Do you ever wish you could figure out just how to get rid of that residue, build-up and overall icky feeling that accumulates when you don’t tend to your career? If you are determined to tackle your yard, a home project, or rid yourself of clutter this spring, imagine facing your career in exactly the same way! With the tools below, you can prepare yourself for a new season and enjoy greater career satisfaction.

1. Polish your resume. It can be tough to look at, let alone update, but your resume is most likely the marketing tool that you have spent the most time on, and the go- to place that showcases your accomplishments and achievements. The more you leave your resume alone to collect dust, the more difficult it will be to return to when you need it. Spring is an opportune time to update your current position and add to your achievements. If you are having trouble, refer to what other people have said about you by analyzing your latest performance review. Reading other people’s comments will give you great insight into what you have accomplished (Coach’s tip: your current job will be the job that recruiters and hiring managers will spend the most time on, so make it shine!)
2. Spruce up your professional development goals. What goals did you set for yourself this year? Pursue a degree or gain an additional credential? Volunteer as the lead for a project at work? Attend two professional association events? Revisit the goals you set at the start of the year, and determine what is left to achieve. If you didn’t actively set goals for 2015, a good tool to utilize (again!) is your latest performance review, where you were probably asked for input on your professional development goals. What did you write down? Pick something and set a date to accomplish it.
3. Clean up a relationship that’s not working. This one is way easier said than done, but in my experience, avoiding a relationship that is going downhill and leaving it to fester only makes things that much messier. If you are hesitant about your approach or not sure how to tackle a failing relationship at work, seek support. Who can provide guidance? A mentor? A trusted advisor? A co-worker? A professional coach? HR? Asking for help is a valuable way to gain a different perspective on a situation that can be anxiety provoking, and others often help us see things in a different light. Take the time to write out the necessary steps to address this issue, and also how to resolve it. How do you envision the end result.

Although spring cleaning may be done only once a year, people who have the cleanest houses and tidiest yards tend to them often, not just seasonally. Think of your career in the same light: making small, strategic changes and staying on top of your goals will make you much less reliant on addressing major transitions or coping with stressful situations that are sure to come over the course of your career – whatever the season!

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©2015 Traverse Career Solutions | Ellen Dunagan