4 Steps to Re-vitalizing Your Career

One of the most difficult challenges you may encounter during your career is what to do when you feel you've reached a plateau at work. What you may not realize is that when you drag your feet to the office, feel unchallenged at work, or lack a clear picture of where your career is headed, your lack of motivation is evident in your job performance. Most people face this situation at one time or another, and it usually can be resolved with the right approach, some introspection and a bit of hard work.

“He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.” ― Lao Tzu

You may also find that by working to overcome these hurdles is a catalyst for positive change, both professionally and personally.

If you want to work for a positive change consider working through these 4 steps:

Step 1. Identify YOUR passions

This is a must do for all people who want to relaunch or change their jobs. Of course, figuring out what’s next is not so simple. It involves a detailed process of assessment, research and reflection.

A good first step is to identify your work values and make a list of everything you deeply value and want in your career, such as:

• Opportunities to express your creativity?

• Engage in precision work?

• Work on a team?

• Time, Freedom?

• Working independently?

 “The first thing you have to know is yourself. A man who knows himself can step outside himself and watch his own reactions like an observer.” ― Adam Smith, The Money Game

 “Your own Self-Realization is the greatest service you can render the world.” ― Ramana Maharshi

Knowing what you want is an important first step to getting it.

Step 2. Research the changing job market

Now that you know what’s important to you, identify the companies and jobs that you think can match those passions. Begin researching the technical knowledge and skills these companies require. Make a list of all your transferable skills and experiences that are applicable to relaunch your career path. To research a job role and title is a good way to see how your skills compare to those that are in demand. There are a variety of ways for you to search job market roles and titles online. There are online resources where you can find more information include indeed.ca, jobbank.gc.ca, craigslist.com, monster.com, hotjobs.com and careerbuilder.com. These sites can provide which provides a wider search of multiple employers and the possible opening in your field of training.

Step 3. Get the right skills

How might you attain the skills needed for your dream job? Education is the key to update your skills and technical expertise. This might take the form of online training or certificate programs that can easily fit into your works schedule. This initiative may be welcomed by your manager who may be more than willing to reimburse you for your efforts.  Once you have completed your skill search and training, you can move on to the next step in re-vitalizing your career.

Step 4. Start to Network

LinkedIn and other networking websites are a great place to highlight your professional skills and connect with your peers, even connect with past or possibly future employers.

“LinkedIn gives you the ability to ask for connections the moment you sign on, with people you know using your email or other networks as the starting point. You do want to do this, but go through and manually click on and off people that you don’t want to connect with. Remember to think carefully about each connection. They need to be professional, relevant, and have the ability to connect you to someone important or vice versa.” - How to Start Networking on LinkedIn

The world today is still very much “it’s not what you know, it’s who you know”. That holds true for most industries. If you are enrolled in one of our programs make sure to drop by our LinkedIn page to connect with your peers or look up potential job opening posted in the group. Add the new skills you learned to your LinkedIn profile to promote the training and hands-on experience you have gained. Now potential recruiters or employers can search for them and contact you accordingly.

Hopefully these steps will help you revitalize your career and step in to the workforce a better version of yourself. What are you waiting for?