22 career resolutions for 2022

1. Reflect on the year that was

2021. What a beast of a year. While you still might be in mourning for all the things you missed out on over this year and throughout the pandemic, it’s important to remember all the good as well. Take time to reflect on all your achievements, personal and professional, from this year. You did good, kid!

2. Start with a blank slate: inbox zero

With all the head-noise you’re likely feeling, why not do your future self a favour and start 2022 anew with inbox zero? Get ready to feel as calm and meditative as a monk, because you’re about to be Better Than Everyone Else.

3. Update your resume

If you’ve been at your current job for a while, it’s likely you’ve let your resume fall behind. An easy resolution to keep is updating your CV. Start by looking through our workbook for a bunch of tips, then upload your new and improved document to Rate My Resume for immediate and personalised feedback.

4. Learn a new skill

Inject some extra knowledge into your life! As a UTS student, you have access to LinkedIn Learning, a vast online library of courses and educational videos. It’s a comprehensive way for you to build your skills in anything from Microsoft Office, Adobe Creative Suite, business skills, English grammar and, web design, to programing languages, project management, animation… the list goes on!

5. Update your LinkedIn profile

LinkedIn is one of the best ways for your to build a professional network, find out more about your industry, look for jobs, and more. This year, bulk up your LinkedIn profile and give yourself the best chance for success. If you need some help, check out our LinkedIn resources here.

6. Give back

What better time is there to think about how you can make a difference? You could take on some volunteering work, assist commencing UTS students in the transition to university, provide advice to high school students, or even sign up for the Professional Networking Platform to be a mentor to those starting out in your industry.

7. Sign up for networking events

Next time you see a networking event advertised, why not be bold and take part? If you’re not ready for that quite yet, you could try reaching out to a manager or mentor and ask if you can take them out for coffee to pick their brain. You’ll be surprised how willing others are to help in your career development!

8. Read a career book

…or a blog, listen to a podcast, watch a TedTalk – you get the gist. The goal is to get yourself thinking about all the possibilities for your current and future career in an entertaining or digestible way.

9. Develop your elevator pitch

Like your resume, you may not have touched your elevator pitch for some time. Updating this short speech will not only make you reflect on your new achievements, skills, education etc., but also improve your goal-setting and networking.

10. Reflect on your personal branding

Who is the professional you? This is key to understanding and developing your personal brand. Creating an authentic, consistent, and visible personal brand is beneficial in so many areas of your life – perfect resolution fodder.

11. Say thank you

It’s as simple as that! Thanking the people in your life that have helped you get to where you are not only makes them feel valued, it’ll make you feel great too. Write a thank you letter to your manager, take a co-worker out for lunch, or give your best friend a call and tell them how much you value their career support. Spread the love!

12. Start a successes journal

If 2020 and 2021 are anything to go by, a work year can quickly get derailed, become overwhelming, or be subject to profound change. Keeping a record of all your successes throughout the year will keep you feeling positive, but it will also help with things like performance reviews and updating your resume or cover letter.

13. Improve your work-life balance

Pick one element that’s getting your work-life balance down, and commit to improving it next year. That could mean getting better at saying no, creating stronger boundaries, developing a better health routine, or myriad other things.

14. Update your professional portfolio

No matter what area of work you’re in, a professional portfolio helps to show off your skills, expertise, and experience. This could take the form of a personal website, online portfolio, or even just a description and record of your best projects.

15. Improve your soft skills

More and more, employers are looking at their prospective employees’ soft skills. Including things like time management, organisational skills, emotional intelligence and teamwork, soft skills might just help you land your next job, so make sure they’re up to par.

16. Get to know your co-workers

With the rise of remote working, you might not get as much face-to-face time with your colleagues as you might like. This year, you could try creating more virtual and IRL opportunities to get to know your co-workers better. Start a book club, arrange a social event, or message someone you don’t know well.

17. Kick pesky procrastination habits

It’s good to nip things like procrastination in the bud. Learn more about the different types of procrastinators and how you can strive not to be one. And don’t put this resolution off, even if you want to!

18. See where you stand in your industry

Doing research is so important to ensuring you’re up to date with your industry. Search job boards for current salary rates, find out more about best practices, and talk to other professionals in your field so you can ensure you know all there is to know about your chosen industry.

19. Think outside the box

A lot of us get stuck in certain ways of thinking. Career and Life Design can help you think outside the box and use design thinking to help you build a well-lived, joyful life.

20. Start a new project

Whether it’s personal or professional, start the year off right with a new project. On the personal level, this could increase your creativity and productivity. Professionally, new projects can assist in your professional development, pluse make you stand out from the crowd.

21. Set some new goals (and stick to them!)

What better time to start planning for the year ahead? Sit down and list a few achievable goals for 2022. That way, this time next year, you’ll have some golden material to reflect on.

22. _____________

You didn’t think we’d do all the work for you, did you? This one’s all yours! What would YOU like to achieve in 2022?

So there you have it! 22 ways to start 2022 off right, and get you prepared for a killer professional year. We can’t wait to see all you achieve – Happy New Year!

Featured image courtesy of Pexels