September is always Back to School Month (no matter how old you are)

As much as I love summer (and believe me I do!) I relish the “back to school” vibes that September brings. Shopping for school supplies with my mom and then for many years with my own children was always an end of summer highlight. The newness of the binders and freshly sharpened pencils felt like a harbinger of exciting things to come.

Now that both of my children are grown and I am past the school supply stage, I still look at September with excitement. I find that September is considered almost another new year and is definitely a time for people to assess their careers and perhaps consider “freshening up” to make a change or improvement.

Your “homework” this month is to update your work profile or career: 

·      Take a look at your LinkedIn profile. Is it up-to-date with a great photo, your most recent job experience, a professional summary and volunteer work? If not, make it current.

·      Attend a Professional Development event. Even if you are not actively searching for a job, attending a professional development event is a great way to meet and chat with people in your industry and hopefully pick up some tips and new business friends along the way.

·      Learn a new skill, or perfect one that you have. If you are not a “tech person” the world may be passing you by. Take a class either on-line or in person to get up to speed with the important technologies in your business. I am planning to take a class in Excel so I can do more than “cut and paste” on my spreadsheets!

 Let me know what your “Back to School” plans are—I’d love to hear from you.