Clarify Your 2015 Career Vision With These 20 Questions

Clarify Your 2015 Career Vision With These 20 Questions

Do you set New Year’s resolutions? This is a powerful time of year to think about the changes you want to create in your life. It’s also a powerful time of year to revisit, revise, or redesign your career vision. Related:Top 8 Job Search Trends For 2015 A career vision is different than a set of New Year’s resolutions. It’s a big picture perspective of what you want from your career, not just this year, but for the rest of your working life. But beyond an overall career vision, it also helps to think about what you want from your career for the balance of this year. The following 20 questions will help you do exactly that.


  1. What do I want to achieve in my career this year? Are there specific stretch goals I would like attain or areas of career growth I would like to explore?
  2. What do I want career-wise by the end of 2015 that I don’t have now? Do I plan to pursue a promotion, career advancement, or new assignments this year?
  3. What would career success look like for me in 2015? What is my personal definition of career success and what do I want it to look like this year?
  4. Which aspects of my gifts or talents do I most want to leverage this year? How can I deepen my focus on my gifts in 2015?
  5. Which new skills do I most want to learn this year? What do I need to learn to improve my work performance or position myself for the next step in my career?
  6. Which skills do I most want to improve this year? What do I need to do next to improve skills I have learned in the past but am ready to take to the next level?
  7. Which of my skills do I most enjoy using? Of all the skills I possess and use in my career daily, which ones are the most important to me to keep using?
  8. Which weaknesses do I most want to lessen this year? What can I work on to reduce the likelihood my weaknesses will cause problems for me in 2015?
  9. Which aspects of my career do I most enjoy and want to do more of this year? If I could sculpt my job around just a few functions, what would they be?
  10. Which aspects of my career do I least enjoy and want to do less of this year? If I could remove just a few functions from my host of responsibilities, which ones would I most want to ditch?
  11. What do I need to do this year to stay on track with my 5-, 10-, and 15-year career goals? How can I advance my mid- to long-term career goals over the course of the next 12 months?
  12. How would I like to evolve my personal brand in 2015? Which specific aspects of my career brand can I enhance over the next year?
  13. What specific quantifiable impacts did I have on my employer in 2014? How did I influence revenue, profitability, productivity, cost containment, or efficiency?
  14. What were my most significant achievements in 2014? Which accomplishments have been most meaningful to me personally?
  15. How do my impacts and achievements influence my career brand? In what ways do these impacts and achievements expand or strengthen my brand?
  16. Which of my career passions most demands my attention now? In what directions are my career passions taking me these days?
  17. How have my values changed in 2015? What shifts have I noticed over the last year in what I value?
  18. In what ways do I need to alter my career this year in order to remain aligned with my values? As my values continue to evolve, how I can continue to honor them in the year ahead?
  19. What upcoming opportunities do I wish to take advantage of in 2015? What do I see coming down the pike? How can I get ready for it?
  20. What threats much I be prepared to rebuff this year? What problems do I see emerging in my role, my company, my industry, or my geographic area, and how can I resolve them proactively?
Can you see how your responses to these questions can help direct your career growth in 2015? Coincidentally, they can also help shape and influence your job search strategies, should you elect to launch a search this year. If you’d find it helpful to have these questions in a handout that includes a worksheet for organizing your responses, feel free to download my complimentary 2015 Career Vision Planner.

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About the author

A 15-time, award-winning resume writer, Cheryl Lynch Simpson serves mid-career to senior executives as a credentialed resume writer (ACRW), LinkedIn strategist (COPNS), and Get Clear, Get Found, Get Hired (G3) coach. Like her advice? Check out her website, ExecutiveResumeRescue.com for a complimentary copy of her popular Polish Your Profile LinkedIn presentation, or follow her on Twitter!   Disclosure: This post is sponsored by a CAREEREALISM-approved expert. You can learn more about expert posts here.Photo Credit: Shutterstock
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