Ten 2019 New Year Resolution Ideas for Work

Every year, more than 100 million Americans sit down and outline their New Year’s resolutions. These New Year resolution ideas for work cover a variety of areas getting a promotion to making better decisions, networking more, becoming better at overcoming challenges and more. It’s all about personal and professional improvement.

Unfortunately, within a few weeks or months, most of those resolutions fail. In fact, less than 10% of people have the willpower to achieve their goals.

The problem is that life gets in the way. Work becomes busier, projects get in the way of plans, and distractions make long-lasting change a great idea that’s difficult to bring into effect. That’s why it’s so important to make quality goals in the workplace alongside a plan to accomplish those goals.

New Year Resolution Ideas for Work

To help you out with your 2019 New Year resolution ideas for work, we decided to outline some of the top measurable goals that you can actually track. And provided a framework for reaching them.

Update Your Resume

Whether you’re looking for a new job or not, make 2019 the year you decide to update your resume. Set down some time to review and edit your resume until it lists all of your most recent successes and is ready at a moment’s notice. You want a resume that caters to today’s readers and fits modern job searching.

Some ideas for updating your resume in 2019:

• Make highlighting your value the priority of your resume, starting with the summary statement. In your summary, state exactly what type of job you’re targeting and why you’re ideally suited to it.
• Make your resume a brochure of who you are and what you offer with easily digestible text that describes your greatest successes and conveys the story of who you are and what you offer.
• Don’t be afraid to include charts or graphic elements that tell your story in a more interesting way than through standard black and white text.

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Also read: New Year’s Resolution: Level Up my Career! 

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Spend More Time on LinkedIn

If you have a LinkedIn profile that you rarely update and use, then make 2019 the year that you finally start taking advantage of this powerful tool. When used correctly, LinkedIn can be a successful business strategy for networking, job searching, and community building.

In particular, LinkedIn is invaluable when it comes to finding a job since 95% of recruiters use it as a critical sourcing tool. So, how can you become more active on LinkedIn?

• First, you want to update your profile so that it stands out among the crowd of millions. This means creating a keyword-rich headline, improving your summary section, using the right picture, and filling out every section including organizations, certifications, skills, volunteer experience, honors and awards.
• Second, you want to start leveraging LinkedIn as the powerful networking tool it is. To do this, you need to look for common profiles that you can interact and connect with. You’ll also want to demonstrate your thought leadership in your area of expertise by sharing articles and blogs. It’s also important to join LinkedIn groups to connect with like-minded people on topics and discussions that matter to you.
• Lastly, use LinkedIn as a treasure-trove of data. The salary feature can help you determine what you’re worth based on industry, company size, education level, field of study, and location. The ProFinder function can help you find freelancers to help you with your services and offerings. And LinkedIn Learning can provide courses dedicated to your professional development.

Make Networking a Priority

85% of jobs are filled through networking, and nearly 100% of people say that face-to-face meetings are essential for long-term business relationships. There’s no doubt that networking is vital to business success, and yet one in four people don’t network at all. Make networking one of your primary work goals for 2019.

Here are some easy ways to expand your network in the New Year.

1. Attend Networking Events: The first step is to get out there and attend more networking events. You don’t have to attend a new event every week, but you should choose a set list of events that particularly fit your interests, expertise, and hobbies.
2. Cultivate a Deep Network: It’s not necessarily the size of your network that matters. What is more important are the deep ties you have with your network that you can use. Try to build stronger relationships with mentors, friends, coworkers, and bosses who will have the biggest impact on your career and life.
3. Reach Out Genuinely: When reaching out to your network contacts, make sure that you’re genuine in your requests. Don’t just throw your resume at someone and ask for help. Instead, set up personal meetings when you can, send out exploratory emails that are friendly and concise, and demonstrate why you’re a valuable friend.

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Also ready: How to: Leveraging LinkedIn for Networking

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Join a Professional Organization

One of the most valuable things that you can do for your career is to join a professional organization that provides a variety of career benefits and networking connections. Yes, these organizations often cost money, but what you’ll learn and receive back is well worth the cost of admittance.

An exceptional professional organization will help you broaden your knowledge, take charge of your career, build a better resume, enhance your network, and more. Some organizations even offer career coaching, educational opportunities, job boards, and more. This is one of the New Year resolution ideas for work that is easy to try out with very little effort involved.

Other Work Goals for 2019

There is a myriad of work goals for 2019 that you can set for yourself. The options are endless. Here are a few more of our favorite ideas.

• Plan out five ways you can stay healthier at work such as purchasing a standing desk, packing a healthy lunch, taking the stairs, moving more, etc.
• Learn a new skill that will enhance your current job and benefit your career.
• Read a motivational book that can help you improve your performance, leadership skills, or personal habits.
• Clean out your junk files physically and digitally. This means taking time to weed through documents and emails that are no longer relevant.
• Follow a business blog that offers valuable information, insider tips, pep talks, and more. The Ivy Exec Career Advice blog is a perfect example.
• Find a work mentor who can help you take the next step in your career.

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