2018: 3 Key Resolutions For Forthcoming Professionals
Many make New Year resolutions but eventually find themselves pending. It only takes one who is diligent and disciplined to strictly adhere to most or even all of their resolutions. If you plan to be a professional at a field, you must be just that; diligent and disciplined.
In the last one year, I have made quite a number of connections with professionals from diverse strata and if there is anything I have learnt from my interactions with them, of which I’m positive others can take a cue from, it’s the following three:
1. Personal Branding:
This, a lot of people with potentials often neglect or are oblivious of. Personal branding is a process of developing a mark or an identity which is created around your name and career. It gives you the leash to stand out and be unique even among your peers. It is important for every potential professional in any industries, irrespective of the fact that you are still a young student or not. In the 21st century, only those who consciously and proactively control their career development earn relevance in their line of work, and without a doubt, personal branding is a way to go.
As the name implies, the brand applies to you alone, and not your company or organization. Your personal brand should be about who you are and what you have to offer. When people mention your name, you should be known for something or vice versa. Some branding tools consist customized logos & text, styles, websites, social media platforms.
But before you start your branding, you must first identify your uniqueness, which is your strength. It could be writing, creativity, talking or even listening, whatever strong points you have. Once you have identified your strengths, you then go ahead to perfect and make them into marketable skills. This implies the place of learning. Learn all that you can and become the expert in that area. Read up books, watch vital videos, connect and network with people vast in that area, take up courses (online or not) and so on.
Finally, share your knowledge. This phase says a lot about your personal brand. By sharing, others learn from you, you are boosting your confidence and you are also selling your brand. Make use of tools like writing, videos and get them across through social platforms like LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and the likes. From there, your audience subconsciously tag your brand along with your person.
2. Think IT:
The world is rapidly changing and Information Technology (IT) is a major catalyst for its change. IT has basically altered the way things are done in the modern day. You need to rethink the way in which you use IT in 2018. Social media, for instance, can be a starting point.
The social media is not only a platform for entertainment; it could be used as a viable tool to project your business as well as your personal brand as explained earlier. If you have a corporate or business idea, kick start it by creating company pages on as many social platforms as possible. Merely owning a website or even an office is not enough, you need an online community through which you get reviews, gain popularity and even patronage.
Also, traditional styles of trades and professions are beginning to wither away. Technology has disrupted many industries. Let’s take a look at the following closely. At some point in time, there were job opportunities for professional typists and call/business centers. These two were hot cakes at the time, as there were limited gadgets in public which could carry out the tasks. Nowadays, we don’t hear of these jobs anymore as more people have devices they can use to type their documents and reach out to distant loved ones instantaneously. Professional trades are not exempted. For the legal profession, there are now websites which have bots providing legal advice to clients online. For accounting, you now find mobile applications which carry out complex calculations and analysis, making it irrelevant for employers to hire more personnel (saving them money). The bottom line of all these is that you have to re-strategize your career plans to fit in with this disruptions caused by IT. Before you choose a career path, you must identify the potentials of such path, particularly where it is a trite industry.
What ever profession, trade or business you think to do, think IT alongside!
3. SWOT Analysis for personal development:
It is important to take time in assessing key areas of your life at regular intervals, once a year at least. This is to get a deal of how far you’ve come and where improvements must be done. The SWOT analysis is a tool for identifying your Strengths, Weakness, Opportunities and Threats. Towards the start of the New Year, you are advised to take up this analysis, in writing.
Start by identifying your strengths. This is where you reflect on both your personal and professional achievements. Have you learnt new skills? Improved on some? Gained better knowledge and experience in a particular area? This helps you get conversant with those aspects of your person which may be your selling point. Nurture them and get productive.
Then, scout for your weaknesses. Where have you failed in the past year? What has cost you certain potential accolades and achievements? Procrastination, laidback attitude or low self-esteem? Identify each and add them to your plans in a bid to positively change them.
Now consider the opportunities open to you in the nearest future; those paths you haven’t attempted yet. Do you need to join an institute, or write a professional exam? Need to apply at that firm that could take you to the next level? Having done that, set priorities on those opportunities you will love to take up and confidently pursue them. If your fear is that taking new opportunities and challenges might earn you failure, well, there is only one way to find out; TRY IT!
Finally, Threats. These boil down even to threats to your own life. Are you morbid? Filled with negativity? A friend of mine once told me whenever she taught positively of a thing, the opposite turns out to be the case, then when she decides to think negatively, the positive happens. I doubt this is how the world works. You can’t cheat nature. A positive vibe usually yields positive results. Every failure is only a motivation for you to try harder next time, not to think negatively. Once you’ve noted the threats to your person and career, you need to take immediate steps to eradicate them all. If you find it difficult to do it alone, discuss with someone really trust worthy!
Certainly, there are a handful of other vital resolutions to be made in the new year, though, these are my 3 picks. Avoid the fear of not being able to execute them all and keep yourself daily motivated. Every successful being has one thing in common; a success story. You can start writing yours in 2018. Have a blissful year ahead!
Tayo Fabusiwa
Founder, Legal Pages