4 Career Resolutions to Make for 2016

As we approach the start of the new year it is a time to evaluate 2015 and consider how to move forward in 2016. Of course your goals and resolutions should take your job and career into consideration.

Here are four career resolutions you should make for 2016:

1. Take a class to learn a new skill. Many employers offer tuition reimbursement programs or offer some funds to pay for training classes. Consider learning a new language or a new skill, such as coding or social media marketing.

2. Find a mentor. One of the most important things you can do for your career is find a mentor. Identify a few candidates, at your current company or in your community, who have attained some success in an area of particular interest to you and contact one or two.

3. Attend a conference. When you attend a conference it does at least three positive things for your career: a) it provides you with new skills and knowledge, b) it recharges your batteries, reduces stress, and increases your enthusiasm and energy for your work, and c) it provides opportunities to meet new and interesting people and to expand your network.

4. Take care of yourself. Make an extra point of scheduling and getting adequate sleep every night, eating foods that energize you, and being active and avoiding a sedentary life that can come with working in an office.

Make these four resolutions, or better yet, take on and implement these four resolutions and you're likely to have a great 2016.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: 5 Career Lessons from Han Solo

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In light of the new Star Wars film we share this Forbes video on five career lessons from Han Solo, including having an ally, like Chewbacca, who you can always depend on. See more below:

5 Steps to Evaluate Your Career Over the Holidays

Over the last several weeks we've discussed some things you can do to enhance your career and your network over the holidays. Today, we'll think about the current state of your career and job and take some time to evaluate where you stand.

Here are five things to consider:

1. Are you learning? Do you have opportunities to learn new skills and develop the ones you have? You'll enjoy your career much more if you're not bored and have the chance to branch out and learn more.

2. Are you developing relationships? Very few of us have no need to interact with others on the job and so it's important that we're developing effective and productive working relationships. Our job is often a place to develop new friendships, as well as expand our our network.

3. Do you have opportunities for advancement? Work can feel frustrating if we seem trapped in our current job and have no opportunities to advance or to move into other more challenging roles.

4. How do you feel on Sunday night? When you're thinking about going to work on Monday morning how do you feel? Do you feel stressed out or are you dreading going into work? If you look forward to the challenges awaiting you that is a good sign that you're in a good place.

5. Are you applying your strengths? You'll enjoy your work much more when you are able to apply your strength and skills, those things you do well, to your job. If you're unable to utilize your strengths at work it is probably a good indication that you're in the wrong position.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: The Importance of Optimal Sleep to Work Performance

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In this video Kathleen Davis, from Fast Company, discusses recent research on the importance of sleep to work performance and considers the optimum sleep levels.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 9 Things Successful People Won't Do

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• Career Boosting Resolutions to Make Right Now: "Define exactly what your ideal job and company would look like. Make sure that the choice you make fits with your current values and priorities."
• 6 Creativity Habits For People Who Think They're Not Creative: "The interaction with new people can bring perspectives never before considered and spur new ideas within the group."
• 9 Things Successful People Won't Do: "Emotionally intelligent people know that success lies in their ability to rise in the face of failure, and they can’t do this when they’re living in the past."
• 4 Important Ways to Look at Employee Well-Being 'Holistically": "Offering small breaks, especially during busy and stressful times, can keep employees focused without the added stress of being away from their work for long stretches of time."
• 10 Nonverbal Cues to Convey Confidence at Work: "When speaking to others, ideally look directly into their eyes at least two to three seconds before looking away or moving to the next person."

5 Ways to Strengthen Your Career Over the Holidays

With the holidays fast approaching you are likely looking forward to some time off and some time away from the job. Use this time away wisely and you can do some simple things to strengthen your career and feel good about getting off to a great start in 2016.

Here are 5 ways to strengthen your career over the holidays:

1. Read a good book. It doesn't have to be a business book or a career-related book but there are many good ones out there. You might simply read a book that inspires you to think about the world or a particular problem in a different way. This can help you apply some creative thinking to your job.

2. Take time to dream. Think about your future and where you want to be and how to get there. Think about what motivates you and what your passions are. Connect your passions and these future dreams to a career path and set it in motion for next year.

3. Rest and recharge. Be sure to take some time to simply rest and relax and avoid thinking about the stresses of your job and career. Do fun things you enjoy.

4. Set goals. Take a few minutes to consider some goals for 2016. Don't spend all day on this but identify one to three goals that would propel your career and life forward in an exciting way.

5. Connect with people who inspire you. Meet up with an old friend over coffee or take that former colleague to lunch. Spend time with others who motivate you and inspire you to be your best.

And enjoy the holidays!

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Focus on Your Strengths

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In this video author and speaker John C. Maxwell encourages us to focus on strengths rather than on areas of weakness.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 9 Tactics to Land You the Job

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 9 Tactics to Land You the Job: "Ask for the job enthusiastically. If they say they are 'still looking,' ask what for and explain how you are a perfect match, and then ask again."
• 11 Career-Related New Year's Resolutions: "Want a raise or a new job? Better work-life balance?"
• Veterans and the Holiday Job Search: "When a job seeker displays initiative in setting up informational interviews during the holidays, she communicates that she is resourceful and hard-working."
• 6 Qualities of a Non-Toxic Employee: "Look for employees who are good with taking direction and take full responsibility for their work."
• 6 Strategies to Transform a Job You Hate into One You Love: "Knowing that by sticking it out, you’ll be gaining skills that will aid you in getting to the next level in your career, and that can help to keep you engaged."

