Drea Knufken
This is a guest post by Sylvia Rosen.
Whether you’re the CEO, department manager or new employee, making goals for the upcoming year is a great way to revamp your job efficiency. In addition to your personal New Year’s resolutions, you should also be thinking about what professional goals you have for 2011.
Not sure where to start? No problem. Here are five areas you could start to perfect:
Get technologically savvy
The year 2010 will go down in the history books as the year telecommunications got a facelift. AT&T’s iPhone 4 introduced video calling, which quickly influenced the way people wanted to communicate with each other.
This new idea trickled into meeting rooms across the country, and professionals started having their meetings via video conferencing. This type of technology allows business professionals to stay in their offices more and travel less, a huge money saver.
Make an effort this year to learn more about and use the latest in telecom equipment such as small business phone systems, interactive voice response and video conferencing.
Stay organized
If you find it hard to locate your phone because it’s hidden beneath Post-its, papers and to-do lists, then it’s time to seriously consider reorganizing your work area.
Studies show that your cubicle says a lot about you and your work ethic; if your desk is messy and reeking of lunch leftovers, imagine what your coworkers think.
Don’t let this happen!
Instead, take the time before your holiday break to tidy up: copy the 20 post-its to a single piece of paper and take advantage of hr’s unlimited amount of folders. Most importantly, make an effort to continuously keep your cubicle organized. Knowing where documents are will save you time and even boost your work productivity.
Perfect your presentation skills
Even the most successful professionals find giving a presentation a challenge. Whether it’s because you get nervous, fill the slide up with too much or too little information or you rely on entertaining (yet irrelevant) graphics to keep the audience awake, there is always room for improvement.
Catch up on some reading on how to become a PowerPoint presentation master, and get excited for next year’s presentations.
Get fit for business
One of the top New Year’s resolutions people make every year is to lose weight. Although a great goal, professionals often find it hard to shed the pounds because they spend 8 hours a day sitting at a desk.
BUT, there is a way!
Use your Visa gift cards to purchase an exercise ball chair or an eco friendly bottle of water (you know you don’t drink enough). Or you can even save your gift cards and instead, spend half your lunch hour walking around your office building.
You feel confident when you feel healthy – all of which is sure to show in your work.
Make time to meet & greet
All work and no play is not the best motto to start the New Year off. Typically, the day after New Year’s is the first day for new employees. So make sure you start this New Year on a friendly note. Make an effort to socialize with new and old coworkers. This will improve your work environment, atmosphere and overall outlook on your job; you’ll be more excited to head into the office everyday if you enjoy and appreciate the people you work with.
Many employers are looking to build interoffice friendships because social connections can boost productivity and have a positive effect on company profitability. Make a suggestion at your company’s next meeting to have more company social events, whether it be for holidays or every other month to recognize someone who has been doing a great job.
The job market hasn’t improved, but you can. Dedicate 2011 to improving yourself professionally.
Sylvia Rosen is a content writer for BuyerZone with a background in journalism. She develops and promotes content for a B2B audience on the latest industry trends. She enjoys writing and getting the chance to interview a variety of professionals in the top business industries.
