It's meant to be Blue Monday today, but instead we want to talk all the positive things you can look to do for 2021 when it comes to work. Whether it’s finally earning that promotion or switching jobs completely, working from home shouldn’t stop you from achieving your career goals in 2021. Easier said than done? We wanted to provide first hand experiences to make our tips relatable af.

Embrace the WFH lifestyle. 

There's so much chat about the future of working...will we ever go back to offices? Will companies just only work remotely from now on? The answer is likely a mix of both with a more flexible approach to home working, but with 2021 starting full time home based you'd best make sure you're on top of your work from home game. Those who are proactive and willing to embrace these new ways of working will benefit hugely. 

Our three main tips…

1. You have the time for E-learning / learning new skills...the most popular thing we've seen candidates learning right now is digital marketing and SEO, you can find an epic list of free courses here. 

2. Businesses that have thrived during the pandemic have been those that are agile and can change their offering or way of working to respond to changing demands – and to do so effectively requires agile leadership. Try to fit in with that flexibility, and show that you’re willing to go beyond the remit of your job description to pitch in. Likewise when applying for roles try to show your diverse skillset and flexibility.

3. Don’t neglect your own wellbeing. I can lose a day in bed easily emailing before realising i've not moved/eaten all day and my back is shot to bits, so try to do the following daily to help with motivation and productivity: Ensuring you get fresh air with a faux commute walk, Utilising a standing desk/space outside of the bedroom to work, fresh ginger & honey tea on the go (or matcha if i've got £££). You can also listen to the experts with top tips for active rest here. 

Take more initiative & responsibility.

The best career advice I ever received was don’t wait to be given responsibility – take responsibility and be clear on your purpose (thanks Serge Dive). To me, this couldn’t be more relevant to our current world of work. Being proactive, confident and open-minded at work, or in your job search, will help forge a positive path ahead.

Our three main tips…

1. Don’t let uncertainty hold you back. With new tougher restrictions in place across the UK, it’s understandable that many of us are feeling apprehensive about our careers. My advice is to not let this stop you from going for new opportunities and taking risks.....heck i decided to keep a travel recruitment biz going during a pandemic. At the very least you’ll learn something new.

2. Keep your goals in focus. Having some clear career goals will keep you focused and engaged in your job. Allow these to be flexible as things continue to change, but keep them in your sights.

3. Connect to your organisation’s purpose. With so much change clouding our world of work, feeling connected to the purpose of your job and organisation will keep you grounded and motivated. When job seeking it's important to seek companies with a similar purpose and value system to your own, for example being a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, i use our platform to promote diversity in the workplace.

Stop focusing on what others are doing.

We can get sucked into all the reasons that people are more impressive than us or why we aren’t as capable or qualified as we think we should be. This year I encourage you ditch the self-criticism and know your worth. How you perceive yourself affects everything - from the way you show up to the energy you emit. It’s a game changer. (Reading 'the life changing magic of not giving a f*ck' will help fyi).

Our three main tips…(Inspo from Caroline Britton, life coach)

1. Process and release your insecurities. Our ego loves nothing more than to list all our faults and past mistakes. The best thing to do is get really clear with the narrative about who you are and what you are capable of. Write down all the ways in which you feel you are not enough, worthy enough, good enough and then take them to task. Write opposing arguments, ask loved ones to argue against them, and ask yourself how you could view it differently. 

2. Build your confidence. Write a list of all the reasons why you are proud of yourself. All the reasons you are unique. Write down anything that feels true to who you really are and if it is something that you have previously seen as a pitfall then pivot it to something positive. Many of your superpowers will be hidden in what you have been telling yourself doesn’t fit in. 

3. Practice doing something scary each day. The scary things tend to be the most expansive. So, think about something that feels exciting and then get moving forwards with it. These things don’t need to be colossal – it can be contacting someone you want to work with, speaking up in a meeting, asking to change roles, buying the domain for your business idea. Just think if you do one scary thing each day – that adds up to a lot over the year. For us it was SEO - i knew nada about it and taught myself everything from backlinks to meta-data in a few months. Conquer those fears!!