Your 2018 Career Advancement Calendar

The new year is a new start, and the perfect time to create new goals, envision a plan of attack and succeed in new ways. We spend most of our time at work, so it makes sense to focus on taking control of your career and being the best you can be this year. I have written hundreds of articles about job searching and career advancement and I’ve interviewed hundreds of businesswomen. Career advancement is a lofty goal, so let’s break it down into actionable things you can focus on each month.

January: 

New year, new title, new paycheck! Don’t wait until right before your annual review to start preparing for a promotion. You should be preparing for a promotion throughout the year.

February:

Show yourself some self-love at work! Start to track your accomplishments, share them with your boss and team members, and savor your accomplishments by celebrating them!

March:

Write a career manifesto, a mission statement for your career that specifies what success means to you. For example, my mission is to write content that helps women feel more confident in their personal and professional lives. I promise you’ll compare yourself to other people less and feel happier!

April:

What could you accomplish if you had up to 28% more time in your week? Would you be able to finish a promotion-worthy project or go the extra mile for a client? Find out with these email productivity tips!

May:

We’ve probably all fallen into this trap. We are so concerned with accomplishing the many tasks on our to-do lists that we forget to stop and look at the big picture. We forget to think about how we can go above and beyond, consider what we’ve accomplished, or even check in with how we’re feeling at work. Reflect weekly with these work journal prompts.

June:

Okay, I know networking events get a bad rep but they can be a great way to make new friends and get to know people who could help with your career and vice versa. I asked some businesswomen their favorite questions to ask at networking events. I also love this networking advice.

July:

Confidence is a crucial component of personal and professional success. Use this expert-recommended advice to sound more confident in meetings ASAP.

August:

Start a new morning work routine. You’ll be more productive all day if you start the workday with these four things!

September:

Being aware of, and ultimately in control of, your personal brand is an essential component of building a successful career. It’s essentially a guiding statement that can help you make personal and professional decisions. A solid personal brand helps people understand who you are, what you offer, what you value, and the quality of work they can expect from you. Spend a few hours each weekend boosting your personal brand.

October:

No one likes getting negative feedback. But negative feedback at work can be extremely helpful—it can give you fresh perspective on your work and highlight areas in which you can reexamine your methods and modify your approach. If you take negative feedback effectively (read: not personally or emotionally) and reflect on it, you can definitely improve the overall quality of your work. Use these six strategies to handle negative feedback at work.

November:

Being a good manager is far different from being a good employee because you are no longer responsible for only yourself. You are responsible for other people—for their career progress, their learning, and their success. You’re rarely taught how to be a good manager. I modeled my own managerial style on what I liked (or disliked) about my own managers, and came up with a style that has helped me manage multiple people in different jobs. Here are some tips for a first-time manager.

December: 

Reflect on the last year of your career. Are you still learning and growing? Are you happy? If not, it might be time to start thinking about asking for a promotion or starting your job search.