By Khalilah Starks

Happy New Year! Every year, many people set New Year’s resolutions regarding all aspects of life including losing weight and financial budgeting. For career savvy professionals, the new year can be a great time to set resolutions regarding your professional growth. Whether you’re looking to jump ship or position yourself for that next promotion, here are 10 tips to get you headed in the right direction.

1. Determine Your Career Goals. First and foremost, before you set your career elevating game plan, spend some time thinking about your career goals. What are your next steps? Is it time to move into management? Are you ready for that Vice President position? Is it time to step out on your own into the world of entrepreneurship? Every career move that you make should be strategic and well thought out. Charting out your goals will help prevent you from considering opportunities that don’t make sense or won’t further elevate your career potential.

2. Take Inventory of Your Skills. Once you’ve determined your career goals, it’s time to take inventory of your skill sets and qualifications to determine your value. You should always know your value and be able to communicate it well, whether on paper (resume) or in person. You will also need to assess if there are any additional skills or qualifications that you will need to obtain in order to achieve your career goals. Does your career of choice require a certain certification that you currently do not possess? Is there a certain skill that is necessary to move into management within your organization for which you do not possess? Figure what you don’t have and then create a plan for how you will get it.

3. Dust Off Your Resume. Your resume is often your first foot in the door, so it’s imperative that you have a well written resume that showcases your skills, talents and value that you bring to the table. Read my post on how to write an outstanding resume that will get noticed by employers every time. Additionally, you can see me talking about effective resumes on the WCIA Morning News Show here. Once you’ve written your masterpiece, have a professional review it to provide you with unbiased feedback. You want to make sure that you make your very best first impression.

4. Increase Your Use of Technology. We are in an age of technology, so using LinkedIn is an absolute must for an upwardly mobile professional. The most career savvy professionals have learned to use Facebook and Twitter as a career enhancing tool. Make a goal to use these sites on a daily basis. For example, set a goal to look for new connections daily on LinkedIn and send a note to one of your contacts on a weekly basis asking to meet for coffee. Read my posts on getting the most out of your LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter. Additionally, see me talking about LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter on the WCIA Morning Show.

5. Develop a List of Contacts. Who are the recruiters in your industry? They should be included in your list of contacts. Any former colleagues and classmates should also be included along with any professionals that you’ve interacted with throughout the years. Once your list is complete, ensure that these professionals have been added to your LinkedIn and any other forms of social media that you use for professional purposes and start connecting.

6. Develop a List of Target Organizations. If you’re looking to leave your organization, it’s a great idea to research organizations in your industry to develop a target list of organizations to prospect during your job search. Once you determine your top 10 or 20 companies, you can go directly to each company’s website to find out if there are any job openings posted. You can also research the company to find the appropriate managers to send your resume directly to, even if no openings are listed. Companies will sometimes set up informational interviews with highly qualified professionals even if no position is available. Additionally, you can use LinkedIn to determine if any of your connections are currently working at the company or are connected to anyone who works at that company.

7. Develop and Enhance Your 30 Second Pitch. First impressions count. Your 30 second pitch is your introduction. It’s the first thing that a person hears when meeting you. Every professional, especially those looking to move on to greener pastures, must have a dynamite 30 second pitch. Read my post on how to develop a great 30 second pitch that will grab the attention of professionals that you meet. Additionally, you can see me talking about the 30 second pitch on the WCIA Morning News Show here.

8. Join Professional Organizations. That includes your Alumni Association. Networking is the #1 way to find a job these days. Joining professional organizations in your industry and alumni associations can increase your network of professionals which creates more potential to network with professionals who can open doors to exciting career opportunities. Additionally, recruiters oftentimes advertise job openings with alumni associations.

9. Find Career Fairs and Networking Events to Attend. After all, you’ve developed a great 30 second pitch. Find some places to use it! You can learn about local career fairs and networking events in newspapers and local business publications. Get on distribution lists for local publications and business oriented blogs to stay informed about local events. Set a goal for how many events you will attend per month and a plan for how you will make the most out of your attendance at these events.

10. Create Your Professional Road Map. As you can see, there are so many pieces to the puzzle of career attainment. So, after following all of the advice that I’ve given above, create a formal plan with daily and weekly check points to ensure that you don’t miss any essential steps. Create your own Job Search or Career Development folder that will include your personal road map to success. Organization is a highly important component to the goal achievement process. Not to mention, it can be a great motivator to see yourself continuously achieving the tasks and milestones that you’ve set because we all know that New Year’s Resolutions can be quite difficult to keep.