Not everyone has a career development plan; many just go with the natural progression. If you want to fast track your career and you have an end goal in mind for your career development, you might want to consider spending some time looking into some career development tips…

Checking out career development tips is a useful way to move forward in your chosen career and if you are only in the early stages of your employment, planning will help you to create goals to work towards in the future. Career development opportunities should be grabbed with both hands as there is always someone else waiting around the corner to take your place should you stay too static within your job.

Career Development Plan

A career development plan is an ideal way to give yourself a clearer understanding of the ways in which you can move forward within your profession and here are a few useful things you should know:

• Universities often use a career development plan to assist students in making their future career goals clearer
• They allow a better understanding of a chosen career path
• A plan is a good way to give you something to aim towards throughout all the stages of your career
• Career development tips can be found online and are a useful for creating fresh ideas about how to move forward

Education and career development

If you wish to develop your career, try creating a list of all the jobs you have had starting with the most recent and make a side note of all of the skills and responsibilities that you had whilst there. This will allow you to see clearly exactly what you have achieved to help you to set out what you still want to achieve. Also make a similar list of your educational background to help you to get a clear picture of what education you have gained as this will be useful when you write or re-write a resume.

Setting goals

Break your plan up into set goals to ensure that you know what you should be doing and when.

See the following example:

Goal 1: Gain the education needed for your role

Goal 2: Graduate at the level that is required

Goal 3: Get a job in your chosen field field

Goal 4: Move upwards in your job by undertaking further training and courses

Continuously refer back to your goals and add in new targets if and when they are relevant. Career development tips can be used at any time during a career and allow you to refocus if you lose your way as well as provide you with something to aim for.

The benefits of career development

The benefits of using career development tips are endless and creating a way of self assessing oneself allows you to concentrate on the specific goals that you have outlined for your future. Having something to aim at every six months, every year or every other year allows ambition to kick in and self assessments are also a good way to ensure you are keeping on top of where you want to be and when.

Last but not least – work hard

Career development tips and plans can only work to your advantage if you push yourself to excel. Break down all of the barriers that attempt to halt your progress and deal with personal issues in a way that you do not allow them to affect your career goals. Outside assistance and advice for creating your career development plan is always available. Combating career obstacles is part and parcel of enjoying a successful career.

At first you were excited about your job but the honeymoon period has well and truly ended and disillusionment and resentment has started to settle in. Before you know it, you’re starting to look at career websites and flirting with the idea of moving on and finding another job you think you can love more. Here are five ways to fall back in love with your job and bring back the passion and all those feelings of excitement back.

Give your job a makeover

You may have simply reached a point where your job no longer challenges you and you’re looking further afield for a job that can provide you with the mental stimulation that you need. Break the monotony and have ’the talk’ with your boss and discuss taking on more responsibility, investing in further education or possible career paths available for your role and ask them to map out a career plan for you.

Change your mindset

It’s easy to take the ‘it’s not you, it’s me’ road when it comes to breaking up but people rarely mean that. Sometimes you need to change your perspective when it comes to your work environment. If you walk in with a negative attitude, your day is likely to be just as you expected. Alternatively, if you walk in with a spring in your step, acknowledge your colleagues with a smile and start your day on a happy note, people will notice the change in attitude and respond similarly. It’s a cliché but it’s amazing what a simple smile can do.

Stop taking your job for granted

Think back to the first day you found out you got your job and how happy you were. Sometimes, we need to take stock and think about what the benefits of our job and show gratitude. Life is about a compromise and money is often not the biggest incentive when we accept a job. The problems you are facing at your workplace may come up in another office environment after the initial shine has worn off. Start appreciating the little things about your job such as the short commute, your colleagues or flexible work hours and you will become much happier.

Find the passion

If you loved your job once, you can love it again. All you need to do is reignite the passion and figure out why you fell for the job in the first place. Finding out what drives you to come to work will help you become enthusiastic and passionate about your role. Your passion for that job makes you want to get up in the morning and go to work and it motivates you to do your best and it motivates the others around you. When you rediscover what truly excites you in your career, you’ll find the passion you once had for your job.

