Summer Challenge: Your Professional Mid-Year Review

We're halfway through the year. It's a great time to pause to enjoy a summer break by the pool, take a much-needed vacation with a good book and a fruity drink, or take in a few good concerts. At work, it's also a good time to assess where you are.

Remember all the "New Year, New Me" vibes from New Year's Eve? Let's reclaim that energy and check your progress toward your #CareerGoals. Think about what you set out to do relative to where you are now. Which one sounds like you, Employee A or Employee B?

Employee A: did you find a new job, get promoted, or learn a new skill? You have wins to celebrate, maybe won a few awards, and even got a bonus. Things are looking up for you!

Employee B: what if you haven't had such a great year at work? Maybe you led a project that was a bust, you made a big mistake on something, or maybe your job just isn't tapping into your full potential. You're feeling burned out (and checked out) and you need to find a job doing what you love.

Regardless of which one sounds most like you, the important thing is to be present with your current situation. Whether you're celebrating wins or not quite where you want to be, that's OK too.

That's the beauty of a midyear review - you still have 6 months for you to reset and refocus.

Here's the thing about midyear reviews:

A mid-year review doesn't have to be formal. You don't even have to tell anyone, not even your boss.

This exercise is about YOU being realistic about where you are vs. where you want to go and being intentional about how you'll get there. It also doesn't all have to be about job performance; also think about how you feel about the work you do, what extra-curricular activities you participate in, and how you're taking time and care for yourself outside of work.

There's a lot of questions in this post because the point is for you to ask yourself these questions and go deeper than the day-to-day work you do. Are you happy and fulfilled? Do you get excited about your work everyday? Is it getting you closer to your goals?

I challenge you to do this informal midyear review with yourself. It's 3 simple steps:

First, ask yourself these 5 questions - and be real with yourself about the answers. After that, think about what you need to do these next 6 months to achieve your goals. Then, comment below and tell me what you're going to do these next 6 months to finish strong!

Your Professional Mid-Year Review

1. What goals did you set for this year? If you didn't set any, now's a perfect time to do so.
2. Why did you choose these specific goals? What will accomplishing these goals do for you?
3. How do you measure your progress toward your goals? If you haven't done this, now is a good time.
4. Are you satisfied with where you are professionally? Why or why not?
5. What adjustments do you need to make in the 2nd half of this year?

BONUS QUESTION: What's the prize for when you achieve these goals?

Transparent moment: The first episodes of The WERKin' Mommas podcast were all about career advice. In one of those episodes I looked back 10 years at my midyear review and my manager's comments. If somebody ever asked you, "What would you tell your younger self?" this episode is my response to that question. Check it out, it's on iTunes, Spotify, and wherever you listen to your podcasts. I'm sure you can take something from it - even if it's a laugh.

The WERKin' Mommas podcast: #CareerConvos: MidYear Review - Me TEN Years Ago

~N

A few years ago, LinkedIn told me I was seen as an expert in my field and people could benefit from my career advice. Then I had employees, colleagues, and people in my network telling me how they got promoted, found job satisfaction, and even bought houses because of my career advice. I share my experiences working in corporate accounting as both an employee and leader so that you can take something from it and make it work for YOU.

#Summer #Career #Jobs