Strategies to Managing Your

Career
Are you doing all you can to achieve success in
your current role? Take the first step towards
managing your career with these seven
proactive strategies.
Posted to: Career+Work
Topics: Career Management
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The ability to manage your career is especially important today, in the human
age, where organizations have to be agile to meet the ever changing needs in
the business environment. Lifelong jobs are a thing of the past, and
employees have to shift their mindset to “career for me.” This mindset
empowers employees because they take responsibility for managing their own
career, creating value for themselves and the organizations that they work for.
They have a sense of personal security because they have portable skills that
retain their value in the job market.

But how do you get to that stage, what are some strategies to manage
your career, so you can make the switch from the mindset “career for
life” to “career for me?”

1. Think about what you want to achieve in your career. Study the trends that
are shaping your industry and niche. Pay attention to what the experts are
saying. Know your strengths, and which skills are marketable? Take an
assessment test if you have to. Map a path to get to where you want to go in
your career, knowing that you will have to make changes as the work
environment changes. Based on what you are seeing and hearing, what skills
do you have to acquire to become more valuable to yourself and future
employers? Acquire those skills and make learning a part of your day.
2. Update your resume every quarter to make sure that you include important
projects you’ve worked on, and in-demand skills you have acquired.
3. Build your networks. Cultivate networks inside and outside the organization
you work for, and both online and offline.Find ways to be of service to the
people in your network. It could be as simple as introducing them to each
other, or sending them articles and other information that are meaningful and
valuable to them. Attend worthwhile events to continually build and expand
your network of contacts. When you hear of an event that’s worth attending,
 pass on the information to people who might benefit from attending as well,
and let them know why you thought of them.
4. Apply to speak at industry conferences and other events. This is another
opportunity to build your networks, but it also allows you to build your personal
brand. And more importantly, when you speak at a conference, people will
view you as an authority in the field. Another possibility is to host a webinar on
behalf of your organization, which is good both for the company and yourself.
5. Have an active presence on social media platforms, which is an essential
part to building your brand. Go one step further than most people who use
social media - create a LinkedIn and Facebook group, publish on the LinkedIn
publishing platform, or host a Twitter chat. Do what most people are not willing
to do - invest in your career. And take the time to grow the number of
connections online.
6. Be in the know. Read industry journals, blogs in your niche and industry, as
well as blogs that focus on career management tips - Brazen Careerist and
Smart Brief on Your Career, which provides curated content on work from a
variety of top sources. Interview experts and publish the interviews on a
personal blog. Another tip is to set up Google Alerts on topics that are
important to you. Once a quarter, have a chat with industry experts and
thought leaders to keep up-to-date on trends.
7. Secure a career coach. A coach holds you accountable and forces you to
manage your career, so you won’t lose momentum.

Managing your career is important, because it encourages you take proactive

steps to make better choices about your career, and the seven strategies
offered above will get you started.