Many of us go back to work in January feeling jaded about our jobs. But the new year is a time of fresh starts, so if you’re looking for a promotion, want to move sideways or simply get back your motivation, here are six top tips.
If you want a promotion or a new job, tell people about it
Katie Duckworth, coach and trainer for Be The Change, says: “People tend to keep their job searches quiet. They think, ‘I need to keep this under wraps and not let people know because people might think I’m going to leave.’ But a really good way of getting that whole ball started is to tell your manager what it is that you want.”
Your annual appraisal could be an ideal time to raise this with your line manager – but don’t be afraid to tell other people that you’re looking around too.
If you’re looking externally for jobs, but don’t know where to start, then call the Health Learning and Skills line, which offers free and confidential advice.
Develop a social media profile
Social media is a great way of networking and letting other people know your interests and skills. Tweeting about news that concerns the health sector shows you care about your industry and are aware of current news affairs that affect your work. While joining online professional forums is a good way both to share your own expertise and learn from others.
Alan Simmons, a careers specialist for Health Education England, advises that you check your professional body’s guidance on social media before you start.
LinkedIn is particularly useful if you’re looking to move on. “It’s a good way getting yourself known so that people know you’re looking for work,” says Simmons, adding that LinkedIn also has a number of professional forums, which will help connect you to other people in your field. Duckworth agrees: “Make sure your LinkedIn profile is absolutely fantastic.” You can google for advice on creating a great LinkedIn profile, she adds.
Make the most of continuing professional development
All registered staff are required to undertake continuing professional development (CPD), but everyone can benefit, says Rosemarie Simpson, a senior consultant at Skills for Health: “Professional development isn’t just for professionally registered staff, and staff in bands 1 to 4 also need to ensure they’re developing themselves.”
Professional development doesn’t have to be confined to the training provided by your professional body, says Duckworth: “Don’t rely on your organisation to provide you with the training and the coaching and the mentoring, look for it yourself. Maybe you can find an evening course, or even just read a blog every day about the area that you’d like to get into. Decide: ‘Every day I’m going to invest five minutes in doing something that is going to help me move forward in my organisation.’”
Other opportunities for development, says Simpson, include e-learning – professional organisations such as the Royal College of Nursing have their own e-learning materials, and some NHS employers subscribe to Skills for Health’s e-learning resources. She also suggests keeping a reflective diary that records new professional situations you’ve been in, how you handled them and what you learnt from the experience. She adds: “Keeping yourself up-to-date is really important, so that when you come to move to that next step, you’ve got some evidence of how you’ve been ensuring that you’re keeping yourself up to date with all the changes.”
Look for experience outside your team
Gaining experience outside your team can be good both if you’re looking for a new job, and if you want to give your motivation a boost. Duckworth suggests taking part in cross-organisational projects and looking for opportunities to chair committees.
Simpson advises looking into the possibilities for working with colleagues in other departments: “What opportunities are there for shadowing? Are there opportunities within the organisation for job swapping?”
You could also ask for a secondment or look at opportunities to do research, says Simmons.
Become a mentor or ambassador
Mentoring new or junior staff can help make your own job more enjoyable as well as being of benefit to others. Simpson says that in some NHS organisations, healthcare assistants can mentor apprentices, while nurses may be able to mentor students.
Simmons suggests becoming an ambassador through the Brightside trust for young people who are thinking of a career in the health sector. You could also, he adds, approach Inspiring the Future, a charity that invites professionals to help young people with mock interviews or to do presentations in schools about their jobs.
Improve your work-life balance
Long hours are often a feature of life in the NHS, but you may be able to negotiate different hours with employer. Simmons advises looking at your employer’s website or talking to the HR department to find out what their policies are, and whether you can go part-time, do a job share, switch to annualised hours or take a career break.
It’s not always easy to make the time, but Duckworth recommends keeping up with the things you enjoy doing outside work: “Doing things you love outside work isn’t a luxury – if you let them lapse, it will have an impact.”
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