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5 Tips to Strategize Your Career and Get What You Want

Written by Bernie

Bernie Frazier, SPHR is the Founder and President of CAREERCompass, LLC, a speaking and career coaching firm in St. Louis, MO. She also spent almost 25 years recruiting talent to six organizations across four industries and led the talent acquisition function for four of those organizations, including one global team.

Happy New Year!

If you’re reading this, be thankful that you made it to see another year and please remember those who didn’t.

With a new year comes new opportunities. While I’m not a big proponent of making New Year’s resolutions, I guess I really am because I encourage people to make goals for themselves. One of the goals I encourage you to consider for 2024 is to create a career strategy and plan.

Over the years, I’ve marveled at the number of people who do or want to do strategic work in their job, but when I ask about their career strategy….crickets.

According to on-going studies by Gallup on employee engagement, the percentage of engaged employees around the globe remains high. Based on my many years of recruiting and career coaching work, I’m convinced that most of these people are not engaged or are less engaged than they could be because they don’t have a career strategy or plan. They go to work, do the work, go home. When things don’t go well, they look for another job, but never have a plan in place to help them get to an ultimate goal.

For 2024, let’s change that.

Here are five things to include in your career strategy and plan:

  1. Determine a big career goal you want to accomplish for 2024. This is your destination. Without a destination, how do you know which moves to take or when you’ve arrived?
  2. Identify 3-5 people you will need to help you achieve your goal. This may be your boss; it may be a colleague. Whoever they are, make a note of the specific need you have of them so you can clearly explain it when the time comes.
  3. Take time to research what is required to achieve your goal. Do you need more training or education? Do you have enough work experience? Make a note of those things and create a plan to close your gaps.
  4. Strengthen your internal brand. Whether you know it or not, you have a brand – good or bad. Either way, now is the time to strengthen it. Your efforts and interactions should help you build your brand in the minds and opinions of other so when they see you or think of you, what comes to mind is your brand which is in alignment with your 2024 career goal.
  5. Write it down! Creating a document you can reference throughout the year will help to keep you focused and accountable. List your career goal, 3-5 key action steps (can include items from steps 2-4), and due date. Make an appointment with yourself at least once per month to see if you’re on track. If not, make the necessary adjustments to achieve.

Here’s to a productive and prosperous new year!

Until next time….