingly popular as the representation of a persons at-work self. If you and your career so far is a book, think of your LinkedIn profile and other social media platforms as the cover. Make sure to keep your profile professional and concise – take a look at our LinkedIn profile tips for how best to do this.

As well as looking at how you communicate out on social media, it is also worth reviewing the information that you are taking in. Useful information can be lost amongst waves of spam, or that one page that you followed that time and have yet to return to. To be more efficient, clean up the pages and people that you connect with, and follow the best most relevant pages to you.

4.Update your CV

‘Keep your CV up to date’ is a cliché that you probably hear all the time, but there is a reason for it. Not only does an up to date CV allow you to react to any change in working situation quickly, but regularly reviewing the skills and knowledge that we possess can remind us of our strengths, or highlight areas that perhaps require development.

If your CV is not up to date, make it one of your New Year’s resolutions to update it.

5.Monitor your work-life balance.

Another topic that you probably hear a lot about is the ‘work-life balance’. It is very easy to slip into a routine of overworking, pushing to meet targets and complete an increasing work load on the same resources. If you are unsure whether or not your work life balance needs adjusting, there are online surveys that can be looked at. Once you have an idea of where you’re at, consider how this lifestyle affects yourself and those around you. You may find a much healthier and more productive way of working lies ahead.

6.Consider professional certifications or job-related courses

In the increasingly competitive market, the decision for hiring managers to take a second look at an applicant’s CV can come down to the smallest of margins. Looking to get a foot in the door, it can be a qualification or two more than the competition that seals the deal and lands a job interview. A professional certification will not only display that you have knowledge of the subject area, but shows that you are willing to work that bit extra to get where you want to be. If you are looking for promotion, a job-related course could help you improve your skills and reach the next level needed.

7.Keep a clean inbox

We all have our own daily routines, but one likely common activity is monitoring of email inboxes. We all have mail to check, be it weekly, daily, hourly or as and when a new message comes in, but is your email management as good as it could be? A well organised inbox can have several benefits for example, increased response rates lead to quicker turnarounds on tasks.

If you feel ready to make a career change, why not let us know? Upload your CV here and sign up to our job alerts and we’ll contact you if we have any jobs matching your skills.

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