New Years Resolutions for Your Career

Dec. 27, 2007 Special to ABCNEWS.com — -- It's resolution time again. Instead of making the same old difficult-to-stick-to promises, like losing weight or quitting smoking, use the New Year to take stock of your career.

Addressing career concerns might make you more fulfilled on a daily basis. If you make the resolutions wisely by setting small, achievable goals, you're likely to feel particularly rewarded.

Click here to see 2008 career resolutions at our partner site, Forbes.com.

The first step: Consider what your career goals are and examine whether you're on track to meet them. "Are you happy with your job and your career," asks Wendy Enelow, a career consultant in Virginia who has written several books on résumés. "I'm not saying 'Are you making money?' But are you happy? Do you enjoy going to work on Monday mornings?" The time to ask this question is the last week in December or the third week of January--because nobody wants to go back to work after the holiday break.

If the answer is yes, that's great. But you should still be at least a passive job-seeker. Update your resume and pay attention to your industry, so you're not totally blind-sided if there's an economic downturn or some other major change in the job market. Also, this makes it easier to fully hop into job-seeking mode if you suddenly need to look for a new position. Have a general sense of who is hiring and what jobs are open.

Also, everyone should have a long-term career plan. This will help you figure out where you want to be in the next few years, so you can start thinking about how to get there. What do you have to learn, and who should you meet to fulfill the goal? Also, recognize that things change, and so should your career plan--it shouldn't be stagnant.

If you're not happy at work, ask yourself: What is it that my job lacks? What is it I actually want to do?

Your dissatisfaction might stem from the fact that your job doesn't allow you to do anything else. Enelow encourages clients to consider where on their priority list work fits in. For some people, work is the top priority; for others, it's third or fourth. If you want to spend more time with family and friends, but your job is all-encompassing, it might be time to rethink your job choice.