Develop your career by taking advantage of our newly qualified offer
We’re facing an unprecedented and uncertain time. Many of us have had to adapt the way we work and socialise, and our careers may be changing or facing uncertainty. It will be a difficult time for many, but with the potential of more time on our hands it may also be an opportunity to take stock of where we want to be and to set career goals.
Goal setting itself is an art. We've come up with constructive advice to make sure your career resolutions are achievable, well planned, and above all inspiring.
Here’s our top five proven ways to create realistic goals and actually stick to them.
1. Make connections
Bring ambitious and entrepreneurial minds together. This is an obvious move for enthusiastic CAs looking for inspiration. It can spark a whole new way of thinking, a new way of working and help you realise your dreams. Hearing from other CAs – especially the trailblazers – can build a positive mindset and set behaviours to bring out the natural leader within.
But how do you find the conversations and inspiration that will keep you accountable and help you stick to your goals?
Join CA Connect, our online community platform where you can connect with fellow CAs, share news, take part in debates around key issues for CAs and form special-interest groups and networks. New discussion threads have recently been added on coronavirus and the forum is a great way to stay in touch with your fellow CAs during this time.
Mentoring can be a good way to build your network, join the mentoring scheme on CA Connect and find a mentor to help with your career development.
2. Create mini-goals
Whilst goal setting is essential for developing a clear vision, creating milestones that lead up to your ultimate goal is the key to success. Think of a mountain climber – they don’t start with Everest. They start small and keep their eye on the much bigger prize. We are much more likely to reach the end goal when we have incremental steps which are specific and measurable, and let us either adjust or reaffirm that we're making realistic progress.
3. Build a game plan
You are accountable for your own success – so aim high and be specific about what you want. Take your first-class business skills and apply them to making your career thrive. Discover what you need to do (and what you need to stop doing) to achieve your ambitions. It'll help you work out realistic timelines and set short-term targets. Document these objectives, develop a practical strategy to achieve them, and then plan what actions you need to take.
4. Get emotional
When you think about achieving career success, you need to think outside the box. Keeping up-to-date technically is one area where you'll be expected to be professionally adept, but also take time to focus on the non-technical elements of your skillset. Focus on communication, emotional intelligence, and adaptability – these are just as likely to get you noticed, if not more so.
5. Skill-up
Which leads us on nicely to upping your skills. If you're looking for something that will set you apart from the crowd, ICAS has a range of CPD opportunities and support available for you. Our lead training partner BPP Professional Development has designed an exclusive introductory CPD welcome offer for newly-qualified ICAS Members, to help support you with developing your core skills. See more information on the offer below.
A free online course pack
50% discount off your first face-to-face or Online Classroom Live course booking*
*To redeem the offer, ICAS members must call BPP on 0330 060 3303 or email LDicas@bpp.com to place the booking, quoting the reference “PDICASNEW” and their ICAS membership number when making their booking for a face to face PD course or for an Online Classroom Live PD course. To redeem the free online PD course pack, members must visit the following website, log in to their ICAS account, and follow the offer instructions on the website: https://www.icas.com/members/newly-qualified/continuing-professional-development/cpd-resources/nq-course-pack. This NQ offer is subject to BPP terms and conditions. You must be a newly-admitted ICAS member to take advantage of this offer. The offer ends on 1 February 2024.
