Tips For Kickstarting Your Career In 2023

2023 is officially here! The new year brings us the ability to reset our goals, aspirations, resolutions and build a fresh start. Many of us spend some time at the start of the year building out a list of goals or resolutions to accomplish.

With goals of every size, it can be complex and daunting when setting these resolutions, but it doesn’t have to be. You can follow these steps and answer these prompts to kickstart your year! Whether your dream is to move up in your career, start a family or even purchase your first home, 2023 can be the year you make your dreams a reality.

The first step to setting yourself up for success in 2023 is defining yourself. Pull out a notebook or word document and start to answer the following prompts:

• Who are you? (Name, age, gender, etc. – be specific)
• What kind of person are you?
• What kind of friend are you?
• What is most important in your life today?
• What is your current job?
• What are your current hobbies/activities?
• What do you like to do for fun?

Once you’ve defined who you are today, you can paint a clearer picture of who you want to be in the future.

Next, recomplete this exercise with your desired outcomes for the answers to the above prompts as if today is December 31, 2023. Focus on what you’d like to have, what you’d like to do and who you’d like to become. Write everything in present tense such as ‘I am’ statements.

In an ever-changing industry, careers move quickly, and change happens fast. To stay ahead of the curve, it is essential to identify your skills and then demonstrate them with ease. Take stock of the current skills you possess and those you would like to have in the future but have not yet mastered.

Recognizing your skills is an important step in identifying what next steps you may have in your career. Understanding what drives you in your day-to-day and what inspires you can have a massive impact on choosing the right career path and experiencing satisfaction in your work.

Use the list below and select your top 10 – 15 skills you currently possess and your top 5 – 10 skills you’d like to grow over 2023. You can also write your own if you’d like.

• Acceptance to feedback
• Active listening
• Accountability
• Adaptability
• Agility
• Analysis
• Artistic
• Assertiveness
• Attention to detail
• Business acumen
• Business writing
• Change management
• Collaboration
• Coachability
• Compassion
• Competitiveness
• Conflict resolution
• Consistency
• Curiosity
• Customer service skills
• Creativity
• Decision making
• Delegation
• Design thinking
• Detail-oriented
• Diplomacy in difficult situations
• Diversity, equity and inclusion
• Email etiquette
• Emotional intelligence
• Empathy
• Experimentation
• Facilitation
• Goal-oriented
• Giving feedback
• Influential
• Innovative
• Leadership mindset
• Learning
• Leveraging technology
• Listening skills
• Managerial skills
• Meeting planning and organizing
• Mentoring
• Negotiation skills
• Networking
• Oral communication skills
• Organizing
• Planning
• Presentations
• Problem solving
• Project management
• Relationship building
• Researching
• Resiliency
• Risk taking
• Self confidence
• Software proficiency
• Strategic planning
• Summarizing
• Teamwork
• Time management
• Troubleshooting skills
• Trustworthiness
• Visualization skills
• Written communication skills

Using the skills from the previous section as your guide, and your vision from section 1, create a brain dump of ideas. Anything that you’d like to do, have or become in 2023. This does not need to be complete thoughts or ideas, however, write enough so if you leave and come back to your list, you will know what you meant.

Brain dumps can be completed in a variety of ways. I recommend using a mind mapping software and selecting a brainstorming template to capture these ideas, but you can just as easily complete one using a pen and paper.

We’ve probably all heard of SMART goals, but there are ways to make these goals SMARTER.

Specific – Specifically determine exactly what you are looking to achieve. If your goal is to work out more, instead of writing work out more, get to the root cause of the goal. Why do you want to work out more? Do you want more energy? A better figure? A certain number on the scale? What are you specifically trying to achieve?

Measurable – Measurability is gained by using facts, figures, numbers and data to tell a story. Include a unit of measurement to gauge your success in achieving your goal. Maybe it’s a certain number of pounds you’d like to lose, or a certain weight you’d like to lift.

Achievable – Achievability is measured through the ability to accomplish your goals within their targeted timeframe and parameters you’ve set. Of course, you can shoot for the moon, but when shooting higher you may have to account for the timeliness of how soon this goal is achievable. For example, when losing weight, it’s recommended to lose 1 – 2 pounds at most per week. Therefore, if you have a certain number of pounds you’d like to drop, you need to keep the goal achievable by giving yourself enough time to make it happen.

Relevant – Relevance in goals means that the goal matches what you want to get out of life. If the goal does not align with your core beliefs or changes you as a person in a negative sense, it might contradict what you’re trying to solve in the first place. Make sure the goal makes sense for your journey. If you’re trying to lose weight this year, remember to set yourself up for success by either creating a home gym or obtaining a gym membership. Additionally, it’s a good idea to eliminate foods from your home that may set you back on your goals.

Timely – Timeliness involves creating deadlines for accomplishing your goals. Some goals you may want to accomplish each month, while other goals may be overarching throughout the entire year. You get to choose what makes the most sense for each goal. If your goal is to lose weight, it is recommended to give yourself ample time to develop a habit of working out and a habit of eating healthier.

Making it smarter involves adding two additional steps, that are vital to the planning and measuring process, but often are skipped. Don’t forget to add the following two items during the year. Create an end of month check-in on your goals or a quarterly review using these next two tips.

Evaluate – Evaluation comes in the form of reviewing your goals and ensuring you are following through with the actions you set out to achieve. Evaluate your progress. Evaluate your dedication and drive towards seeing these goals through. Work towards turning these goals into habits. If your goal is to lose weight and you are not seeing the changes you expected, it might be time to consider upping the number of times per week you find yourself in the gym or reevaluating the foods you use to fuel yourself.

Readjust – At times, we may see ourselves setting goals that are a bit too high or complex or need to be adjusted for timeliness. We may want to achieve something in a month that ultimately needs three months to complete. This doesn’t mean failure; this just needs recalibrating. If you’re not seeing the results you’d like to for losing weight, look for different methods that might lead you towards success.

We all have a network of colleagues, friends and family, but think about how often we use our professional colleagues for references, mentorship or growth opportunities. Networking is the act of meeting with others and establishing a mutually beneficial relationship. Nothing will move the needle further in your career than having a network of individuals who are championing you and supporting you and your endeavors.

If you have a LinkedIn profile, commit to getting a new headshot in 2023 and creating a new eye-catching banner for your profile. Ensure you are filling out your profile completely. This includes adding your previous work experience, adding featured posts, accomplishments or certificates to your featured section, including an about section, and most importantly, requesting recommendations. Recommendations are testimonials about you. What you have to offer, what talents and skills you bring to the table and how you show up to each challenge or task you face.

Lastly, update your resume. Pull out a new word document and reimagine the story of you on this document. Use elements from your LinkedIn to paint a picture of who you are, what problems you’ve helped solve and what projects you’ve seen to completion.

Goal setting is an incredibly rewarding activity. You can see clearly what you’re setting out to accomplish at the start of the year and work towards making strides throughout. By using the tips and techniques discussed throughout this article, you’ll find building the future of your dreams is within grasp.

Without setting goals, the year may pass by you without making meaningful changes that can impact your life and you may find it harder to get what you want. When you set goals, you set an intention for how you’d like to live, build action steps and complete the challenges you’ve created for yourself.

Whether your goals are to lose weight, purchase a new house or start a family, these tips will help you kickstart your life and career in 2023!