The beginning of a new year inspires most of us to reexamine our lives and look for ways to make improvements. Common resolutions usually involve diet, exercise and quitting bad habits. Your career deserves the same attention. Here are some “healthy” resolutions that you should apply to your career:

1. Get In Shape:
It doesn’t matter if you have lost your job recently or if you are safe and secure. The New Year is a great time to look back at your previous year, evaluate wins and losses and get your resume in shape. Having a strategically-written resume is essential to being prepared when opportunity knocks. So, give your brain and typing fingers a workout and get your job tools fit.

2. Become More Flexible:
Today’s job market is an opportunity for you to take a take a leap in a new, growing industry such as government, technology, health care or education. If your current industry isn’t looking like it has a bright future, be flexible. Some strategic planning can help you market your talents to a new area. Take time to examine your transferable skills and match them with available opportunities.

3. Train to Build Strength:
Professional development is the fuel for advancing your career. Look online for workshops, conferences and continuing education classes to help you strengthen your weaker areas. If you’re looking to make an industry or career transition, examine job descriptions to see what competency gaps you may need to fill with formal training. Professional development is also an amazing way to inspire you. If you’ve felt a general loss of excitement, a workshop presenting new ideas can give you a tremendous boost.

4. Connect with People:
Here at the Ginac Group, we can’t emphasize this enough. Building and maintaining your network is the best way to find out about career opportunities. Some statistics show that nearly 60% of available jobs are not posted online. The only way to find out about these is through people you know. Your network can be made up of friends, former and current work colleagues, your family and even your dentist. Take stock of who you know and connect with them this year to keep your relationship from dissolving.

5. Reduce Stress:
The New Year is also a good time to examine if your job is working for you. Is the level of stress you’re feeling the right amount for you? Do you have the kind of work/life balance you want? If you’re stressed and unhappy with your job, you should consider talking to a professional career consultant to see what other options are available. A Professional Career Architect, like the ones employed at our firm, can make sure you make a seamless transition into a more fulfilling career.

Tags: Advice, Personal