Get yourself out of a rut

When you’re feeling unhappy about your job, it’s easy to let your appearance slip and get into a rut about your appearance. Often changing the way we look and present ourselves to others can make a huge psychological difference to the way that we feel. Update your work wardrobe with clothes that make you feel good about yourself and start making an effort with your appearance. The small things that you do will pay great dividends in the way you feel.

Before you take that big step, revaluate why you fell in love with the job in the first place. It might be a case of better the devil you know and you decide to stay with the one you’re with. Like any relationship, you can fall in and out of love with a job but make sure you don’t quit in haste and do anything you might regret in the cold heart of day.

You may meet the love of your life at work which may end in a happily ever after or it could be your worst nightmare and you may have to transfer to another department or leave the company. Relationships at work are fraught with problems.

Here’s a breakdown of the five possible stages an office relationship could go through and it ain’t pretty.

The good

Starting on a positive note, the workplace can provide a way to meet someone who understands the demands of your career, has similar goals in life to you and can be a valuable means of support if the going gets tough in your job.

You can observe your crush from the safety of your cubicle and get to know them slowly over long lunches or boozy after work drinks without any first date awkwardness.

The bad

With no separation between work and play, you may start to feel that having your office cake and eating it too may be too much of a good thing for your liking. If you feel yourself starting to be smothered, slowly start distancing yourself.

Ways to do this are rotate your lunch schedule with other colleagues, keep the personal emails to a minimum and set a firm rule to stop discussing work when you have clocked off for the day. This will help keep the mystery alive in your relationship and maintain the freshness and excitement.

The ugly

Things can quickly get very ugly in the office if you have a fight or a nasty break-up. The princess or prince at the ball can easily turn into the ugly step sister or brother when the fairytale romance is done and dusted. The true sign of someone’s character is when things go badly not when things are going well.

Remember you will need to face this person every day so you need to be wary of the consequences of dating someone in the office. If the power dynamics are not in your favour and this person is your boss, they could make life very difficult for you. An office relationship could potentially jeopardise or even sabotage your career.

The indifferent

While you may be crying in your spreadsheets or paper files about your break-up, the love of your life may not even seem to care and this may be hard to take when you’re working with the person on a day to day basis. Anger is at least a form of emotion but indifference sometimes can be more hurtful. People handle break-ups differently.

Some people are much better at hiding their emotions and maintaining a professional stance in the workplace. This doesn’t mean that the relationship did not mean anything to them. Follow their lead and avoid talking about any relationship issues you have at work.

The irreconcilable

If you’re upset every day over your break-up, it’s starting to affect your work and you feel that you cannot work with an ex; you may have to think seriously about transferring to another department or looking for another job.

We’ve all been there and there is no shame in throwing in the towel and learning from your mistakes. But remember fall for the wrong person once in the office and it’s shame on them but make the same mistake twice and it’s shame on you.

Work relationships can be tricky at the best of times. It takes professional maturity and an ability to maintain an emotional distance to make an office romance work.

The best advice is that if you think the person is the love of your life then tread carefully but don’t let this opportunity pass you by but don’t risk your long term job prospects on a casual relationship or a short term fling. It’s not worth it.

New decade, new career? Career change takes effort and can also take time and money. Before you leap head first into changing careers, follow this career advice to make sure that it’s the right one for you.

Do some reflection

Don’t change your career as a result of a knee jerk reaction and rush into a new career field because you are dissatisfied or disillusioned with your current job, boss or company. You may love the field but have not found the right company that suits your personality or work ethos. For example, you may work in public relations for a record company but you may find working for a non profit organisation may be more rewarding. Take some time out for some much needed reflection to assess whether it is the job role or your current work environment that is lacking.

Do your research

Research is essential before you change your careers. Things to investigate are the level of education and training required, potential salary and career path. Draw upon your network and attending networking events to find out information about your industry. This may involve setting up information meetings with managers of companies you are interested in, going to career or trade fairs or industry association events.

