It’s finally here – 2022! 

At this early time of the year, a lot of us start to review how far we have come along in our lives and consider some of those lifelong dreams we have yet to achieve. It may not be a surprise then, that a lot of people decide that they want to make some changes. In doing that, they will want to set up some prominent career and lifestyle goals. 

While some people end up deciding they want to change their career altogether, others may love the field they are in and want to advance their current career. But how do you do this? Where should you start? 

Let’s map out the next 12 months to get you started. 

January & February 

The first step is always about making a few decisions and doing some research. You have already decided that you want to advance your career, so the first important decision has been made. Next, you need to decide ‘what’ you want to advance to. This is an extremely important decision too. If you don’t know exactly what you want or know where you want to go, how are you going to figure out how to get there?  

As an example, let’s say that you are currently a Marketing Assistant and within the year, you would like to be a Marketing Coordinator. The position of Marketing Coordinator has a higher level of responsibility, manages complex projects and earns a great deal more. This is where research comes in. Find out what the difference in skillset is between your current job and your goal position.  

Review occupational statistics and trends, job descriptions and speak to people who already have the position. Get the full picture of what your proposed goal will entail – longer hours and higher stress levels, are those alright for you? Taking some part-time courses to upgrade to the necessary skill sets needed for your goal position – are you prepared for that? Does your goal position require licensing? If so, what is the process and are you ready to put in the hard work? 

March, April & May 

By March, you should have made the decision on the position you want to pursue and have done all the necessary research. Now it’s time to create an action plan. This can be as simple as taking out a new sheet of paper, writing down your desired position at the top and then listing in bullet point form, all of the skills, education, licensing or actions you need to take to reach that goal. If you can do it sequentially, great. If you cannot, don’t worry about it. The first draft is always a bit of a brain dump.  

Once you have an organized action plan, you are ready to start following through with those action items. Some of those action items may include identifying colleges or organizations that will help you upgrade your skills; registering for those part-time courses; networking with contacts and other companies; identifying whether there is room for advancement at your current company or if you will have to move to another company to obtain your goal position etc. 

June & July 

Time to brush off your old resume and work on updating it to reflect the skills you have for the position you want. With the research you did in January/February you should know what keywords to add and what skills you have that will impress a future employer. Don’t forget to find a prominent place on your resume to show off some of the new skills you’ve obtained from courses.  

If it’s going to take a few months or years to complete the courses or credentials you are taking, not to worry, you can still list it on your resume. Just make sure to state that it is still ‘ongoing’. Many employers will already be impressed with this. Also, look for sample resumes online to get ideas on what the industry is looking for and/or connect with someone with resume experience to give you some tips. 

August, September & October 

The fall season, right after the summer months, tends to be the 2nd highest hiring period of the year. This is a good time to test out your new resume to see if you can obtain that goal position you’ve been dreaming of. Although fall interviewing and hiring tends to start in September, I have noticed that many of the job postings start to surface online in August, so start monitoring job postings by late summer. 

November & December 

This is the time to evaluate where you are now in your career advancement process. Have you met any prominent milestones yet? Completing a course is a milestone. Updating your resume and getting a call for an interview is a milestone. If you were able to get your goal position already, that’s great! If not, not to worry, career advancement, networking and job search is a process that takes time. Use these months to evaluate where you are in the process. Do you need help with your resume and interview skills? Do you need to do more networking to uncover potential positions at other companies? Adjust your action plan or add to it.  

At this time of year, it may seem time to slow down your career advancement plans because of the holidays. That’s not entirely true, because the holidays allow you to work on some advanced networking and reach out to contacts you may not have spoken to in a long time. This will be especially useful because just around the corner is January – the highest hiring period of the year! You might be able to find out from your contacts what new positions will be rolled out in the new year. They might even refer you to their employer. Win-win! 

Hope that helps you map out your career advancement process for 2022! 

Wanda Kusumajuda Pichette loves to see people advance and GROW in their careers! That’s the reason she founded GROW Career Development www.GrowCD.ca, a learning portal for career development education that has free mini courses and peer-reviewed professional development courses which can be used as continuing education credits. With over 10 years of experience as a Career Strategist in government-funded employment programs, she has obtained the CCDP designation (Certified Career Development Practitioner) and was nominated in 2021 for the Experienced Career Practitioner of the Year award by the BC Career Development Association. In 2019 she was honored with the Outstanding Career Leader award by the Career Professionals of Canada. Read on about Wanda at www.WandaKP.com or on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/wandakp/. And check out www.GrowCD.ca to view current course offerings and subscribe to be notified when new topics become available.