Engage your staff: One of the best ways to ensure your staff continues to perform is to meet with them! Share ideas and don’t put up the ‘iron wall of silence’. Nobody likes to be left in the dark. If you have some information that you can share do so. The open communication will be appreciated and alleviate unfounded fears. Clandestine meetings behind closed doors send bad signals. If there are some things you cannot discuss simply say so. Your honesty will be appreciated. Reassure your staff when appropriate.

Praise good work: If your employees work hard they deserve feedback. Don’t be stingy with thanks. Encourage staff to perform and then recognize their efforts. Whether you choose to hold a group meeting to recognize hard work, send an email, or drop by for a personal chat, it is critical that your staff know that you appreciate their efforts. If there is something that warrants a bigger display of thanks, consider a company announcement in writing to all staff or recognition at a corporate event.

Facilitate career growth and planning: One of the best things you can do for your employees no matter the economic environment is to help them plan for growth. Maintain an open mind and consider that people desire recognition through growth and development. Interact with staff to learn what their goals are. If there are rumblings in your department regarding changes, your understanding of what your employees want will allow you to present other options to them. Offer direction and guidance. Your attention and willingness to support their goals will be rewarded with commitment.

Plan a day away: A great way to build camaraderie is to plan a picnic or day away from the office for you to interact and bond as a team. It is good to learn about your staff and their outside interests. Relating to people outside of the professional environment helps to drive positive performance.

Don’t burden your staff with concerns: As the manager it is your job to lead the unit. You need to express your understanding of situations presented to you by your employees and also manage information related to what you know about the corporation’s issues. Keep your feelings to yourself. You don’t want employees to begin worrying, which will lower productivity. Maintain a professional presence at all times while communicating necessary information.

Serving as a motivating force for you and your team will yield positive results – even in tough times. Good managers go a long way in ensuring staff is empowered to persevere. Open communication is always advisable; when things seem tenuous in the workplace the ‘open door policy’ will definitely work in your favor.

Several years ago my husband went into a bakery where they advertised ‘raisen cookies’. Umm, don’t you mean raisin, he inquired. Apparently they didn’t care enough to change it because the sign remained that way for 3 years until the store went out of business! I don’t know about you, but I would have changed that immediately. I think it’s a bit embarrassing to spell things incorrectly for your clients. If someone points it out to you, isn’t it simple enough to change? I have seen other instances of this (I am sure you have too) where there are signs with blatant spelling errors. Even in newspapers there are errors too numerous to count.

Admittedly I am a stickler for these things. I see things where the apostrophe is used incorrectly. I have been told that ‘nobody but you knows, Deb’. I can’t be the only one! Still, I am compelled to fix it or mention that it needs fixing.

Let me address this as far as career planning is concerned. If you make a spelling mistake on your résumé, what chance do you have of getting the interview? Nearly none is the answer. Of course, if the error remains undetected by the reader you are fine. But I can tell you having reviewed thousands of résumés during my days as a recruiter I caught errors constantly. Did those candidates get an audience? Nope.

What are your goals for seeking an advanced degree?

You need to understand what your personal and professional motivations are. If you are considering the degree because you believe it will help facilitate your career growth that is a good reason to attend. In addition to expanding business knowledge, you will also form good connections with other participants. The friendships and networks formed during completion of a graduate degree can be very valuable for ongoing career success. Also, an advanced degree demonstrates your willingness to continue to expand your knowledge and maintain your marketability throughout your career.

How do you choose a program that’s right for you?

Choosing a program that meets your personal and professional needs is very important. Not all schools or programs offer things that are right for everyone. Do the research regarding the school and it’s programs. You want to educate yourself regarding the program’s structure and what the culture of the school is. When you consider the amount of time and money you will be dedicating to the degree, you need to ensure there is a good fit with a program will help fulfill your aims. Whether pursuing an MBA or other master’s program, evaluate your goals in relation to the potential benefits of the program. Apply to institutions other than where you completed your undergraduate degree. A different perspective and a change of faculty is a good thing. The new environment and perspectives you will encounter will broaden how you look at things.

