I hope it’s safe to say that spring is finally here (and I hope I didn't just jinx it). For many
people, that means spring cleaning—dusting off the cobwebs, airing out the
house, tossing out old clothes. This is also a perfect time to spring clean
your professional life, and it follows the same trajectory of dusting things
off and cleaning things up.
 |
| Spring clean your professional life, too! |
Here are seven tips to help you spring clean your professional persona:
1. Update your resume. Even if you aren't looking for a job,
it’s a good idea to have a current resume handy. So get it out and look it
over: what’s changed? What needs updating? Anything to add, remove, or change,
like references, phone numbers, or e-mail addresses? How about affiliations and
volunteer work? Give your resume a good once over. Send it to a friend for an
edit.
2. Edit/update your Linked In profile. Even if you use Linked
In a lot, it’s a good idea to take a few minutes to actually read your profile:
what needs updating? What needs to be added? How is your headshot? Read it as
if for the first time.
3. Ditto for your Facebook page. Any posts or pictures that
you want to add or take down? Maybe take this opportunity to finally adjust
your settings so you get fewer notifications in your in-box. Do you really need
all those close friend notifications? Take the time to make it work for you.
4. Look at your Twitter feed. Same thing here. How is your
profile? Your picture? How are your tweets? Check your settings. Are your
tweets linked to your Facebook page and vice versa? Do you want them to be?
Anyone you want to stop following?
 |
| What do your professional clothes say? |
5. Clean your closet. Put away the winter things and get out
your spring and summer clothes. Try everything on. What needs to go to Goodwill
and what stays? If things don't fit, is it worth altering them? Look at your
wardrobe. Does it say, “I am a valued professional”? Or does it say, “I need
help”? Clothes are important, so take the time to look at your wardrobe with a
critical eye. Are your clothes helping you or hurting you?
 |
| Does your office look like this? |
6. Organize your office. Whether you work in an office or at
home, you need a clean, well-organized workspace. Take a look at your desk.
What can you do to de-clutter and streamline it? What can you file away or get
rid of? Take a look at your office. Is it well organized? Is it a comfortable
place to work?
 |
| Or like this? |
7. Clean out/organize computer files. De-clutter your
computer desktop and files as well. Can you streamline your desktop and dock?
What do you really need to keep there? Can you use an external storage system
or put files in the cloud? Can you find what you need easily?
~
Spring is a great time to get organized. Set aside a chunk of time to spring clean your professional persona, and you’ll be re-energized for the rest
of the year. Better yet, do it every season!
~~~
To learn more about Careerstone Group, please visit:
To listen to Mary’s radio shows or watch her TV appearances,
please visit: http://www.careerstonegroup.com/media.html
No comments:
Post a Comment