I wanted to share some career encouragement as many people are out of work or thinking deeper than usual about their careers. Every so often I like to do a Career Check In! This is when I evaluate what I am doing and learning at work and then also think about where I want to advance my skills and salary. In this post I'm going to share how I do my Career Check In so you can too!
Step 1: Evaluate your current skills
Take time to update your resume with your current tasks, skills, projects and work interests. It is much easier to do this when you are not looking for a job and it is fresh in your mind. Understanding your current skills will also help you find where you want to learn more.
Step 2: Are you doing what you want at work?
I am currently an Operations and Reporting Analyst and I love it. I like getting to solve and investigate business issues and leverage my reporting skills for my own tasks and help team members with their projects too.
Ask yourself if you enjoy your job and if you are proud to do it. Even if a job is "just a paycheck" I think getting some sense of fulfillment from work is important, or at least not feeling like its slowly killing you. I've bobbed and weaved through many careers, so I've learned what I like/don't like. If you are not happy in your current role reach out to people in careers you are interested in and ask them for advice on perusing that career.
Step 3: Are you getting paid what you want AND is it the industry standard?
This can be very hard to judge, especially because in society no one likes to talk about money... but we should!! I like to understand salary pay in 2 parts.
1. Check online to see what similar roles are paid in similar industries in your city or state. Use an online job search to find a few. Keep in mind some areas pay differently based on the cost of living. Looking for similar jobs will give you an idea of what salary your job commends. Comparing your salary to others will help you understand industry averages for your role and skills.
2. What is your salary goal in the next 5 years?
Some people find it helpful to create a future budget to understand how much you'll need to make for the standard of living you want. Give it a try! Use an online job search to look for the job you'd like to work up to. This search will also show you what skills you need to achieve the next level of job you want.
Step 4: What additional skills do you want to gain?
This is normally driven by salary goals but also your personal interests. As industries change there is always something new to learn. I think is it important to look internally and externally for learning opportunities that will help you earn more at work. The people you work with are also a wealth of knowledge from their prior experiences. I hope this Career Check-in has helped you look at your career in a positive and progressive light. Don't forget your career path is a journey. Also just like any other journey we try to plan our best but we have the ability to be flexible and grow with them.
Thanks for reading!