• Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • LinkedIn
a different perspective on human capital

New Year’s Career Resolutions

placeholder

Now that 2016 has officially come to an end, you may want to reflect on the past year and assess your performance in the workplace. Do you have any bad habits that are hindering your success? Are there any skills you need to refine? Do you need to put more effort into your job?

New Years is the ideal time to develop goals to improve yourself and enhance your performance at work. Although skeptics state that resolutions don’t stick, as people forget about them merely a couple of months later, research indicates approximately 46% of people keep their resolutions for at least six months, while 8% keep them for the entire year. Though these numbers seem relatively minute, individuals who decide to make New Year’s resolutions are about 10 times as likely to keep them than those who attempt to achieve the goal through a different trajectory. Thus, you may be better off starting 2017 with a promise to yourself as to what you will improve on throughout the year. Here are some of our favorite work-related 2017 resolutions:

Take advantage of the morning: Although many of us are guilty of going through the morning in a half-asleep, unproductive daze, experts suggest using this time to develop goals for the day and try to complete your hardest tasks first, when you’re fresh. Studies have shown that people who do the most “painful” assignments in the beginning of their work day are not only more productive than others but also achieve more success in the long run– so this year, take your morning coffee with a double shot of espresso!

Maintain your online profiles: With all the chaos that goes on in your daily life, perhaps you have forgotten to update your online profiles, such as LinkedIn. Did you learn a new skill you forgot to include on your page? Do you have a professional photo you haven’t yet uploaded? Is there someone you want to connect with but have not yet? If you haven’t maintained your various online accounts, you may want to start now, in 2017, as these profiles can be utilized for networking and potential job opportunities in the future! Also, if you’re actively searching for a job, employers often view your social media presence to determine whether or not you’d be a fit within their company culture. So make sure you also take the time to scroll through past account activity and ensure you don’t have inappropriate posts from years past!

Stay hydrated: Inspired by one of our own employees at Treehouse Partners, this resolution, though seemingly trivial, is crucial for your everyday life! In fact, numerous studies have demonstrated that dehydration leads to lower mental performance in the office. Furthermore, it is estimated that up to 75% of the U.S. adult population goes through their normal day in at least a mildly dehydrated state. Luckily, the solution to this problem is relatively simple and easy to implement — drink more water!

Enhance your public speaking skills: Surprisingly (or not surprisingly!), public speaking is the one thing people fear more than death. This skill is also increasingly utilized as an individual climbs up the corporate ladder. Thus, it is critical to enhance this ability at an early stage and become comfortable speaking in front of a group of people. To achieve this, take a public speaking class (https://www.toastmasters.org/), or practice speeches in front of a group that you’re already comfortable with. Even if you’re not at a point in your career where you absolutely need to master this ability, being able to speak confidently in front of people you don’t know will help you with any prospective job interviews as well as when you eventually do reach a higher level in your career.

Although these are some of our favorites, you may have come up with resolutions based on your own unique strengths and weaknesses. Nevertheless, whatever your resolution is — whether career-related or personal – the most important thing is to have a safe and wonderful New Years! Happy 2017 from Treehouse Partners!

 

 

Twitter

subscribe