Are you getting the hang of working remotely? It’s been almost a year since many professionals have moved to working from home. Many mid-career professionals have mixed feelings about remote work; some of our clients have told us that they love working from home and others really miss interacting with their co-workers.
Other professionals have come to us because they used to love their job but now are finding that remote work is challenging. Aside from work itself being challenging, it can be find to hard time to work on your strategic career plan when your personal and professional life takes place in your living room. We understand this challenge and help professionals like you every day find greater fulfillment in their careers. We want to share the following tips with you to get you started.
Block time on your calendar. If you don’t have a clear career direction, this can leave you feeling stagnant and affects your overall productivity. When working remotely, keeping up with day-to-day tasks and projects can be time-consuming and leave little time for strategic planning. We recommend blocking off some time on your calendar regularly to evaluate your current career goals and strategic decisions that you can make to help you reach those goals. For example, you could block off 30-45 minutes monthly to check in with yourself. How are you feeling in your current role? Can you take on additional responsibilities that would provide greater fulfillment? What strategic moves can you make in this quarter to help you reach the next level in your career?
Determine how COVID has changed your career. COVID has forced a lot of industries to change processes and even created new roles, while other roles seem to be disappearing. Take an objective look at your current career path. Is your dream career still a viable option due to the change in your industry? Is there a new career path available to you that you hadn’t previously considered now that your job is remote? It’s also helpful to identify your transferable skills if you find that you are interested in shifting your career due to these changes.
Conduct informational interviews. An informational interview is a valuable tool to use when strategic career planning, but is underutilized. This gives you the opportunity to speak with someone who is currently in your dream position and ask them what is needed to be successful in that position. You can also ask them what changes they anticipate in the next few years and how you could start to prepare for those now. Start with your current network connections; does anyone you are connected with have your dream position? Could you ask a network connection for an introduction to someone?
No one should have to wait until retirement to be happy. It is possible to thrive in your career, even in a remote position. Talk to us to find out more: schedule a free consult today.
