New Year's resolutions tend to be about lifestyle, but have you considered making a New Year's "career resolution"?
New Year's career resolutions and why you should have one
We’re all used to New Year’s resolutions that are about our lifestyle — be it our health, fitness, drinking or diet — but have you considered making a New Year’s “career resolution”?
We spend a lot of time at work. How satisfied, engaged and challenged we are at the office — or on the mine site — has an enormous influence on how happy we are. It’s not just about how much money we earn; we often define ourselves by what we do for a living and our job and career give us a sense of belonging, achievement and even status. So, why wouldn’t you have goals for your career this year, too?
Having a career resolution doesn’t necessarily mean you’re unhappy with your current role or employer. It is about what you want to achieve. Perhaps it’s a promotion or pay raise, perhaps it’s meeting all your KPIs and earning your bonus, perhaps it’s attending more conferences and making more contacts, or closing a big deal or completing your MBA? Much like a regular New Year’s resolution, it’s all about self-improvement.
Work out your mining career goals for 2017
And 2017 looks set to be a great year to make a career resolution because this could well be the first year we’ve had for a while where the mining and resources sector is presenting us with the kind of environment where many of us will have the opportunity to grow and extend ourselves. Things appear to be on the up. While no one is saying we’re heading into a new boom just yet, the green shoots we saw in the industry in 2016 may be starting to flourish.
As the industry’s confidence grows and investment money flows, opportunities for good people will continue to grow, too. It’s up to you how you take advantage of that, and it’s better to have a plan so you know where you’re headed.
But what if 2017 feels like the right time for you to make a move? Perhaps you feel like it is time to get back into the industry or to move between mining companies? The recent downturn saw many people exit the industry so there is actually a shortage of good, experienced people around. With some long-planned or mothballed projects now getting underway, a lot of good potential employees have already been recruited.
Get some advice to point you in the right direction and significantly improve your chances
So, what roles could you do? What promotions or opportunities do you have your eye on? How can you best position yourself to make sure you get one?
One good place for advice is to talk to a recruiter. They’ll be able to tell you how your skills compare in the marketplace and what sort of roles you could conceivably be qualified to do. They’ll also be able to give you advice to help you give yourself a better chance of achieving your goal, like recommending a qualification to make you more competitive.
The other great advantage is that once a recruiter knows you are interested in a role and you’ve established a relationship, you’ll be front of mind when a suitable position comes up.
An even better place for advice, is to talk to a qualified career guidance professional, who works with a recruiter, and a mining recruiter at that. That’s MPi!
So if you are a mining industry professional with a career goal for 2017, talk to the career guidance team at MPi.
Make 2017 your year: What will your New Year’s career resolution be?