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Welcome To Call To Career

Call to Career has been in existence for over 15 years and is currently a member of the BBB. The company was founded by Cheryl Palmer, M.Ed., Certified Executive Career Coach and Certified Professional Resume Writer. Call to Career provides C-level executive career coaching and resume writing services. Cheryl Palmer has been featured in the following publications: CNN, The Ladders, MarketWatch, ExecuNet, HotJobs, Wall Street Journal, Salt Lake Tribune, and About.com. She was also interviewed on Fox Business News as well as Maryland Public TV.
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HAVE YOU HAD YOUR ANNUAL CAREER CHECKUP?

As 2009 comes to a close, it’s a good time for reflection.  It’s a perfect time to evaluate where you’ve been and where you want to go.  As a career coach I encourage clients to conduct an annual career checkup.  Just as annual physicals are encouraged to detect any problems, an annual career checkup can help you identify any problems and correct your course if necessary.

 

Perhaps you have had to make a temporary detour in terms of your career goals because of the state of the economy.  It’s important for you to set goals for the upcoming year so that you can get back on track as soon as possible.  Maybe you took a job that is not fully utilizing your skills or you decided to hunker down and not make a career move until the economy improves. 

 

One way to make sure that your detour is in fact temporary and not permanent is to clarify for yourself where you want to be in terms of your career.  Career assessment can help you do some introspection and aid you in identifying what career direction you want to take.

 

Then you need to develop a plan of action.  Your goals need to be specific, attainable, and flexible.  Goals must be specific so that you will know when you have attained them.  Here is an example of a vague goal:  I want a better career.  How do you define better?  How will you know when you have found it?  On the other hand, this is a specific goal:  Next year I plan to land a position as a regional director of sales in a medium size real estate company in Tampa, Florida with potential for future growth.

 

Now that you have a specific goal, you need to determine whether or not that goal is attainable.  What is the job market like in Tampa?  Is there demand for real estate executives in that area?  Do you have a solid network of contacts who can help you land that next position?

 

And lastly, your goals need to be flexible, especially in the current economic environment.  If, after having done your research you find that Florida is not a good place for real estate executives right now, you should be willing and able to modify your plan based on the reality of the job market.  Without flexibility you may find yourself locked into a plan that is not workable.

 

Just as you go to a professional healthcare provider to conduct a thorough medical review, it’s a good idea to engage the services of a professional career services provider to conduct your annual career checkup.  A career coach can help you reality test your goals and aid you in staying on track so that you actually meet your goals.  A career coach can administer career assessments and help you develop a career plan that is specific, attainable and flexible.

 

You can get your career checkup at any time during the year, but of course there’s no time like the present.