5 ways to jump start your career in 2015

With a flip of the calendar to 2015, the New Year presents an annual opportunity to turn over a new leaf personally and professionally.

While many New Year’s resolutions deal with weight loss or taking better care of finances, a list of popular New Year’s resolutions compiled by USA.gov found “get a better education” and “volunteer to help others” are popular among pledges made by Americans.

“We’re really only limited by our own curiosity,” said Steve Dalton, program director for Daytime Career Services at the Fuqua School of Business. “There’s joy and wisdom in taking our strengths and making them stronger, but there’s a whole untapped potential of trying different things to see where other natural talents may lie.”

Working@Duke has compiled five of the most popular “Career Tools” stories from its Duke Today series to help you meet your resolutions in 2015.

Giving And Receiving Feedback

Want to build better working relationships? Learning to describe specific behavior so an individual can learn and develop by repeating or avoiding that behavior can be a vital skill for professional development.

Learn tips on how to offer clear and unambiguous feedback to colleagues as well as how to best receive feedback and put constructive criticism to work to advance your personal and professional skills.

Find out how to utilize feedback here and take another step by attending a workshop led by Duke’s Learning & Organization Development (L&OD) for “Communicating with Diplomacy and Tact” on Feb. 26. Sign up by searching for the class in Duke’s Learning Management System.

Informational Interviews

Informational interviews allow individuals to explore different careers without the pressure of trying to land a job. These casual conversations can be helpful in learning more about professional passions and networking with colleagues across Duke.

Learn how to expand career options with the help of others.

Polish a Professional Presence Online

A digital identity can be a powerful tool for career development. An online presence is a 24/7 digital footprint influenced by what you do and say in cyberspace and what others post about you.

That’s why it’s important to protect your digital reputation to ensure it reflects professional passions and skills authentically.

Learn how to polish your online presence for career growth. For more instruction, attend “Managing Your Social Media Presence,” a six-class course that runs from Jan. 23 to Feb. 26. Sign up by searching for the class in Duke’s Learning Management System.

Add New Skills to Your Resume

L&OD recently released its spring course catalog, which features professional development opportunities with topics on writing to computer programs like Excel and leadership training. Staff can also receive “Professional Development Excellence Certificates” for completing a series of programs.

“Our leadership cohort, professional development workshops, and certificate programs are designed with the success of employees in mind,” said Keisha Williams, director of Duke’s Learning & Organization Development. “Our workshops are created to have an impact and offer value for employees at all levels within Duke.”

See this list for more information about L&OD course offerings.

Navigating Duke’s Job Website

After preparing aspects of professional credentials, staff looking to advance their career in 2015 will need to visit Duke’s jobs website, which compiles listings of open positions from across the university and health system.

There are many important aspects to a job search, and employees can find help with tricks to landing a new position, like closely reading job descriptions to determine keywords and qualifications important for a position and then using those words in resumes where appropriate. Duke recruiters search thousands of resumes each month using keywords that reflect skills and experiences needed for a particular vacancy.

This article is published in collaboration with Duke Today. Publication does not imply endorsement of views by the World Economic Forum. 

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Author: Bryan Roth writes for Duke Today.

Image: An unemployed Belgian man answers questions during a simulated job interview.  REUTERS/Francois Lenoir