Career Management

In addition to the areas mentioned before which relate specifically to the early phase of settling into a new position, you should also set aside time and devote some effort towards managing your career over the long-term. During your search for a position, you may have done some systematic analysis of individual career options. It is important that active management and consideration of your career does not cease immediately when you start in your new position. To many people, the idea of managing their career focuses entirely on opportunities for promotion, rather than giving consideration to developing their skills and experience base, doing a short attachment in a totally different sort of working environment, or taking positive steps to 'enrich' their existing position. Below are a few suggestions of steps you could take to ensure you manage your career, rather than let your career lead you, which all too often is the case.

ESTABLISH A CAREER PLAN
Once you have secured a new position, set yourself new goals and targets within your new organisation. These will not necessarily outline exactly what you expect to be doing for the next five years, but provide a framework of milestones against which you can assess your progress over the short and medium term. It is worthwhile reviewing this plan every six months and the goals you set yourself, and making any necessary adjustments to reflect targets achieved, your own personal development, as well as changes within the organisation.

KEEP A RECORD OF YOUR ACHIEVEMENTS
You will have reflected on what your achievements were in each of your previous positions and included some of them on your CV. They may have been of great assistance in getting you your current position. It is therefore worthwhile continuing to keep a record of what you achieve after you start. It will be useful to you at the time of performance reviews, as a record of what you are achieving within your job and, of course, will be useful when you move to another position either internally or with a new employer.

KEEP UP WITH YOUR CONTACTS
You will have made many new contacts during your job search. This network of contacts should be maintained after starting in your new position as there may be further opportunities to make use of them in the future, perhaps in selling the services of your new organisation or for other marketing exercises. It is also a matter of courtesy to let your contacts know you are progressing in your new role. You should also be prepared to put something back into the network you have used, for example, by assisting another person in their job search.

ESTABLISH VISIBILITY OUTSIDE THE ORGANISATION
In order to advance your career further, it is unlikely to be enough just to do a good job. Other people outside the organisation need to be informed of your abilities, and it can only assist your profile to become known outside your own areas of responsibility. Writing articles for professional or trade journals, and attending/speaking at local chambers of commerce or professional association functions, can help increase your network further still.

BUILD ON YOUR STRENGTHS
The job search process has inevitably made you focus on your strengths and skills. You will probably have developed a stronger awareness of what you do and enjoy best. You need to be committed to developing yourself still further through the acquisition of new skills and competencies and gaining experience. You need to be open to learning new things at all times, being sensitive to the needs of the organisation and the skills and behaviours it is trying to foster. It also involves recognising organisational change as an opportunity to learn and develop new skills. Organisations are changing more rapidly than ever in today's world, often as a result of additional competitive pressures. Therefore, any individual who is not seeking to learn and work with the changes is likely to be left behind.

It is always worth remembering that the labour market is a market: if you carry on learning from your experiences and acquiring new skills, it is likely that when you re-enter the labour market again, maybe several years hence, you will have even more to offer a future prospective employer.