Find a mentor

Find someone in your chosen career who is willing to act as a mentor to you and be available for any questions you may. Places to find mentors are through industry associations, networking events and training and educational facilities. You may have to pay a fee to have a mentor assisting you but it may be well worth it if you are planning to change careers.

Get educated

It’s a good idea to get some additional training under your belt before you launch yourself into a new career. For some careers like such as trades like hairdressing, plumbing and so forth, you may be able to learn on the job but for other careers such as engineering or teaching, you will have to undertake additional education at your own expense. To understand the level of education required for an entry level job into the industry, speak to other people at a similar level, talk to recruitment agents or industry associations.

Do work experience

It’s a good idea to do work experience before you change careers. It will give you a chance to see if this job is the right one for you and you will also be able to gain experience, confidence, and contacts in your new field before you fully transition over. Find out about all the tasks involved in the job that you may like but also parts of the job that you may dislike keeping in mind that most jobs require some sort of admin or reporting structure.

Don’t spend the next decade complaining to all and sundry about your career. Take these steps to find out whether a career change is right for you and put all those unanswered questions at rest. It may take several months or even years to change careers but if you start the process, your dream career may be more achievable than you think.

Workplace bullying, toxic bosses and office gossip can all derail a promising career but what happens when you sabotage your job prospects and stop your own career development? Here is some career advice to stop self sabotage in the workplace and get you firmly back on the road to success.

Not being a team player

We’ve all heard the saying there is no ‘I’ in team but being a team player is seen as very important in most workplaces. Working over a standard 40 hour week should not be standard practice. However, you will soon become very unpopular in the workplace if you leave on time every day and rely on your colleagues to take up the slack when an important project runs over time, an urgent order needs to be filled or overtime needs to be done.

Not attending work functions and events

Non-attendance at events like the Christmas work party is seen as a career killer. While it is not mandatory to spend time with colleagues over your standard forty hours of week, you may be seen more favourably in the eyes of your manager if you do. Ultimately, this all depends on your individual workplace culture. This should all be discussed at your initial interview so you know what is expected of you from the onset.

Not keeping your skill set up to date

It is important to keep up to date with new technologies, continuing education, going to seminars and reading industry blogs. You may want to ask your workplace to fund a new course or a conference but if they do not allow you to do this in case of budget restraints, any training directly related to your employment is tax deductable so keep all your receipts.

Staying in a job for too long

We can subconsciously sabotage our own career in staying in a job because it’s comfortable, you like your work colleagues and your manager but the work is not challenging or stimulating and you have reached a ‘career plateau’. A lot of the time career self sabotage comes from a fear of failure and we stay in our comfort zone rather than trying to take the next step in our career.

Burning your bridges

While all relish the thought of telling our toxic boss exactly what we think of them when we leave a job, the reality is that burning your bridges is never a good idea. Even if you are starting your own business or changing careers, you may take on a new client who knows your boss personally or apply for a job which requires a reference from your previous employer.

Don’t be your own worst enemy and stand in the way of your career. You may be subconsciously sabotaging your own career but recognising the signs is the first step to addressing the problem. Turn self-sabotage into self-empowerment to put you back into the driving seat and in control of your career.

You may think the most important person in your office is the CEO or your boss but here are five influential people in the office who can potentially make your working life a living hell.

The receptionist

The receptionist is the assigned gatekeeper of the office. He or she knows exactly what time you arrive, what time you leave for lunch and more importantly what time you come back and leave the office for the day. They are often the first to know when trouble is brewing in the office, are an amazing resource for information about people in the company and are a good source for gossip. The receptionist is often the one person in the office that people think they can trust and is the holder of all the secrets in the office. Don’t get on their bad side or you’ll live to regret it.

The executive assistant

They say behind every great man is a great woman and if so, they were talking about an executive assistant. He or she is the gatekeeper to some of the most important people in the office and they are paid to keep important top level secrets. You won’t be able to schedule a meeting without going through the executive assistant. Get on their good side and you’ll be privy to valuable information such as when the managers are away at meetings and when they are coming back. The executive assistant is top dog in the office but don’t let them intimidate you as their bark is often worse than their bite.

