To kick off your new year, we’ve put together some tips that will help you focus on your career and achieve more in 2020.

Time Management
To succeed at anything you need to know how to use your time efficiently. You could spend 5 hours applying to different jobs and apprenticeships but how do you break down the time between researching the roles and filling out applications? On top of that, there’s going to be other commitments in your life that you need to dedicate time to. Whether that’s school, family or a job that you already have, you want to make the most of the time you do have towards your future career goals and work smart, not just hard.
Decide the Path That Is Right for You
Before we move on from the importance of time, if you are able to figure out whether an apprenticeship, university or another career route is best for what you want to achieve then you will save a lot of time. Here are 3 steps to help you decide what is best for you:
1 – Research your industry and find out what qualifications you may need to proceed in it (or may benefit from having). YouTube and Google are great places to find the most current information about a given industry.

2 – Reflect on your current position and experience and determine whether you need more experience before you apply for a job in that industry or if you can jump into it. If not look for ways to get that experience (volunteering, masterclasses, or an apprenticeship).

3 – Look into the future and figure out what you’ll need to do after you’ve gained that experience. Now you should be informed enough to know what’s best for you and your situation.
Dive Into Your Creativity
There are hundreds of ways to present yourself and your skills to a recruiter during an interview and on your online portfolio or LinkedIn Profile. Give yourself an interesting angle, think of some anecdotes that bring to life your skills and experience. Group projects, personal projects and other activities outside of work/school.
Merge Your Skills With Your Interests
From your time at school, your work experience and even university degree you’d have accumulated a range of skills, some of which you’re more advanced at than others. Alongside those skills, there should be a few topics that are most interesting to you. When it comes to landing a career you love you it might be beneficial to join the two. For example, if you have a love for art & fashion but are highly skilled as a creative writer (with qualifications in English Literature) then art or fashion journalism would be a natural role for your future. Don’t forget you can still develop your skills, check out the Google Digital Garage or Udemy for online courses that can give you an extra boost.
Identify Your Brand
Who are you, what do you want and what are you offering? Any brand from Nike to Mcdonalds, to Apple, can answer that question. As an individual, you should also be able to answer that question. If you view yourself as a brand and as a business, you’ll understand what you need to identify and build your brand. When an employer looks at your CV or potentially your social media profile, they should see your principles (e.g environmental ethics and fair trade), your topic of interest (fashion), what you’re looking for from other people (article readers if you’re a journalist) and what you’re offering your audience (e.g a new look at that modern fashion industry).
Network
Being able to network with other people can do wonders for your career. Every day you have the chance to meet someone new. This could be at work, school or online. The better you understand what you are doing with your career and where you want to take it, the easier that is to communicate to people you meet. You’ll also find that you are positioned around people that are more and more relevant to your career aspirations because you yourself know what is you want to achieve. You may notice that the conversations you have with people will become more purposeful with direction and result in many more opportunities.

Time Management

To succeed at anything you need to know how to use your time efficiently. You could spend 5 hours applying to different jobs and apprenticeships but how do you break down the time between researching the roles and filling out applications? On top of that, there’s going to be other commitments in your life that you need to dedicate time to. Whether that’s school, family or a job that you already have, you want to make the most of the time you do have towards your future career goals and work smart, not just hard.

Decide the Path That Is Right for You

Before we move on from the importance of time, if you are able to figure out whether an apprenticeship, university or another career route is best for what you want to achieve then you will save a lot of time. Here are 3 steps to help you decide what is best for you:

1 – Research your industry and find out what qualifications you may need to proceed in it (or may benefit from having). YouTube and Google are great places to find the most current information about a given industry.

2 – Reflect on your current position and experience and determine whether you need more experience before you apply for a job in that industry or if you can jump into it. If not look for ways to get that experience (volunteering, masterclasses, or an apprenticeship).

3 – Look into the future and figure out what you’ll need to do after you’ve gained that experience. Now you should be informed enough to know what’s best for you and your situation.

Dive Into Your Creativity

There are hundreds of ways to present yourself and your skills to a recruiter during an interview and on your online portfolio or LinkedIn Profile. Give yourself an interesting angle, think of some anecdotes that bring to life your skills and experience. Group projects, personal projects and other activities outside of work/school.

Merge Your Skills With Your Interests

From your time at school, your work experience and even university degree you’d have accumulated a range of skills, some of which you’re more advanced at than others. Alongside those skills, there should be a few topics that are most interesting to you. When it comes to landing a career you love you it might be beneficial to join the two. For example, if you have a love for art & fashion but are highly skilled as a creative writer (with qualifications in English Literature) then art or fashion journalism would be a natural role for your future. Don’t forget you can still develop your skills, check out the Google Digital Garage or Udemy for online courses that can give you an extra boost.

Identify Your Brand

Who are you, what do you want and what are you offering? Any brand from Nike to Mcdonalds, to Apple, can answer that question. As an individual, you should also be able to answer that question. If you view yourself as a brand and as a business, you’ll understand what you need to identify and build your brand. When an employer looks at your CV or potentially your social media profile, they should see your principles (e.g environmental ethics and fair trade), your topic of interest (fashion), what you’re looking for from other people (article readers if you’re a journalist) and what you’re offering your audience (e.g a new look at that modern fashion industry).

Network

Being able to network with other people can do wonders for your career. Every day you have the chance to meet someone new. This could be at work, school or online. The better you understand what you are doing with your career and where you want to take it, the easier that is to communicate to people you meet. You’ll also find that you are positioned around people that are more and more relevant to your career aspirations because you yourself know what is you want to achieve. You may notice that the conversations you have with people will become more purposeful with direction and result in many more opportunities.

Outside of the links above in this blog, we have a database of helpful tips and resources on our Go Far page, check it out and dive deeper into your career!