I had the privilege of being interviewed for an AARP article that will be coming out soon. The article is about the importance of choosing projects that are relevant to what you’re doing now in your career. This can help enhance your current career path OR it can help with your next one. You want to be part of projects that last a long enough time and provide enough depth to be worth it; projects that are meaty and not just sitting in an advisory meeting one time.
Here are some tips to help you choose projects that are worth your time:
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Work with people who are players in your company. People who you want to establish better relationships with or new ones. These people might be ‘the influencers’ in the company.
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Decide how much time you can devote to the project, but don’t just add it to the to-do list. Actually incorporate it into your existing schedule, for example on your lunch hour or your morning commute. Adding it to your to-do list can make it more overwhelming. Or it might just get pushed to the back burner.
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Don’t be afraid to suggest or create a project. You don’t have to just volunteer for an existing one. Talk to your boss about your project idea informally, because it doesn’t have to be a formal proposal. One example would be to mention it in a performance review. Or if you don’t want to wait that long, mention it in the hall or sometime when you’re already speaking. Mention that you’d like to enhance specific skills and volunteer for a certain project as a result. Don’t be afraid to speak up, employers typically like motivated and pro-active employees.
If you’d like more work performance help or you’d like help identifying your ideal career path, contact us today for a complimentary consultation.
Hallie Crawford
Ideal Career Coach
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