Five Career Resolutions

Before we all start rushing headfirst into job-seeking again, let’s take some time to pause and set some goals. Setting goals is key to giving yourself direction, keeping yourself motivated and ensuring progress. Just be sure to give yourself milestones and deadlines that are ambitious yet attainable. And don’t forget to reflect on your progress throughout the year.

If you’re struggling to set some goals of your own, here’s a belated Christmas gift from Placed to you – five career resolutions you can steal along with some inspiration from our Placed Panelists. 2021 is going to be your year.

We’ve all heard it before – you’ve got to network. But that’s only because it really does work. With a large portion of employers’ best candidates being referrals, you’ve got to put yourself out there and build relationships with a wide range of people if you want to truly maximise your chances of landing a great job – now and into the future.

You can form new connections by attending events, arranging either formal or informal social meetings and directly messaging people on social media. You could set a goal of reaching out to three new people a week who may help you in your job search or general career, whether that’s in person or online, and/or attending one event a week.

But remember, networking is also about strengthening and maintaining your existing connections. Invest time into proactively reaching out and catching up with your existing contacts to ensure you’re not losing touch with people.

Putting time and effort into sprucing up your skills on a regular basis is essential for staying in touch with the job market and making yourself more hireable. Learning skills adds value to your applications and shows employers that you are proactive and growth orientated.

You could start the year off by researching some online courses that interest you or making a list of the ones that you might want to take, concentrating on a mixture of soft and hard skills. Also, take some time to find some books or blogs that inspire you and help you learn.

While it’s easy to send out hundreds of applications, make it a priority this year to find companies that align with your skills and values and reflect that in your application. Working at a company that you feel personally invested in is a massive energy booster and will have a positive effect on your mental health and long-term career prospects.

Start by establishing what your preferences and values actually are (on the Placed app you can take a Discovery Quiz for this very purpose). Once you’ve done that, decide which values are the most important to you. Take time to research companies to find out whether they share the same values as you, or make use of recruitment platforms or apps like Placed that instantly match you with aligned employers.

While it’s always been beneficial to have a good online presence when job-seeking, it is now pretty fundamental to getting yourself noticed. Dedicate two hours a week to cleaning up your social media, deciding what posts truly communicate your values and levering it as a vehicle for showing off your skills to employers.

Many candidates now choose to set up professional profiles so that there is a clear separation between their work and social lives. You can further enhance your online presence by exploring further job search platforms other than the ones you currently use – look into apps and recruitment sites to expand your chances of getting noticed.

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Job hunting is tough, make no mistake. While it’s great to tackle it with your utmost effort and time, if you don’t take regular breaks you will burn out. This year, make it a priority to schedule some time each week for other activities, such as having fun with friends, taking up a new hobby or exercising. Doing these will lift your spirits and get you in the right mindset to look for jobs.

In case you need some more inspiration, we asked our Placed Panel what their aspirations for 2021 are – here’s what they said:

“My resolution is to work more on a project I’ve had in mind, which is to open a sustainable food shop. I want to take some time to see if it’s feasible. I also want to use this year to set up my future and find out what I really want to do – I hope 2021 is more clear” – Justine

“I don’t want to set too many expectations on myself. I don’t want to be too hard on myself, but I want to change my habits for the better and develop myself. I’d like to focus more on my mental health. A personal goal I have is to perform at a drag show this year” – Wojciech

“I’d like to build upon the skills I’ve started learning this year. It’s one thing learning something and another implementing it in a working environment. I’d also like to network more – I’ve realised it’s key in achieving goals and getting advice. It’s invaluable and people do want to help you. I’d also like to attend more events and continue learning as well as forming connections” – Greta