#CareerCounsel: Careers in 2017, Part 2

Welcome back to our #CareerCounsel throwback, where we revisit our previous posts and how you can take these tips into 2017.

2017 is going to be more competitive than ever in the world of Digital and Ecommerce careers so standing out from the crowd, and being happy in your job, will be extremely important. So today, we will focus on career happiness and making sure you are waking up for a job you love!

Making a difference in your career

Not only do you want to make a difference so that your team and management see your contributions, but you want your career to make a difference to you. Are you achieving what you want to in your current role? Are you doing enough to evaluate your own performance?

Standing out and making a difference in the workplace is always important, but digital careers will always grow in competitiveness. You have to recognise your limits while evaluating what limits can be broken. In 2017, what great achievement is there to be gained? This is a great attitude to have going into the new year as it keeps your career outlook fresh… complacency will lead to demotivation quickly!

#CareerCounsel takeaway: Know what area you want to do better in and work towards new goals. If there is any opportunity to better improve a certain area of your work, take it! The importance of good management and team work

There is being part of a team and there is being a team player. The term is thrown around quite a bit these days and being a team player can be defined in many ways. To be a team player is to understand how each member works, how you can help where necessary and making sure there are no barriers between you and your management team.

Teams have always been important, but they are more important than ever looking forward to 2017. A whole team represents the company culture and this should be universal amongst a team. If one employee does not connect to the company culture it can cause an outward ripple that can affect the current team and future hires. Reinforcing the culture and bringing the team together will be key for keeping your employees happy. Here are a few other tips…

• How to encourage creativity in your team
• Showing appreciation to your team
• The way to a high performing team (Courtesy of honorary panda Ghilaine Chan)

#CareerCounsel Takeaway: Promoting your company culture, as a team member or if you’re in a hiring position, is extremely important! Do it to bring the team together with one clear vision of what you are all about!

Work life balance

Work life balance…is it a myth? Is it too hard to switch off from work? Of course, it isn’t! Finding the right balance is imperative for career happiness; you love work enough to put in loads of effort but should not become detached if you find your home life affected by the work you are doing.

Are you doing too much overtime? Perhaps it is time to address this by giving yourself time to enjoy life away from work. The tasks you are doing are not going anywhere and if you are more relaxed following a nice weekend with friends and family, you will probably improve your output.

For team managers especially, it is important to understand the needs of your team. A great tip for 2017 is to stay aware of how much your team are doing. It’s easy to spot if they are doing too little…but are you acknowledging when they are doing too much? Arrange informal monthly catch ups and introduce transparency. Ask them if they feel their own time is affected by their career and let them know it’s imperative they switch off.

#CareerCounsel takeaway: Having a social life does not interfere with your work, nor does your work interfere with your home life…unless you allow it to.

That’s it for part 2… We hope you can take something from our #CareerCounsel throwback this week! Stay tuned as in the third and final part, we will be taking a look at the job search, staying ahead of the game and enhancing your personal brand for 2017 career domination!