It’s that time of year again, to do a quick review of your career and next steps. But the unique pandemic era requires unique thinking, so this year let’s do a little more homework.

Look back at the past year, and jot down answers to any of these questions that resonate with you.

- What were your key accomplishments and results?
- What special projects did you take on and complete successfully?
- What training or additional enrichment did you complete?
- What position(s) did I hold?
- Did you do any volunteer work?
- Did you change jobs, get a raise, receive an award or get a promotion?
- Were you tasked with new responsibilities? If so, what were they?
- Did you meet specified goals and what were the results?
- Am I happy in my job?
- Do I need more challenging projects?
- Am I ready to make a career change if the opportunity arose?
- What areas do I want to improve?
- What have I learned about myself during the pandemic?

Even if you’re not currently employed, you can still perform an annual career checkup. Think about what you have done that could contribute to your career success. Think about things like:

- Did you take any training?
- Did you attend conferences, networking meetings or seminars?
- What personal branding activities did you work on, e.g. LinkedIn profile, Twitter following, blog posts, personal website, etc.?
- Did you volunteer?

After answering these, ask yourself a simple question: Do I need to make a change?

If the answer is “yes,” we have a suggestion. Check out our brand new interactive course. You’ll have the opportunity to do a series of exercises to help you envision what the next phase of your career might be.