The mailroom assistants

The courier dock often located in the basement is a very mysterious place. It’s very well known for a parcel to go missing at the mailroom or be misplaced even if they have signed for it. If you’re in the habit of getting personal items shipped to the office, the people in the mail room are an important bunch to know. Not only can they notify you on the quiet in case of brown package deliveries and other things you don’t want people in the office to know about, your items are less likely to go walk about if you’re friends with the crew with no view.

The IT assistant

The IT assistant can be your biggest friend or foe in the office. They might seem like they have a friendly gaze behind the slightly smudged glasses but don’t underestimate them for a minute. If you show them the slightest bit of disrespect or show no interest when they are recounting the latest Dr Who episode, you’ll be placed last in the cue and that important PowerPoint presentation that you accidentally deleted will become a distant memory. Remember IT can read your emails, know what internet sites you’re surfing on when you’re boss is in a meeting and know where you’re resume is saved on your PC. Stay on their good side – you have been warned.

Payroll assistant

Never annoy the person who looks after your money – remember this rule … it will serve you well in life. The payroll lady or man may look innocent sitting behind their desk but they know they wield a lot of power in the office and are one of the first to know who will be hired or fired. One slip of the finger and next week’s pay may just not end up in your bank account or your annual leave paperwork may go missing. Befriend this person and you’ll get your petty cash payouts and invoices paid promptly and with a smile.

Keep these five people on side and your established network can give you an advantage over your less connected workmates, help you negotiate office politics and open the door for career advancement and promotions.

The Christmas party can make or break your career. It should not be seen as your annual opportunity to make a move on the office babe or show your colleagues how you can drink them under the table. It’s an extension of your work day and a great networking opportunity so standard office rules apply.

Follow these ten Christmas party dos and don’ts to make sure that you’re on your best behaviour and put your best foot forward for a promotion in the New Year.

Party do’s:

• Attend the party: It is a career killer to miss out on the staff Christmas party. Put aside your misgivings, your gripes about your colleagues and try and get into the spirit of things. It’s not an option to miss out on the Christmas staff party.
• Turn up on time: You wouldn’t turn up to work late so it is also inappropriate to walk into an office party halfway after it is started. It is also bad manners to leave a Christmas party too early to time your exit appropriately.
• Adhere to the dress code: If your Christmas party has a strict dress code (link to article about how to dress for office Christmas party), make sure that you follow this to the letter whether it be a formal gathering, casual attire or a fancy dress party. It’s always better to be overdressed then underdressed.
• Watch your alcohol intake: A good rule of thumb with alcohol is to have one alcoholic drink and then one bottle of water, soft drink or juice. In addition, make sure you have a meal first before you start drinking.
• Network with your colleagues: This is your chance to speak to the decision makers of your company in an informal setting. Approach them at the start of the night when you have a clear head but don’t monopolise their company.
• Bring your significant other (if applicable): This means a husband, wife or a long term (over one year) girlfriend or boyfriend. Don’t consider the office Christmas party to be an open bar or a first date venue.
• Show respect to others: Mingle with everyone and not just your work clique. Acknowledge your colleague’s spouses and speak to everyone at the office Christmas party regardless of their status in the company. Not everyone in your company may celebrate Christmas, drink alcohol or eat meat so be mindful of this and show respect to your colleagues.
• Be politically correct: Basic dinner table manners apply – do not discuss politics, economics or religion, make inappropriate jokes or swear.
• Be a good sport: Get into the Christmas spirit. If games are being held or volunteers are being asked for, this is your chance to step directly into the spotlight and get the attention of the decision makers of your company.
• Arrange transport home: If you are planning to drink, make sure you know how you are getting home before you start drinking. Grab a taxi voucher (if your company is providing them), arrange to sleep over a colleague’s place or catch public transport home.

