Tom O'Neil: Get smart for 2018

Decide where you want to head in 2018. Picture / Getty Images

As you power towards the end of the year, and add another twelve months of experience into your CV, it's important to pause and think about what is ahead "career-wise" for you in 2018.

Some key questions to ask are:

■ How has the year gone professionally for me?

■ What challenges have I overcome?

■ What achievements have I gained?

■ What have I particularly enjoyed / not enjoyed about my career in 2017?

■ Which professional relationships work well, and which don't?

■ Can I see myself getting what I need from this role and organisation over the next twelve months?

Stocktake

Before the end of year festivities commence in full flight, I encourage you to do a quick career stocktake and decide where you want to head in 2018.

Earlier in the year, I introduced six critical points to help you decide if your current position is the one for you.

Challenge - Does your job challenge you on a relatively regular basis?

Things can get very "stale" sometimes, and you can feel like you are just "going through the motions" every day. If this is the case, this is an indication that you may need a new challenge.

Team - Do you enjoy the team you work with? If you get on well with your colleagues and are respected for your role in your department / company / industry, that's a real positive.

Your Boss - How does your current boss rate? Do they respect you and your work? How do you get on with them personally? Do you respect them as a leader? If you like them and they bring out the best in you, this is worth its weight in gold.

Organisation - Do you enjoy and respect the organisation you work for? Do you agree with their values, stance on the environment or products and services they sell?

Growth opportunities - Does your organisation have a career path for you, or are there genuine growth opportunities available within the wider organisation (such as travel or education)?

Lifestyle - A critical aspect these days is the lifestyle your employment gives you. Besides money, are there flexible working hours, work from home options or is job sharing available? With many commutes in Auckland being almost three hours return, you may be spending more than 25 days a year in your car driving to and from work ... What is that worth in lifestyle terms?

Where to?

Assessing your job across these six areas, will help you to take a good hard look ahead at 2018. Balancing the good and the bad, the positive and negative of your current opportunity, will help you decide whether you stay or go over the next twelve months.

Contact Tom for a free LinkedIn or CV review, or to be your personal career coach.

Visit www.CareerCoach.nz or www.CV.co.nz to find out more.