1 ) Look in the Mirror: Ask yourself, “who am I and what do I have to offer?” Take the time to really consider what it is that sets you apart from your competition. Carl Jung once said “who looks outside dreams, who looks inside awakens.”

2 ) Reminisce on Five Positives: Create a list of 5 personal or professional accomplishments you had in 2010. Think about what they mean to you and how they can be of value in 2011. Don’t ever forget how valuable you are!

3 ) Face Three Negatives: We can all use a good hard look in the mirror from time-to-time. Be sure to step back and think about 3 mistakes you made in 2010 and how not to make them again!

4 ) Read One New Book: Get a hold of a good career/self-help book (The YOU Plan perhaps) and start the New Year off with the right mindset.

5 ) Join One Group: If you want to be a serious player you must get in the game. Join your local professional association, business council, chamber of commerce, or community organization!

6 ) Update LinkedIn and Facebook: Check all of your social media profiles, links, postings, and pictures to make sure they are up-to-date and accurately reflect the 2011 version of YOU!!!

7 ) Make 12 New Friends: The world revolves around relationships, so get out there and start making friends. Go for one new contact per month and be sure to maintain that relationship.

8 ) Take One Risk: Find a way to make your life or career search more rewarding by contributing in a way you never have before. Volunteer to speak at your local professional association, contribute a white paper, attend an event you’ve never been to, or ask to guest post for an industry blog. Find a unique way to step out and enhance your stature.

9 ) Set Lofty Goals: If you don’t shoot for the moon, you’ll never get there! Develop a list of weekly and monthly milestones for your job search and/or general career development. Don’t end the year in the same exact place you’re in now.

10 ) Make a YOU Plan: Coaches have game plans, pilots have flight plans, so why don’t you have a career plan? If you want to get out of the Career Hot Seat and back into the game you are going to have to make a plan, a YOU Plan! Don’t go into 2011 just winging it!

Cheers to 2011!

Dr. Woody

Career success in the New Economy is going to require personal accountability and proactive planning. The 9.5% rate of national unemployment is unchanged from this time a year ago. To make matters worse, there are nearly 7 million American workers who have been out of work for longer than 6 months. This is substantially higher than at any point during the recession. So, whether you are a battle-tested workforce veteran or graduating college senior, you are going to have to start thinking differently. The number of defined job slots available continues to dwindle, which means that you are going to have to start getting more creative and ultimately more competitive.

Yes, you are going to have to start thinking like an entrepreneur. In one way, shape, or form, every entrepreneur has their own YOU Plan and so should you.

Creating a YOU Plan

As a coach trained in the field of organizational psychology, I am firmly against the notion of one-size-fits-all. I believe that we all have our own unique assets and it’s up to each of us to tap into them.

Creating a YOU Plan is about asking yourself serious questions and making tough choices. Developing your own plan starts with taking stock of who you are and the assets you have at your disposal. Although this sounds simple, it’s not. Both transitioning professionals and students alike tend to struggle with this. Once you have a solid handle of yourself, then it’s time to put together a brand package and get in the game.

Start with Your VIPs

When I talk about understanding who you are and the assets you have, I am really talking about three things: Values, Intrinsics, and Passions. Before you can make a series push to get out there and make your next career move, you need to have a firm handle on your Values, Intrinsics, and Passions or what I like to refer to as your VIPs. Just about everyone I meet and work with believes they have a good handle on their VIPs until I push them to seriously answer three questions:

• What are my Values?
• What are my Intrinsics?
• What are my Passions?

Your VIPs are important because they represent the essence of who you are and what you are capable of. Before you can create a brand package and get out there on the market, you must know what you bring to the table. Consider the fact that:

• Your values are what drive your decision making, they are your compass
• Your intrinsics are what you bring to the table, they are your value proposition
• Your passions are what generate your energy and enthusiasm, they are what people see

Package Your Essence

If you can answer the three VIP questions, you’ve answered the larger question of what you are about. The next step is to create a brand package.

Personal branding is about taking the essence of who you are and packaging it in a way that makes sense to potential employers and consumers. Getting your message across will require simple yet high impact sound bites. When developing your brand message make sure you:

• Establish your credibility
• Demonstrate your value
• Show that you stand out

Draw a Roadmap

At the end of the day this is all academic if you don’t have a roadmap. As a job seeker back on the market, you are now in sales for you. Creating a roadmap is about setting goals, establishing metrics, and taking deliberate action. You should have a clear set of activities with daily, weekly, and monthly goals. Even simple things like the number of networking events you’ll attend or the old contacts you’ll reach out to can be a great start.

Creating a YOU plan isn’t easy and it shouldn’t be. However, it is a critical first step in creating a successful career. Keep in mind, would a coach field a team on game day without a game plan? Would an airline pilot take off with a plane full of passengers and no flight plan? Would a general take to the battlefield without a strategy?

Thanks and good luck!

Dr. Woody
Michael “Dr. Woody” Woodward, PhD is a CEC certified professional coach who holds a PhD in organizational psychology. Dr. Woody is author of the new book The YOU Plan: A 5-step Guide to Taking Charge of Your Career in the New Economy.