New Year’s resolution: Give your career a kick-start in 2007

One of the most common New Year's resolutions is getting out of that job you hate and finding your dream opportunity – the one that makes you more money and gives you the recognition you deserve. But to achieve your goal, you need a plan.

Here are twelve tips to give your career a kick-start in 2007:

1.Do a career audit. Start by assessing your five-year career plan. Don’t think about a job for a lifetime; think about your career in five-year increments. Ask yourself today, do I want to sign up for another five years at this company or look elsewhere?

2. Network, network, network. Make a resolution to join a new professional organization or find one new way to network during 2007 – a business networking group or a social organization. It is easy to forget how important networks are – they can be helpful for excelling in your current job, not just for finding a new job. They can also enhance your knowledge of your industry or function.

3. Seek feedback. Make an appointment with your boss to talk about how well you are doing, your frustrations, and your concerns. Plan for your next promotion before you are ready by telling your boss where you want to be in one year and asking what you need to do to get there. This helps you develop a plan and lets your boss know you are interested in furthering your career at your current company.

4. Determine your career worth. Find out what you are worth by monitoring online websites such as Salary.com [http://boston.salary.com/salarywizard/layoutscripts/swzl_keywordsearch.asp] . In order to negotiate salary and benefits, you need to know what is realistic for your position and skill set. Also find one or two job boards and search for comparable positions at least once a week to see what’s available and in demand.

5. Talk to a recruiter. Even if you are happily employed, next time a recruiter phones, talk to him or her. Or make a proactive call to your favorite headhunter. You have a lot of advisors in your life – a lawyer, a financial / tax person, a doctor – use a recruiter to assess your professional health. They have a wealth of knowledge about what is happening in the job market, and whether you are considering a career move or not, this information can be invaluable to you.

6. Keep your resume updated at all times. You have heard this advice a million times and hardly anyone heeds it. However, what happens when at your next networking meeting…family reunion…haircut appointment…you meet someone who has the perfect opportunity for you – and wants your resume? And the last time you updated it was five years ago? You don’t need to post it or make it public, but you should always be ready to go when someone calls you or you need a change.

7. Keep your references updated, too. Update your references at least once a year by calling each person to make sure they are still enthusiastic about you and will say great things when the occasion arises. There is a huge difference between giving a reference and giving a great reference. Seek out the great ones.

8. Concentrate on self-promotion. Make a plan to market yourself internally at your company – volunteer, chair a committee, and show the right stuff to other departments and managers. Visibility and internal exposure are key to moving up and demonstrating your leadership abilities.

9. Form a personal advisory team. Everyone has a trusted friend, former colleague or mentor who has been influential in helping their career move forward. Seek them out, talk about where your career is right now and where you want to be in one to five years. If they’ve helped you before, they’ll help you now and this will give you a data point about being on the right track.

10. Enhance your talent. Find at least one educational or professional development program during 2007 to enhance your skills and knowledge. Make sure to include classes, seminars and activities that will strengthen not only your functional expertise, but your technical and interpersonal skills, too. Additionally, subscribe to print and online newsletters and publications to keep up-to-date on what’s happening in your industry and function.

11. Plan for a disaster. No one who loses their job really expects it. Never assume that tomorrow will be the same as today. Having a plan in place allows you to be ready if it happens. Even if you don’t have a current resume, always keep an updated list of your skills, training, and education as well as a goals accomplished list so you have the ability to say to a potential employer “I was tasked with this and I completed this.” Keeping track and having realistic successes and speaking points at hand allows you to better market yourself to your next employer.

12. Assess your financial situation. This will allow you to determine, before you look for another job, how flexible you can be about salary, benefits and the entire compensation package. It also will help you determine if you need to increase your rainy day fund or need to cut down in certain areas – this is especially important if you anticipate a job change that is not on your terms.

Dave Sanford is Executive Vice President of Client Services, The Winter, Wyman Companies,headquartered in Waltham, MA. He can be reached at (781) 890-7000 or dsanford@winterwyman.com.