We’re at the middle of the year, so it’s a great time to reflect on how 2021, so far, has gone for you and your career. Understanding what’s gone well, and what could be improved, at this point in the year will help you create a career that fulfills your passions, aligns with your interests, and, of course, provides a long-term livelihood.
Your career has a huge impact on your overall wellness, lifestyle, and even your family’s lives. Job satisfaction is closely linked to mental wellbeing, particularly on levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and self-esteem. So, keeping your career on track with your goals and desires, will have wider positive impacts on your life.
Five questions for your career health check
With this in mind, here are five questions to help you do a career health check.
- What goals do you want to achieve within the next 12-18 months?
Consider the professional goals you’d like to achieve over the next 18 months, as well as personal goals that are impacted by work. For example, you may want to learn how to code, or you might want to work on your people management skills. If you want to be promoted or to shift laterally into another department, then you’ll have to consider the skills (and learning) needed to achieve this.
- What do your managers and peers think? And what about your industry?
It’s worth benchmarking your skills against colleagues at a similar level and in a similar role to yours, as well as wider industry skills. This will help you quickly identify any skill gaps that are holding you back. Another activity you can do is benchmark your skills against people in careers you’d like to emulate. Again, this gives you an idea of what skills you’ll need to build the career you want.
Finally, have an open conversation with your manager and teammates. They work closely with you every day so are best placed to help you identify your strengths and areas for improvement. Better still, if your manager understands your career goals and interests, they can offer you opportunities to grow in that direction.
- What gets you up in the morning? What excites and inspires you?
What activities do you enjoy doing and what are you passionate about? Shape your career around your passions and you’ll always feel engaged and fulfilled. This doesn’t always have to be in your day-to-day role, you could also look at secondments and stretch assignments that tap into your passions, or even volunteering. At Degreed, we recently launched quarterly Good Deeds Days as a way to give back to our communities and also help people engage their passions, from fitness, teaching and mentoring others, to animal care, arts and crafts, and more.
- What are the wider industry trends that will impact your career?
Keep an eye on the horizon for new developments and technologies that will change your role and offer new opportunities. Automation will shift or replace up to 30% of roles by 2030. Even if your job doesn’t fall into this category, you will likely use automation in some form during your career. So it’s a good example of a technology (and associated skills) that you should watch and take advantage of to further your career. Hybrid and remote working, blockchain, cryptocurrency, the cloud, 5G, and the Internet of Things, are all other emerging trends that may affect you.
- Where is your organization going and how does this affect your role?
Your organization’s direction will impact your career journey. It might open up new opportunities to grow your skills and career and also forewarn you of any upskilling needs in your current role. By understanding your company’s long-term strategy and goals, you can find where your interests and the company’s line up. Someone who wants to learn more about graphic design, for instance, might take up a temporary position in their organization’s new digital studio. Both employer and employee, therefore, benefit from the opportunity to upskill in a new area and fill a temporary need. Again, having transparent conversations with your manager will help here as they can have greater insights into the company’s priorities and plans.
Skills underpin everything
As you can see, a common theme throughout the health check is ensuring you have the skills you need to succeed in your career. Understanding where you want to go, trends in your workplace and industry, and how you measure up, will all help you pinpoint the right areas to upskill in. Once you have a handful of skills to improve (say, three to five focus skills) you can look for learning and development opportunities that will build them. This might involve a short course or boot camp, or your skills could be built through reading a book or series of articles, watching videos, listening to podcasts, or even speaking with your peers. On-the-job training can also help, giving you opportunities to work in other areas, to practice skills in mentoring or public speaking, and to reinforce your learning.
Setting aside a time and a place
This career health check is critical to your career journey and long-term job satisfaction. So, don’t be surprised if it takes you a few days to reflect and think about it. Give yourself enough time and space, ideally carved out within your workweek, to understand more about what makes your work fulfilling and exciting. It can also help to have a dedicated quiet ‘safe’ space where you can think about your career to date and whether it’s ticking all the boxes. If you have the option, talk things through with trusted colleagues, mentors, and friends too as they can help you get a different perspective on where your career is going and where you want it to be.
Taking action
The final step after completing your career health check is to identify the steps you should take to improve your career and reach your 12-18 month goals. In some areas, you might just have to keep going the way you have already been working. In others, you may need to upskill or re-assess your current projects. Ultimately, a year from now, you want to look back and see the tangible benefits that the career health check (and actions thereafter) has brought to your life.