At the time of writing this article, January is really beginning to bite. The mornings are cold, the evenings are dark, and the weather is unpleasant. January is also the month in which the Christmas and New Year festivities come to an end. In short, January can be a bit of a low spot in the year.
Good intentions
In the run up to 2017, many people will have done the usual pondering on what the year ahead will bring and probably made the usual commitments to hitting the gym or eating healthily and so on. This is all fine and, although of course, many good intentions fall by the wayside, it is good to focus on where there is the potential to improve.
As a suggestion, though, it may well be worth taking a few weeks to consider the reality of the changes you need to make in your life. In the post-Christmas and New Year period it is easy to make the small changes happen, but often the reason that they don’t stick past that point is that people do not really want to make them.
Consideration, not a New Year promise
Your career is something that needs consideration and not a New Year promise, so now is a good time to think about it in perspective. It is a good time because of the reasons in the opening paragraph. For the first couple of months of the year, the chances are that work-related decisions can be made at the point where the reasons for change will be clearest.
By the end of January, people have settled back into the working mode. The year is in full swing, and the evaluation is not tainted by the fake ‘New Year, New Me’ rose tinted glasses. Career moving or development is a decision to be made in the cold light of day when the needs and desires for a better job role can be assessed against the reality of the working day.
Assess the issues
A good way to do this is to assess the issues that are informing the decision. Rather than taking an approach where the underlying motivation is ‘I don’t like my job, so I am going to change’ it is probably better to make an honest list of goals for the coming year and things that need changing to make a career path work. Once this is done, it is easier to quantify what it is that is really informing the desire to change. From there it is a simple matter of comparing the desire to the current situation. If it is not possible to achieve the desired goals in a current job role, then perhaps it is time to look at moving along.
A good recruitment company is the best option
At this point, a good recruitment company will probably be the best option to help attain your goals, for a number of reasons. When a candidate meets with their consultant, there will be a process of matching up skills and careers with not just the available roles but also the potential for the candidate. There is no magic formula for this because it is about experience and understanding of the marketplace. You should be able to discuss your career needs and in return receive the right advice which, assuming you ready for the move, will result in a new job that could change your life.
New year, New You is okay on the 1st of January, but career development and job changes are something that needs more than a quick resolution if they are going to happen. They need guidance, consultation and a professional to help make them happen.