When is it a good time to get a graduate degree?

This question is one that I am commonly asked by my coaching clients. Some of my clients are just out of school and don’t want to break the momentum. Others have been out in the workforce for a number of years; now they are considering obtaining an advanced degree to transition into something else or move up the corporate ladder. While there are reasons for each, I am of the belief that working a few years and getting some strong professional experiences will enhance your graduate school experience. Many of the stronger programs actually require that you have work experience before attending. Equally important is the business perspective you bring to the educational experience. With professional experience comes knowledge – this will enhance the training you receive during the completion of the degree; further it will facilitate the practical application of emerging ideas in your professional life. Having previously worked for a few years might also provide you with a stronger financial footing to pay for the degree. Perhaps your employer has a program that covers some or all of the expense.

f you need a resource to help you with the application and essay preparation process ResumesDoneWrite offers a full complement of services to allow you to identify and apply to competitive programs. See us at ResumesDoneWrite.com for more information. Or, contact Debra directly at dwheatman@resumesdonewrite.com

Specific

When you define a specific goal, it is laid out before you to help you understand what you want to achieve. From there, you can begin to develop your plan of action. A critical part of goal setting is writing down what your focus is. Unless you write it down, you will likely forget and move on to something else. Writing things down makes them real and allows you to focus your efforts on taking the necessary steps to achieve success.

Measureable

Measuring your progress is important to allow you to track your growth. Therefore, you should define a set of criteria that will enable you to evaluate your success. Consider setting milestones that will allow you to review your progress at different points to realize how far you have come. This will keep you motivated and interested in the process; and it will allow you to keep setting new benchmarks.

Attainable

It is important that you set goals that are realistic. You want to be challenged but need to understand the scope of your capabilities to attain success. This does not mean that you should lower your expectations. Set your sights on a goal that will engage you and allow you to explore things out of your comfort zone. Your sense of achievement after reaching your goal will be that much more rewarding.

Rewarding

Sometimes it’s hard to maintain a strong motivation level. When you are really working hard to achieve something, the process can be slow. This can hamper your desire to forge ahead. Consider what you are working toward and give yourself mini-rewards as you go. This will help keep you focused and committed to seeing the process through to the ultimate reward and success at the end of your journey.

Timely

I know in the past I have covered information relating to setting timelines for things and how to avoid procrastinating. Setting timelines will allow you to keep pace and avoid putting things aside to pick up ‘at a later time’. Keep your focus on what you want to achieve, keep notes, and plan accordingly so that you meet your goal. It will truly be gratifying to see the final and successful results of your efforts.

Following the guidance below even if you ever actually desire a new job or find yourself forced to look for one and at least you will remain sharp and agile. Career planning is something that you should look forward to doing because it allows you to set new goals and work towards achieving things that will make you productive and happy in your professional and personal life.

Below are guidelines to help you with a successful career planning strategy:

1. Review your career goals throughout the year.

This does not mean that you should be reviewing your plan continuously. Rather set aside time every three to six months to evaluate your needs and ensure you are fulfilled in your current position. Make a list of the things you really enjoy and the things that you would like to be doing as part of your professional life. This will give you a head start as you move forward and allow you to be better prepared for choices – those that you know about and those that might come as a surprise. Consider what you really want and make sure it matches what you are doing.

2. Create a career roadmap.

A career roadmap is something that I always talk about. This is the plan that you establish to create short- and medium-term goals. Evaluate potential opportunities and the skills and competencies you possess that will allow you to contribute in a future role. As I tell my children – “look where you are going, not where you are coming from.” This same concept applies to career planning and management. While you want to take lessons learned from past experiences, you don’t want to live in the past. The amalgamation of the things you have learned can be applied to new opportunities. Consider the path you want to take and formulate a skill map to help you along the path of your choosing.

