Job and Career Review: New Year in Focus.

New Year in Focus. The year draws to a close, as we count down, you are a seasoned or budding professional, what are your considerations? Maybe, I should ask a direct question that you need to search out the answer from within. What are your projections for the coming year? More often than not, employees have a mindset of job delivery.

What are my tasks for the day, week, month, quarter and year? Once these are certified accomplished just by going through your ‘To Do’ list and check the box for every completed task , the employee deems himself/herself as productive but are you truly fulfilled? On the other hand, another scenario, you are still job-hunting.

A job seeker, you came across job vacancies and applied for some of the job openings, even got to attend a few interviews Employment for you seems so farfetched. What is that one thing that you would do differently to strategically position you for that dream job. Ruminate on these situations, let them take root in your soul and propel you to action. Please permit me to aid the navigation of your thoughts.

Looking Back

In retrospection, what have you given on your current job this year in particular, that has brought your creativity to the fore? What specific value has your organization benefitted from you just because you leveraged on certain available opportunities that were not common knowledge.

This year alone, I have been in the company of certain groups that wielded a great measure of influence within my industry and in my head, all I was mulling was how to convert a good number of my new and renewed connections as my backend clients. I could of course, make these connections for selfish purposes, but my commitment to my organization is paramount. 

Within a period of five working days, I have seen increase in the in-flock of our key product which enhances our service delivery. Suffices to say that opportunities abound everywhere you find yourself but you need to be able to identify each for what it represents in order to harness them appropriately for the desired outcome.

A worker will stunt the very progress they desire when they neglect self-development. It is imperative to resolve to put to use your best creative mind and invariably bring about self-development.

Team Play

I have learnt that team is better. Would you confidently count yourself among the team players? Let me reiterate, “team is better”. A team is not necessarily a large number of persons. A two-man team is also a team.

There is a popular saying that “two heads are better than one”. Someone close to me would emphasize two ‘good’ heads are better than one. This makes me consider that two complacent heads cannot deliver value in any organization.

A team is good, and in most cases will achieve more. An online business journal by Wharton University in Pennsylvania, that referenced the research of Duncan Watts and his team on whether or not a team is more effective than an individual in accomplishing tasks has some interesting findings. Their conclusion is that simple tasks are better handled by individuals and complex ones by teams (Knowledge at Wharton staff, 2021).

I have had first hand experience about the effectiveness of teams on different front. In my job, in my professional association, in one or two of my altruistic works. The effectiveness and efficiency of a good team speak a thousand words or a million words if I decide to feed my exaggeration.

In my current job, certain work process has stalled because a member of the team was relieved of his job not because he is not good at his job but the company is experiencing some financial crunch.

So, the hours of work he would have done before it ends on my table for about half an hour input from me before I sign off on the task is now mine alone to complete. Believe me, when I say that team is the way to go to cover more mileage and get more tasks completed.

Sharpen the Sword

Invest in yourself and update your skills. Ensure that you remain relevant in the game so you don’t end up being schemed out of things. In certain climes, the work place is a fierce battle field where certain individuals that can be likened to ravening wolves are poised to stymie opportunities and progress of the unsuspecting and naive co-workers. Their positions could be skillfully usurped.

One of the ways to keep your trophies is continuous learning, unlearning and relearning. Ensure that you’re armed the necessary skills for job and continue to upskill. Observational learning is a winner and a game changer anytime. Take a good look at your organization, industry and available technology, make it a priority to leverage on trending information resources.

As you direct the microscopic view on your work life, can you confidently say to yourself; "Yes! I definitely killed it this time" Ensure to remain relevant and indispensable because you are absolutely good at what you do.

In the coming years, you must determine to be a front liner, proffering solutions to the myriads workplace problems that are daily recurring and stalling development. Also, network like your life depends on it.

In conclusion, when you look back, what do you see? What are your expectations from your projected outcome in your career? Are you result oriented? How about the team and upgrading your skills? These are some self-assessment inquiries for the employed.

If as a job seeker, you have access to this article, you are privileged because you have information that will give you an edge in the workplace when you eventually get employed. You could prep yourself and work on your weak areas, “all’s well that ends well”.

Reference

Knowledge at Wharton staff. (2021, October 12). Knowledge at Wharton.

https://knowledge.wharton.upenn.edu/article/are-teams-better-than-individuals-at-getting-work-