With most employees slowly returning to the office as the world recovers from the pandemic, it’s the perfect opportunity to reset your professional goals for 2021. The pandemic forced most people to put their career development on hold, as it’s harder to impress employers and meet professional goals working remotely. We’re giving you ten professional goals that everyone should be aiming to achieve in 2021. These are goals you can work towards whether you’re in the office or working from home.
Top 10 Professional Goals for 2021
1. Overhaul Your Online Image
It’s time to clean up your online presence. Take the time to make your LinkedIn and other social media profiles as professional as possible. You never know who might be looking at your profiles – whether it’s a potential employer or a client. It’s recommended that you should have a high-quality professional headshot and a website with your own domain name to use as a portfolio.
2. Be Innovative
Become a thought leader within your industry. Put yourself out there. Start writing articles, opinion pieces, and submit your work to journals or industry magazines. Choose a niche that you want to make your own and become the go-to expert in your field.
3. Develop a New Skill
Boost your CV by learning a new skill. Every new skill makes you more employable and attractive to potential employers. There are dozens of transferable skills that work for any industry, including coding and website development from DevOpt Web Development Services. Choose one skill and section off a part of your week to work on it.
4. Look for a Side Hustle
Professional goals don’t always have to include your current company (or industry!). You can look into starting a side hustle, either freelance or with a business. A side hustle can help you bring in extra money, with the potential of becoming your full-time job.
5. Work on Your Focus
Cut out distractions and focus on your work. Keeping focused will help you hit your daily goals and avoid burnout. You can take small steps, like turning off your phone notifications, to improve your focus.
6. Step Outside Your Comfort Zone
For 2021, get out of your comfort zone and try something new. Go to a networking event and push yourself to meet new people. You can’t grow professionally without taking a few risks.
7. Embrace Remote Working
If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s the benefits of remote working. You might find that you get more done at home or that it’s easier to focus in order to meet major deadlines. Embrace the flexibility of remote working to meet your professional goals.
8. Focus on Your Health
With all the focus on developing your career, it’s easy to let other things fall to the side. Your health – both mental and physical – is equally important. Take time to check in with yourself. Incorporate self-care into your routine and take steps to prevent burnout.
9. Engage with Others
Whether you’re working from home or in an office, you want to focus on connecting and interacting with others. Take the time to interact with as many people in your organization as possible, either by catching up over coffee or with a Zoom meeting.
10. Get a Promotion
One major professional goal you should set for 2021 is to get a promotion. While this is a long-term goal, you want to work on it throughout the year by showing your potential as an employee and your ability to undertake leadership positions.
About the Author
BCjobs.ca is Western Canada’s largest job board, with majority of the jobs coming from Vancouver. For nearly 20 years, BC Jobs has connected job candidates with companies looking to add talent to their team. Here at BCJobs, we understand that looking for a job is difficult. To support our candidates, we recently launched a podcast to help you stand out during your job application. Listen to weekly episodes on our podcast to hear what recruiters are thinking and what companies look for when considering their next hire.
