By Brandi Fowler
With Andrew Seaman
New Year's resolutions are easy to set but even easier to abandon. Most people stick to their resolutions for just under four months, according to a Forbes survey. Resolutions are such fleeting commitments that the second Friday of January is known as Quitter's Day. The statistics may be grim but there are steps you can take to buck the trend.
One method is to create a digital vision board. In this case, we want to use this week's newsletter as a collaborative job search and career strategy vision board that you can use when you need a boost and help reaching your goals. We asked LinkedIn members over the holiday to tell us what their top goals are for 2024 We also asked job search and career coaches to discuss strategies to stick with job search and career resolutions.
Most people are looking for more meaning in their work. They want to land new roles or advance in their careers but also want to make an impact, be fulfilled, and like their jobs. “My goal for 2024 is to land a meaningful role within a company where I can make a difference," wrote Robert G., who is a creative marketing professional. "I want to love Monday." Higher salaries, new jobs, promotions, and personal branding advancement were also among the top aspirations.
If your resolutions align with one or more of those job search and career items above, how can you reach the goal?
Get Clear on What You Want
Start by looking into the future. Determine what you want your career to look like by the end of the year. Brainstorm, get specific, and write everything down that you want out of your career. For example, do you have a dream job that you want to land? Think about what that looks like for you, from salary to time off, benefits, remote work options, and more. Do you have a side hustle idea that you want to bring to life? What income amount would you like to generate from it by 2025? What impact do you want your work to have?
Next, identify why you want to achieve those goals. For each goal, ask yourself, “What's important about that to you" and "What will that give you,” wrote leadership and career coach Jacky Morgan. Focus on the benefits of achieving what you want. “Knowing why we want to accomplish our career goals can power us through the inevitable challenges [and] disappointments,” Morgan added.
Make Your Goals Manageable
Deconstructing lofty goals into more manageable pieces can give you a better chance at success.
Once you have identified your goals, break them down into “bite-sized segments with specific actions and reasonable achievements,” brand strategist Jessica Jordan said. “Then, follow your plan.” She also recommended dedicating time to regularly work on your goals.
Adjust that time frame as you need it. Working on your goals every other day or three days out of the week might be a realistic start for most people. Do what works best for you and create a schedule that works for you. You may find it helpful to aside that time in a digital calendar.
Another way to make your resolutions and goals manageable is to apply the popular SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound) method to them.
Answer these questions for each goal, career strategist Ana Goehner said:
Specific - What do I want to achieve?
Measurable - How will I track my progress?
Achievable - Is my goal realistic and attainable?
Relevant - Does my goal align with my values and long-term objectives?
Time-bound - What's the deadline for achieving my goal?
Strategize Your Career Shift
For those who want to make a career transition in 2024, career coach Matt Warzel suggested taking a mental break first. “Then internalize, realize, and visualize,” he said.
Identify what your value is to a prospective employer. Next, think about the passions, transferable skills, and accomplishments that you can relay to hiring managers during interviews. Then, strengthen your resume and cover letters by prioritizing your transferable skills on both.
Warzel also suggested reverse engineering the career path from the job you want. Determine the skills you have and what you need to up-skill to land it. Then, work on gaining those skills.
Stay Motivated
Resolutions are generally big goals. Sometimes those lofting ambitions can be overwhelming. By gaining clarity on what you want, breaking down your goals into manageable chunks (as small as you need to), and creating a game plan to achieve them, you can come up on top.
Once you have done the work above, structure your digital vision board. You can use tools like Canva and PicMonkey to create it. Incorporate images and words of inspiration to motivate yourself, but keep it goal-focused. Use bold headlines for each goal that you want to achieve, and write actionable bullet points under each headline that you will use as your framework to achieve them. Next to your bullet points, add in realistic deadlines to keep yourself on track.
Address challenges and setbacks as they arise and shift your strategy as needed. The key is to keep your resolutions and the reasons behind them in your sights.
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