Career Management

There is so much more to managing your career than flipping through the newspaper or scanning the internet every now and then. It can become easy to get into routine of going to work, doing your work and then returning home. 

By understanding your strengths and the areas you need to work on, networking effectively and ensuring you are building your career you will open up opportunities for promotions, higher pay grades and personal growth.

Actively Manage Your Career 

You can not rely on someone else, such as a manager or employer to manage your career and determine the direction you need to go in. Below are a number of steps to follow that will ensure you are managing your own career and moving forward to success. 

• Set Goals- One of the best ways to determine which path to follow is by setting goals, the key to going where you want, is to know what you want. Spend some time sitting down and determining where you want to be, and the skills you want to have in six months, one year and five years time. 
• Feedback - Although hard to hear sometimes, the best way to move forward is to find out what you could improve on. Ask those around you, such as family, work mates or managers what you do best and also what you could do better. By understanding your talents and weaknesses you can improve your skills and this knowledge will help you make the most informed decition when applying for jobs. 
• Become Involved - Build yourself a LinkedIn, read news articles, industry publications and blogs. Learning and increasing your knowledge of an industry can place you as a valuable resource for a company and connect you with significant influencers in the industry. 
• Reflect- Reflect on the work you have done and the places you have been. It will help you reach your goals by looking back on how far you have come. Success can be achieved by learning from mistakes and reflecting on the information you have learnt. 

Resignation 

Everyone moves on to a new job at some point. It is normal to get a new job to try something different or just to refresh and kickstart your motivation.

Whatever your reasons for resigning you want to leave on good terms, leaving a good impression and remaining professional is important as your resignation letter will be kept on file and can be accessed for future job reference. 

Below are some tips for writing a professional resignation letter and leaving the company with a good impression. 

• Check the company policy or your employment contract to find out how many weeks notice is required before handing in your letter of resignation. 
• Include a positive statement about your employer or employment with the company, thanking them for the oppoRtunity to work with them 
• Include the effective date of resignation
• Include a name that the letter is addressed to 
• Clearly state your reason for resignation
• Finish by signing the letter and delivering it in an envelope