Five tips to make the most of Career Development Month

November 5, 7:40 AMEntry Level Careers ExaminerHeather Huhman

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No doubt the economic turbulence over the past year has shifted the way you are viewing your future career. Perhaps you’ve decided to take your time completing your undergraduate degree or attend graduate school to wait out the recession. Or, if you’re a regular reader of my column, you have a firm plan to not only secure an entry-level job, but also succeed in the position once you begin.

What many people fail to realize is that career advancement is still important and attainable, even when the job market seems to be shrinking, says Katy Piotrowski, author of “The Career Coward’s Guide to Career Advancement.”

November is National Career Development Month and the perfect time for you to get your career goals on track. To make the most out of National Career Development Month and continue building momentum beyond it, Piotrowski encourages you to:

1. Join and participate in some kind of community or career group to expand your contacts as well as your world view. Twenty to thirty clubs made up of young professionals exist in many communities. These get-togethers force you to meet new people while learning new things, and you can't help but grow in your career under those circumstances.

2. Look for opportunities to get involved in local and national professional conferences. Being exposed to the best-of-the-best in your field can be so valuable, plus many associations will accept volunteer hours in exchange for conference fees. From learning about techniques to improve your professional prowess, to exchanging ideas with like-minded colleagues, national conferences can help you create a vision for your career future in a multitude of ways.

3. Capitalize on your gifts through activities of your own making. Excel in writing, but it isn't part of your job description? Compose articles that highlight your expertise and submit them to Web sites, blogs and publications that can benefit from your know-how. Possess strengths in planning? Put together an improvement proposal for some aspect of your workplace, and present it for consideration. Even if your ideas aren't always accepted, you'll still be tapping into your talents.

4. Challenge yourself to create a list of educational and professional successes you've accomplished in the past year. Scan your syllabi, calendar and computer files to remind yourself of what you've faced and handled. Then jot down a few key pieces of data about each success—timeframe completed, money saved, people impacted. Voila! You've just created a success database—a valuable tool for building résumés, preparing for job interviews and reminding yourself that your career is making a difference.

5. Be sure you have a "golden ring" to aim for. Spend some time reflecting on what will inspire and jazz you career-wise in the future, then jot down some career targets to keep you moving forward.

For more career advice, visit my new blog at HeatherHuhman.com.