January 4, 2010

Alexandra Levit is a columnist for the Wall Street Journal and an author and speaker on workplace issues. Her new book, New Job, New You: A Guide to Reinventing Yourself in a Bright New Career, tells you exactly what you need to do to jumpstart your career in 2010. Here is a summary of her top ten tips:

1. Be the master of yourself. Take time to do a self-assessment of your values, how you like to work, and what you’d be compelled to do even if you never got paid. Online tests are most helpful if you look for a pattern of results.

2. Inventory your knowledge. List all your skills and talents, including the ones you acquired during college or while doing volunteer work or a side project at work. It’s all relevant.

3. Be curious. Research careers that map to your skills and interests. Hit the Internet, set up informational interviews, take relevant coursework, and arrange to go onsite at organizations in the fields that intrigue you.

4. Strut your skills. Develop a resume, personal website, and online profiles that de-emphasize a lack of experience in a specific area by showcasing your knowledge of project management, client relations, finance, sales, and marketing.

5. Ease into it. Earn a paycheck at your current job while doing a part-time internship, doing a weekend workshop, or taking advantage of sabbatical or learning time your company might offer.

6. Battle inertia. Even if you’re busy, remember that any progress is good progress. Set short-term goals and make a commitment to complete one thing every week, like attending a career change webinar.

7. Meet people. Join relevant professional associations and online networks. Introduce yourself to people who have recognized achievements in your new field and begin to build long-term relationships.

8. Invest money in your reinvention. Consider putting some of that “rainy day” savings into career change activities. When you’re unhappy in your career, it’s raining every day!

9. Engage your loved ones. There is some amount of risk and discomfort involved in any personal transformation, and you may experience setbacks along the way. Keep your friends and family in the loop and allow them to support you.

10. Manage your expectations. Even if you’re lucky enough to find your dream job, there’s no such thing as the perfect situation. There’s a reason it’s called work, and what matters is that you can be enthusiastic and fulfilled most of the time.

If you need help breaking out of the recessional rut and reinventing your career in the New Year, visit New Job, New You for free advice and resources, including a career change webinar featuring Stephen R. Covey. You can also follow Alexandra on Twitter or read her blog Water Cooler Wisdom.

Join the conversation ( 1 )

• Carlos Gil 2 years 1 months and 5 days ago

  

  Great article! How about changing your career path to a mission to give back and help others. As is the case with myself, after losing my job back in 2008 I became devoted to helping others find jobs. I started up a national job search organization for the unemployed called JobsDirectUSA (see: JobsDirectUSA.com). Today I am the ambassador between the employer and the unemployed professional.My new job title, Community Organizer and Activist. Feel free to connect @CarlosGil83 or read more about how I reinvented myself at www.CarlosGil.us