It is this time of the year again to dust off our resolutions and spring clean both our personal and professional lives. Could this be the year you land the dream job? Or get a promotion you deserve? Or head back to school to level up yourself? The possibilities are endless, but we have cherry-picked 5 resolutions that worth your consideration in 2021.

Resolution 1: Suffer from a job you don’t love? Leave it behind!

Statistically speaking, you spend a third of your life at work. Therefore, if you are not happy with what you are doing, something needs to change. It is the start of a new decade and don’t let you suffer anymore from work-life imbalance or repetitive tasks.

Keep your eyes open for fresh opportunities in 2021 and start updating your CV or portfolio. Review job postings to identify all the possible employers in your area and the skills that are most in demand. Stay current with how your profession is being revolutionized by artificial intelligence, machine learning and robotics, and how those changes are reflected in the skills employers are seeking

Resolution 2: Build your network

When it comes to making the relationships that could help you get there, it is better to give than receive. When you meet someone new at an event, try to learn more about their goals or challenges. Instead of pitching yourself, find ways to meet their needs, even if they are not asking for it at the moment.

Active membership in the local chapter of your professional organization helps you stay current with changes likely to affect your job and career. At the same time, you get to know the most-committed and most-connected people in your immediate professional world. You should also join professionally relevant social media groups on sites like LinkedIn, read through the conversations, and ask questions. This increases your credibility and visibility and will broaden your professional networks. 

Resolution 3: Learn a new skill

Pick one skill you would like to learn and find out how do it. Look into obtaining a certification in areas that will help you advance in your career. Whatever industry you are in, research the most in-demand skills and work to upskill.

As Henry Ford once said, “Anyone who stops learning is old, whether at 20 or 80. Anyone who keeps learning stays young.” No matter what career stage you are in, there is always room for improvement. Take note of your weaknesses and make this the year you address them head-on.

And remember that you are not alone on the road back to learning. It is estimated that 66.7% Australians aged between 20 and 64 years had attained a non-school qualification.

Resolution 4: It’s time to step out of your comfort zone!

This may sound like a simple way to keep your career resolutions but in reality, most people love the safety of routines and hence limit their personal growth. Risk, if well managed, acts as an accelerator, pushing you to reach higher in work and life.

When you take a risk and succeed, you often end up with a much higher reward than you would have gotten with a more conservative play. When you take a risk and fail, you learn something valuable about your decision and circumstances, and become more confident. Taking risks early in your career also appears to be more beneficial because you have less to lose and more time to make up for mistakes.

Resolution 5: Nurture your mentor relationship

Surveys reveal that we are 65% more likely to achieve a goal when we share it with someone else, and this climbs to 95% if you set a formal appointment to review the goal. Evidently, mentorship is a worthy career resolution, as your guide will hold you accountable and ensure that you remain committed to your career goals in 2021. 

We can all benefit from having a mentor who challenges us and acts as a stellar sounding board. If they can open some doors that lead to fresh new career opportunities, even better, because let’s face it—change is rarely easy. You may seek a ‘peer mentor’, someone who you can look to for guidance since you are both going through the same stage in your careers. Or perhaps what you need is an ‘expertise mentor’ who has worked in the role that you are aiming for. This person can give you insider advice about how the challenges they faced and the tricks they wish someone else had told them.