3. Consider what you like to do and what you want to do.

Many of us do not have the luxury of working in an area that we truly feel passionate about. You might enjoy your work, but your true passion might be something entirely different. It is important that you work in an area that you enjoy and want to continue to make a contribution. Make a list (I like lists) of the things you enjoy doing in your professional life and the things that you don’t enjoy. This does not mean that in your next role you won’t find yourself doing things that you don’t like. All positions are filled with work that has both components. The value of this exercise though will allow you to pursue opportunities where the likes outweigh the dislikes. Think about how you would like to contribute in an organization and the things that motivate you to facilitate your happiness. As you explore new opportunities, you will be able to apply the things on your list when conducting a search. It will help you narrow your focus and choose something that will continue to inspire you to want to contribute and facilitate your growth.

4. Develop a plan B.

I know it sounds strange but you should have a back up plan. There are so many people who do other things on the side as a hobby without ever realizing that it could be (if necessary, and desired) a full-time opportunity. Since we all know that we cannot control the future, your Plan B will enable you to gain other opportunities without you even realizing it. It’s important to consider things, think about them as you go – you will be better prepared for change and more willing to embrace it should the time come.

5. Keep a journal of your achievements.

As you move throughout your career you will no doubt have a lot of things that you achieved. Perhaps you saved a company a lot of money, or created a system that improved performance. It could be anything! If you don’t write it down or keep some kind of record, when the time comes to draft a well-written and powerful résumé, you will be lost. A strong résumé is results-proven. This means that you have demonstrated achievements on there that you are sharing with your reader. It is critical to ensuring your résumé gets noticed – enough so that it gets you the interview where you can then secure the job on your own.

6. Evaluate and pursue educational opportunities.

It is always important to maintain a current understanding of the happenings in your industry or field. Pursuing training or continuing education will benefit you in numerous ways, including the opportunity to share ideas with others. Educational environments create camaraderie. You never know whom you will meet. Of course, though, you will continue to challenge your mind and explore new concepts related to your current career. It is a wonderful way to stay updated and continue to enhance your value.

7. Leverage your transferrable skills.

It is amazing how many people I do work for that want to change industries but do not see the forest through the trees. Within your role, there are many possibilities! You simply need to look for them. Over the course of your career, you will develop a lot of skills that can easily be used in another arena. Here’s another example why writing down accomplishments can really work in your favor! No doubt you are conducting research, writing, using communication skills, interacting with others in the workplace to gain consensus for new ideas – and many, many other things. These few things are just the tip of the iceberg. These skills are definitely valuable in many other areas. Apply them if you are considering a transition to something else.

8. Do the research.

It’s a wide, wide world out there with many opportunities. Unless you start conducting some research to determine what a particular career or job holds, you will never know. It is so easy too! You can simply turn the computer on and start typing in words or phrases. Use Stumbleupon (a great plug-in for the Firefox browser that will lead you to all kinds of cool and interesting places) or Wikipedia.com to follow your stream of consciousness! Research opens up so many doors. Evaluate your current position and consider your short- and medium-term goals. What skills would you like to use going forward? Of those skills which ones do you already possess? Where might you need additional training and education? Research regarding your interests and desires will help you see things that you otherwise would have missed.

9. Establish and maintain your personal brand.

Your personal brand is a very important component to ensuring you continue to do things that work in your favor. How you perceive yourself and how others perceive you are closely intertwined. Make sure that you always maintain a professional approach to job search, including posting information on social media and networking sites. Information is available everywhere. Nothing is a secret unless you are the only one who knows. So, in sharing information about yourself, be sure that it is positive and professional. When the time comes for you to review opportunities there should be nothing floating around out there that will cause doubt in the mind of a hiring company.

10. Understand the market and ongoing trends.

It is up to you to continue to expand your understanding and knowledge of where your industry is headed. Perhaps your industry is going through some changes. It would be in your best interest to understand the direction of the industry and plan accordingly. You don’t want to be caught without a secondary plan of action. Keep your finger on the pulse of your industry through networking and reading trade journals and other publications. This will also provide you with insight to potential openings.

Career planning is a valuable thing to do to ensure you maintain your knowledge and awareness of how you see yourself progressing in future roles. The tips above will help you prepare and establish a framework for ongoing success.