Career Coach

Performing your annual career checkup

Ken Pelczarski | TLT Career Coach January 2016

These 12 questions will help you review your career path.

HAVE YOU BEEN SATISFIED LATELY WITH YOUR CURRENT POSITION and general career path? If not, it may be in part because you have not done an in-depth career review in a long time.

The transition to a new year is an excellent time to step off the career treadmill, review and analyze your career and do the things necessary to keep or start moving your career in the right direction. This could result in staying with your current employer or beginning an active job search.

To advance your career in the desired direction, here are a dozen questions to ask yourself at least once a year.

1. What are your career goals?
Begin your checkup by taking some deep breaths and listening to your heart to determine your true career passion. Evaluate what you want to do in the short and long term. Review new experiences, accomplishments and areas of interest you have acquired during the past year to help you decide if you want to continue on the same career path or pursue new interests.

2. What is the market for your skill set?
Like most industry professionals, you desire to utilize as much of your skill set as possible in your job (at least those talents you enjoy employing). The market may have changed enough in recent times, however, to result in some of your skill set being outdated or applicable to only a small segment of the industry. In that case you will need to sharpen and update your skill set in order to maximize career advancement possibilities.

3. Would new education or certification advance your career?
Particularly if your skill set is becoming outdated (e.g., in areas of technology, computer software, automation, regulations or sales methods) for your chosen profession, consider new education to keep you current and help you grow your career. If you are largely up to date with your training, consider becoming certified (e.g., CLS, OMA, CMFS) to enhance your credentials and to give you a competitive edge when dealing with customers or when job searching.

4. Can you reach your career goals with your current employer?
Although evaluation of your employer is an ongoing process, it is important at least once a year to study the big picture in relation to how likely your employer is to satisfy your short- and long-term goals. Your employer may have changed significantly during the past year (e.g., was purchased, made acquisitions, restructured, altered business plan, downsized, brought in new management), which could affect your outlook for future growth within the company. Your personal goals may have changed as well, creating a dynamic scenario in which you may begin searching actively for a new job after being perfectly happy a year ago (or vice versa).

5. How does your compensation compare with industry standards?
If recent employers have held you back financially and you have not been proactive about it, your salary may drop more and more below industry standards every year to the point where it becomes difficult to raise yourself to a competitive compensation level. Check salary information through sources such as CareerBuilder, Monster, American Chemical Society, Chemical & Engineering News surveys, Lubes ’N’ Greases biannual surveys and Salary.com as well as recruiters, competitors and industry colleagues.

6. What have you accomplished over the past year?
Other industry professionals may have similar experience to yours, but accomplishments will usually separate you from peers when it comes to career advancement and being offered new opportunities. Document successes as they occur or at least on an annual basis. It can be difficult to go back several years and accurately document past accomplishments such as growing sales, increasing profits, saving costs, solving problems and building customer relationships.

7. Is your resume current?
Incorporate new dates, job titles, responsibilities and accomplishments into your resume at least annually instead of trying to remember key information years later. Even if you are not actively searching for a new position, prospective employers expect to see a current resume as part of an interview process. Be prepared to present an updated resume when a job opportunity comes your way.

8. Does your cover letter reflect recent experience and career goals?
Always have a cover letter ready to accompany your resume. Maintain a template cover letter that conveys your skill set, accomplishments, interests and goals. This letter can then be modified and tailored to each individual opportunity. Update your template cover letter annually in relation to how your experience, goals and overall credentials have changed during the previous year.

9. Has your LinkedIn profile been updated in the past year?
Approximately 94% of employers use LinkedIn to research job candidates and 79% have hired a candidate through LinkedIn. An employer may learn about you first from your LinkedIn profile versus through a referral or job application/resume. Maintain a professional updated LinkedIn profile including a full or shortened version of your resume if you are considering new job opportunities. Employers research job candidates frequently on Facebook and Twitter as well, although much less actual hiring is done on these two sites. Update Facebook and Twitter profiles regularly, but most important is to review your profile for anything that could get you rejected as a job candidate—approximately 51% of employers who use social networking sites have found negative content causing them to not hire a candidate.

10. Have you Googled yourself recently?
Approximately 45% of employers use search engines such as Google to evaluate and hire candidates. Employers may Google your specific name as an established job candidate to review your career highlights. Employers may also Google job titles and type of experience desired for an open position in order to locate potential candidates. Make it easier for employers to find you via Google by increasing your industry visibility. Give presentations, write articles and take on leadership roles in technical societies such as STLE. You might also consider search engine optimization techniques.

11. Are you keeping in touch with your network?
Keeping in touch, especially with priority contacts, is critical to maintain an active network in which others assist you and you assist them on a consistent basis. The new year is a perfect time to get in touch, whether by phone, email or LinkedIn message. Wish colleagues happy holidays, a happy new year or wish them good health and success in the new year. Congratulate them on a job change, recent accomplishments or other good news you have learned about them. Thank them for their business and/or friendship as well as for past career assistance. Tell them you value your relationship with them. Update them briefly on news with you. Emphasize that you want to keep in touch with them.

12. Do you have references for your recent work experience?
References who can vouch for your experience, track record, and work ethic over the past five to 10 years are generally more valuable to a prospective employer than references from earlier years. Add new references to your list on an annual basis who can speak strongly about your work quality and career direction in recent years. Obtain recommendation letters if possible. Keep in touch with references from 10-20 years ago as well. It can be impressive to an employer that a reference from many years ago remembers you well.

Give your career a regular and thorough examination, and follow up with appropriate actions to keep it moving on the right track.

Ken Pelczarski is owner and founder of Pelichem Associates, a Chicago-based search firm established in 1985 and specializing in the lubricants industry. You can reach Ken at (630) 960-1940 or at pelichem@aol.com.