It’s break time … phew! Time to kick back, enjoy the holidays, and refresh before the new year begins and school starts up again.

It’s also a great time to reflect on your career, plan your next steps, and set a direction for success in 2025.

Maybe your vision is to pursue a higher degree or certification. Maybe it will mean learning new methodologists or taking on a leadership role. Whatever your aspirations look like, realizing them all comes down to making a clear, actionable plan – and taking a smart, strategic approach as you do so.

About The SMART Method

Craft or update your career plan by identifying your options, prioritizing, and determining a realistic approach going forward.

• Explore the possibilities. If you’re thinking of making a change, research and reflect on your career preferences at this point in your life. For various options, ask yourself what training and qualifications are required, and what skills and interests would be necessary to succeed. Also consider work environments, responsibilities, location, salary and, last but not least, work/life balance. From here, you can compare those options to narrow down and finalize your choice.
• Meet new professionals and reach out to those already in your network to learn more about your desired role and possibly hear of job opportunities. Freshen up your LinkedIn profile and clean up your social media presence. Be sure everything is current and professional.

As you finalize your plan, be sure it stays rooted in the SMART system. This means your goals are:

• Specific: Avoid any ambiguity.
• Measurable: Quantify what you need to achieve.
• Achievable: Motivate yourself, but be sure you set reachable goals.
• Realistic: aka reasonable, so progress is attainable.
• Timely: Create timeframes for completing various steps.

Establish both short-term goals and long-term objectives. What immediate steps do you need to take to start down your desired career path? For instance, does your resume need an update? Do you need to take a course or join a professional organization? And long term, give consideration to factors such as competencies and behaviors you need to acquire in this role.

• Write it down. By putting pen to paper, you keep a clear focus, identify achievements and areas where improvement is needed, and can make alterations as needed.
• Track your progress. Schedule times on your calendar or planning spreadsheet to review your career goal progress. Don’t cancel these appointments; rather, use them as genuine opportunities for self-reflection.

Covelo Group is dedicated to creating opportunities for school-based healthcare providers and helping them grow and develop to the fullest. Reach out to us today so we can talk further about maximizing your potential and achieving all your 2025 career resolutions.