Here’s some simple career coaching to keep you relevant in the marketplace.

Make a list your most prized possessions—family and home, car, gym membership, vacations, etc. Then ask yourself how many of those things are funded by your career! Even though your career plays such an important part in your life, it is something you might ignore.

Zig Ziglar shared these words: “People don’t plan to fail, they just fail to plan.” Wouldn’t you agree that it’s hard to know if your career is on  track if you haven’t chosen a track! And then planned how to get from one point to the next?

Remember, even the smallest investment can reap rich rewards, but where do you start? First step to develop a career plan: think about your short-term and long-term goals. What do you need to do to achieve them? Additional experience? More education or training?

Tracking progress toward your goals is critical. One way to do that: make a plan to update your resume and your online profiles (like LinkedIn) every quarter. If you see two or three quarters go by with no achievements, then you might not be staying relevant in the ever-changing job market.

Be proactive in your role! Always be alert to ways to increase your contribution to your company and its financial success. Here are some steps you can take:

• Be willing to take on extra responsibility,
• Juggle your work hours a bit,
• Embrace new challenges,
• Learn new skills.

As businesses change, your skills need to be constantly evolving to be more relevant and valued by employers. Otherwise you are not adapting to today’s marketplace. Your skills may become obsolete. Who wants that?

Beth Kelzer
Follow Beth at LinkedIn.com/in/marybkelzer
CareerToolboxUSA

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