by Lisa Skeete Tatum, Landit.com founder
Working a home-based business gives you the flexibility to schedule your day, and with no commute you may have the advantage of extra time in your day. Why not use some of that time to revitalize and reinvigorate your career?
Sometimes you need to refresh the old and start anew. Some self reflection and a positive outlook can make all the difference. Here are 6 ways to revitalize your career, plus some immediate steps you can take to get going today:
- Review the past accomplishments and set goals for the future.
It’s always a good time to take stock of where you are in your career. Are you doing something that you’re passionate about? Are you leveraging all of your talent and skills? Now is a great time to assess your current situation, especially if you’re ready but not sure how to make your next move. Set new goals or reflect on ones already established and start tracking your progress.
- Update your online presence.
Take a fresh look at your online profiles and make sure they’re up-to-date and truly reflect where you are in your career. Add things like links to your portfolios, presentations, or articles that you wrote or appeared in to demonstrate your great work. Perhaps your personal brand needs some attention?
- Refresh your resume and bio.
Resume editing, even if you’re not actively looking for a new job opportunity, is important to do on a regular basis. You never know when a new opportunity will come along, and it’s always good to have your materials ready. It also takes effort to create something that captures your full set of accomplishments and responsibilities, and sometimes you can even forget to include all of your past wins. If you haven’t already, give your resume a tune-up this spring and have a pro review it for you.
- Polish your skills or learn something new.
Signing up for a professional development course is an ideal way to brush up on skills and learn about other career options without having to officially shift gears. If your goal is to advance in your current role, learn what takes it get the promotion you want. Check out courses you can take to boost your skill set, or try something new across numerous industries.
- Reinvigorate your professional support system.
Everyone needs a board of advisors — a trusted inner circle of peers that has your best interests at heart. As you refresh and review your goals for this year, ask yourself: when did you last speak to your mentor? Have you identified who your sponsors or connectors are? Maybe it’s time to meet some new people in your industry or beyond! A strong personal board of advisors includes six types of people that will help you move forward: mentors, sponsors, connectors, close friends, point experts and coaches.
- Get expert advice if you’re feeling stuck.
Sometimes it’s a challenge figuring out your next step: what do I want to do next? How am I going to get there? A career coach can help you with issues like: brainstorming options for a specific career decision, help you clarify goals, hold you accountable for executing tasks to achieve your goals, and even bring more awareness about your thought patterns and behavior, and how well these habits serve you.
About the Author:
Lisa Skeete Tatum, Co-Founder & CEO of Landit : Lisa was a General Partner at Cardinal Partners, a $350M+ venture capital firm, where she focused on investments in healthcare technology. She also held leadership positions at Procter & Gamble and currently serves on several private, non-profit, and public company boards including Surgical Care Affiliates (NASDAQ:SCAI), Pager, Cornell University Board of Trustees, and the Princeton Healthcare System Foundation. She earned a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and an M.B.A. from Harvard University.
