It's Not Yet Too Late! Some Career Resolution Ideas for 2014!

For most employees, proactively developing one’s career is a pain. Most of the time, setting goals is nothing more but an HR requirement that needs to be fulfilled at least quarterly or yearly. But who else will be responsible for your career—is it the HR personnel or you? I think you already know the answer to that. You’re the only one who knows your strengths and weaknesses to their core. You’ve always wanted the corner office, but you never stepped up or cared to approach your boss to ask about any training opportunities. So spend time identifying where you went wrong in 2013, and how to correct them. With all the career training programs, CE and online courses available in this day and age, you can always do better at work this year.  I know we’re now into the second week of January but it’s not yet too late if you haven’t made a career resolution. Here are some career resolution ideas that you may want to start making early this year: 1. Be honest. Do not put off work, call in sick because you’re tired, or make shortcuts. Have integrity and work honestly. Make sure every dime that the company is paying you is worth it for them. Dan Miller, a contributor for Manager.com also advises workers to be accountable especially when working remotely. “Do what you say you’re going to do,” he writes in his article, 10 Career Resolutions for the New Year. “Honesty and reliability mean a lot to your manager.” 2. Mind the details. Now Possible chief executive officer Bruce Kasanoff advises workers to pay more attention to the ”little details” when trying to come up with a fresh idea. “Big ideas come from little details,” he writes in his blog post “Break Your Routine in 2014,” which was quoted by the BBC in an article. For workers who feel like they need to break from their routine as soon as possible, Kasanoff recommends checking Ben Heine’s series Pencil vs Camera for inspiration. 3. “Delegate more.” This one’s intended for managerial levels. Alison Green, a contributor for US Money News, advises employees who are at the position to delegate more work to others to just do it. Take advantage of the opportunity to assign work to other people, especially when your team needs more support to get a job done. “Like most people, you’re holding on to projects that other workers can handle because you believe the work is comfortable or you just don’t trust others to do it right,” she said. It can be catastrophic, however, and could slow you down, especially if you’re interested in taking on greater opportunities at work, Green opined. 4. The one/two-hour rule. Spend at least one to two hours of your time every week to network or to improve your skills. Elaine Pofeldt, a contributor for Forbes.com, recommends catching up with former colleagues and researching for job opportunities where one can grow into or can use as a backup. Or, you can train yourself at home by enrolling in an online course. No matter what happens, make sure that you allot time weekly to better your career. Is there a career resolution that you’ve found success with but didn’t make it to the list? Please share it with us and our readers in the comments section below!