5 Ways to Cultivate Your Network Over the Holidays

The end of the year is approaching and you likely have a lot to do before taking some time off over the holidays. Without adding to your stress here are 5 ways to cultivate and enhance your network over the next few weeks.

1. Attend that holiday party. Yes, sometimes the company party seems like a waste of time and you're tempted to skip it or make a brief appearance. Resist that temptation. The company party is a good opportunity to develop deeper relationships with others in your company as you likely will have a chance to talk about more than just work. Going beyond the superficial discussion of projects can enhance the relationships with those you work with and provide new career opportunities in the future. And, at the holiday party, you just might get some time to talk with the company president or CEO.

2. Send a card to your top 5 business associates. If your company uses freelancers or vendors for any part of the business be sure to send a card of thanks to the most important ones you work with. Personalize the card and use it as an opportunity to strengthen the relationship you have. You never know, you just might want to contact one of these vendors or freelancers for a job in the future.

3. Smile and bring some joy to your coworkers. Build on your relationships with coworkers by having a positive attitude over the holiday. By smiling and being positive you can help to reduce the stress your colleagues might be experiencing. Some holiday cookies might even help too!

4. Send an email of thanks to your colleagues. Think about some of your colleagues and co-workers and consider those who have helped you in some way over the past year. It's unlikely you're a lone ranger so you probably depend on support from many others in your company. Prepare a brief email of thanks for some of these partners and you'll likely make their day and strengthen your relationship with them.

5. Send a note of good wishes to new contacts. Have you attended a conference or networking event during this past year? Perhaps you've started doing business with another company or vendor. If so, take a few minutes to send a note of reintroduction, extending well wishes for a happy holiday and new year.

If you spend a few hours implementing some of the ideas above over the next few weeks you'll likely strengthen your network and deepen your friendships, helping you enjoy your job and career even more.

Daily Leap Career Video of the Week: Confidence

Each week we present our Daily Leap Career Video of the Week. The video we share presents news or advice related to career development, searching for a job, the economy and employment, and other career-related topics.

In this fun, animated video from the School of Life we learn about confidence and why many of us struggle with a lack of confidence and what can be done to increase confidence.

High 5 Weekly Career Transitions Roundup: 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do

This is our weekly roundup of some of the best career-related articles, interviews, blogs, etc., we've read during the week. We share them so you have some great resources to prepare you for the coming week. Enjoy!

• 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don't Do: "It’s futile to wallow in your problems, exaggerate your misfortune and keep score of how many hardships you’ve endured....Self-pity keeps you focused on the problem and prevents you from developing a solution."
• Succeed in New Situations: "According to several studies ... the more questions new employees ask and the more help they seek, the better they perform."
• 5 Tips for Running an Awesome Meeting: "Decide how you can change your meeting planning to only cover subjects that require everyone's input or that affect an entire department."
• 6 Habits to Improve Memory and Boost Brain Health: "Multitasking diminishes mental productivity, elevates brain fatigue and increases stress."
• Is the Workplace Responsible for Lack of Confidence?: "The conclusions of the study were that the current work environment does not provide women with female role models or managerial support and encouragement. It endorses an ideal worker stereotype that doesn’t resonate with most women."

5 Steps to Evaluate Your Career and Job at Year-End

As you come to the end of the year you might be getting some feedback from a manager or a supervisor about your work performance this year. It's great to get useful feedback from your employer and this often offers much to consider and implement in the upcoming year.

However, you should also conduct your own personal evaluation of the past year and how you did in relation to your career goals.

Here are five things to evaluate when assessing your career progress:

1. Major projects completed. What did you work on this year? Did you contribute to the completion of a major project in the past year? How successful was it and what was your role in it? Be sure to celebrate your achievements from this year.

2. New skills developed. Did you learn something new this year, take a class, or develop new skills through the completion of the projects you identified above? How do these new skills and abilities impact your career goals? How can these new skills move your career in the direction you envision?

3. New contacts and collaborators. Take some time to identify new contacts, collaborators, and friends you made over the past year. You might want to take a few minutes to reconnect with them before year-end. Think about some ways you can add some value to their life and career and seek a way to help them attain their goals. You can also spend some time identifying how these relationships might contribute to your career goals.

4. Areas for improvement. Be sure to consider the things that did not go well in the past year. Make an honest assessment of your role in the failure and identify ways you might have handled the situation/project/task differently.

5. How satisfied were you with your work? Take some time to consider what you liked and didn't like about your job and career path. Are there some things you can change to increase your level of enjoyment?

Finally, after you've completed your evaluation, update your resume and LinkedIn profile so you'll be ready for any new opportunities at the start of the new year.