Party dont’s:

• Don’t bare too much flesh: You are still representing your work at the Christmas party. It’s better to dress conservatively and appropriately than dress skimpily at the Christmas party no matter how hot your party dress or the weather conditions.
• No shop talk: Leave work back at the office. The Christmas party is a time to get to know your colleagues on a personal basis without deadlines looming over you.
• No complaining: The Christmas party is not the forum to air your complaints about your boss, colleagues or lack of promotion.
• Don’t gossip: Don’t engage in gossip about what other people are wearing at the Christmas party, your thoughts about the CEO’s partner or the hot wait staff. You never know who is listening around the corner, in another toilet cubicle or sitting at your table.
• No talking about personal issues: Alcohol can loosen the tongue and you can find yourself talking about your intimate details of your relationship or money woes but your colleagues are on a need to know basis. Personal information can be used against you.
• Don’t be a bore: No one wants to hear stories about your great promotion, your quick career jump or monopolising the conversation about your work achievements. Take an interest in the person next to you and try and engage them in conversation about things they are interested in. You don’t want to be labelled as the office bore.
• No hanky panky: This is not the time to make your move on the office secretary, be touchy feely with your colleagues, flirt with your colleagues or act inappropriately. Sexual harassment rules still apply at the office Christmas party and it is seen as a work function in the eyes of the law.
• Don’t show off your dance moves: This is no time to show off your MC Hammer dance moves or go crazy on the dance floor to try and impress your colleagues. It may have worked in Saturday Night Fever but this is no quick-step to a promotion. Similarly, the karaoke machine should be left to the professionals.
• Don’t overstay your welcome: Keep to deadline. If the party invite reads 6pm-11pm, make sure you are not there beyond 11pm. Try and leave before the party finishes. If, despite all the warnings, you do find you have drunk too much, then leave immediately – in a taxi.
• Come to work hung-over: Having a ‘sickie’ the day after the work party or turning up late after the Christmas party is incredibly unprofessional. If the directors of the company can come in at 9am sharp, so can you.

An office Christmas party can be a great networking opportunity, a chance to get to bond with your colleagues and get to know them on a personal level. By following these simple tips, you can ensure you’re not the water cooler topic the day after the Christmas staff party for all the wrong reasons.

The economy is improving and it may be an opportune time to ask for a pay rise. Before you meet with your management team and ask them to show you the money, do your research and follow these five negotiation tips.

Know your market value

Before you ask for a pay rise, you need to document how you have contributed to sales revenue or business growth, saved the company money, increased efficiency or any facts or figures that will show your tangible value to the company. It’s also important to outline additional responsibilities that you may have taken on. Your manager may decide that it is less costly to give you a pay rise than hire another staff member to perform those tasks.

Check out the competition

Do your research and find out what similar companies in your industry are paying people in the same or similar position as you. You can find this out by finding job advertisements, looking at salary surveys by recruitment companies or researching industry websites which may indicate a bracket or pay range for your industry. Remember that your pay is often determined by your level of experience and how many years you have worked for a company. An office junior will make comparatively less than an office manager even though their job descriptions may seem similar.

Timing is everything

The best time to ask for a pay rise is after a successful project has been completed, during a job review, when the company has landed more clients and you have been asked to take on extra duties or when you have been approached by a rival company. You can use this to try and leverage extra money from your company.

Know your company’s financial health

Knowing the company’s position on salaries and headcount and its financial health will provide you with more information on how to negotiate. Understanding the company’s position will give you an indication on how to initiate the discussion. It may mean that a pay rise is not financially viable at this time or it may work in your favour as the company may need you to stay financially afloat and pay for your loyalty.

Have a contingency plan

If your company cannot legitimately offer you a pay rise, try and negotiate a higher bonus or commission, extra annual leave days or days in lieu, working flexible hours, working from home or being assigned extra resources or longer deadlines to take on projects. A work-life balance may be more important to you than monetary incentives.

Asking for a pay rise can be very daunting but if you are armed with market research about the average industry pay, know your value to a company, the company’s financial position and get your timing right, you will be in a much better position to negotiate.