July 21, 2020

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So you have graduated university, now what? Starting your career path can be tricky. It is important to strategize about your career so that you don´t end up as part of the 84% of employees across the USA and Canadawho feel trapped in their current job position. Now, how exactly do you do this? When trying to advance down your career path, establishing a plan is crucial. Luckily for you, we have come up with the most effective strategies you can take in order to boost your career. We want to ensure you reach your full potential and never feel stuck in an unfulfilling job position. Below we outline strategies that will help you create the best plan to jumpstart your career.

1. Set Goals

Setting goals is absolutely essential in creating a plan. You need to visualize whatyou want in order to get there. A Harvard business study found that people can be upto 10 times more effective if they have goals set. In order to really create effective goals make sure to use the SMART technique. Make them specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and timely. Doing this gives you a better sense of direction. This method is recommended by respected psychologists in the community. Still don't know where to start? Try asking yourself some questions. Some questions you could ask yourself include:

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• What level of responsibility do you want to have?
• What type of company do you want to work for?  
• Where would you like to be in 5 years?  
• What problem(s) do you care about solving?  
• Is work/life balance important to you?
• What kind of people do you enjoy working with?

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2. Develop New Skills

With each job position you gain more skills to put on your resume. These skills are crucial in developing your career. Why not go above and beyond and put in the extra effort to develop new skills? The skills you pick up will not only look good on your resume, but alsolead you to perform better with your current job. So how might you develop suchskills? Online there are all kinds of available courses. Check out the catalogson websites such as Coursera, Future Learn, and UDemy which offer both free and paid options. Some highly demanded hard skills you could learn include coding, copywriting, and data mining. An extensive list can be found here or stay tuned for our upcoming Kibo articles, for more in-depth information on useful skills.

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3. Apply Constructive Criticism

We all have heard that handling constructive criticism in the business world is crucial. Of course hearing negative things about your hard work isn't the greatest feeling. Many people may feel embarrassed or angry or sad. All feelings are valid, but you mustn't let it get in the way of its purpose. People don't give criticism to hurt you, but rather to help you. Therefore, we should take this remark we hear about “handling the criticism” and go a step further to actually applying it. Applying constructive criticism will help you grow. Make sure to write down critiques you hear so that you can work on them. You will not only improve your work, but also prove your value as a hard worker. Applying your critiques will prepare you for your next project or next job.

4. Build a Strong Network

Networking happens to be one of the most important things to do when starting your career. It has been estimated that around 85% of people get their job through a connection. Further studies show how at least 70% of jobs are not even listed. An easy way to keepcontact with connections is to have a LinkedIn account. Make sure to update your account regularly. It is an  easy way for people to find you or for you to find others. If you are graduating from university, make sure to connect with your past professors on LinkedIn. If you are further along in your career, connect with people you worked on projects with. These are so essential! Sometimes you don't know if it is appropriate to connect with someone on LinkedIn. Therefore, it is important to make yourself memorable, to ensure that people will want to connect on LinkedIn. In order to make people notice you, try asking questions and participating in discussions. Going beyond what others are doing will make you stand out.                                                                              

In conclusion, following these simple strategies could help accelerate your career development. We want you to be able to develop the career you want, which is why we started our company, Kibo. As Drake said, “started from the bottom now we´re here.” Most of us will start at the bottom, however, developing a career plan and dedicating ourselves to it will allow us to climb to the top. Our Kibo app can help guide your career,should you need any assistance. Download the beta version of the app today and stay up to date with opportunities on our Instagram page.

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