Check in with a quarterly career check up

I always encourage my clients to get in the habit of carrying out a quarterly career check up – or a ‘career MOT’ as I like to call it. Getting in the habit of regularly stopping to monitor your current career position with a mini appraisal can really pay off, whether you’re happy where you are or looking for a new role.

Here’s a quick look at what a career check up is and why a little effort can go a long way.

Your DIY career MOT

You wouldn’t neglect your car, so why neglect your career?

Start keeping a folder on your computer, add information to a PDP document, record on an app on your phone or use a notebook to document your successes and achievements and impacts in your role every three months, so you have a complete overview all in one place.

Reflecting on the last quarter at work, make a note of things like:

Key achievements – things you have implemented, work you have delivered well?

Major contributions – how what you have done has added value, made a difference?

Important lessons you learned – how have you grown and developed, what experiences have you gained?

Any training or CPD completed – what was the key learning you have taken from these?

Additional responsibilities you’ve taken on – what projects have you been involved in?

Challenges faced and how you overcame them –what problems have you solved?

Don’t forget to include any measurable data and outcomes as evidence to support what you note down to help you illustrate the impact of what you have done.

Then think ahead to the next 3 months, reflect on your current position, consider current industry trends and what you’d like to achieve and work on, consider:

Goals you want to work on

Stretch or learning opportunities that may be coming up

Anything you want to experience

Things you want to learn more about

Potential projects/new initiatives that may be coming up that you could get involved in

Changing processes and technology that may impact your role in the future e.g. AI

Possible challenges you might need to prepare for

Charting progress, preparing for possibilities

This little bit of preparation benefits you in two primary ways.

If your annual appraisal with your manager is your MOT safety check, then this periodic career check is your ongoing maintenance. Just like checking your tyre pressure and topping up your washer fluid prior to your MOT, a quarterly career check up helps to keep your career running smoothly in the interim. It means you know your position going into your yearly review, with a catalogued inventory of your achievements and progression, and a considered view on your next steps and career development goals.
If you’re looking for a new role, it can help you navigate a course to the right opportunity – as well as capturing key information for the application and interview process, with a ready-to-go reference to your career success stories. It also means you’re prepared in the event of an out-of-the-blue proposition.

With the world changing quickly – and with it, many careers and industries – having this dedicated time to reflect can also help you to respond to those changes more effectively. By recording and reviewing your own progress throughout the year, you’ll have the ability to pivot your career direction if you’re not on track for your goals or destination – or even spot new possibilities and change your destination if that’s what’s needed.

Developing a strategy for success

Applying a little attention to your career every few months is a great way to nurture self-development and fulfilment, and this small task should be easy enough to fit in. For more benefits of focusing time on your self-development, take a look at my article on the advantages of lifelong learning.

For further support or advice on conducting a quarterly career check up, or any aspect of career development, drop me a line at meg@megburtoncoach.co.uk or book in for your free chemistry session here.

Image description: A street sign reading “Possibilities” with people walking in the background in a bustling city setting.