Federal Employment Opportunities in 2021

Updated on OCTOBER 03, 2020 by JOSEPH MERCER

Federal Employment Opportunities in 2021

2020 was a very interesting year with the virus, protests, and much more. Many people lost their jobs and with the coming of 2021 even more people will be looking for a job. Federal jobs come with a lot of benefits and with a good pay level. Not to mention the federal government has a wide variety of jobs, covering just about every industry. Getting a federal job isn’t like getting a job in the private sector though. Today we are going to look at federal employment opportunities that will be available in 2021, some things to consider, and some tips for getting a federal job in 2021.

The New Government

With Trump losing the election, Joe Biden has become the next President of the United States of America. This means that the federal government will be undergoing a fair amount of changes. Those who aligned with Trump will likely either be leaving or be replaced. Not just that but that also means there will be new jobs coming that didn’t exist before.

One of the most likely jobs to be added to the federal government is jobs having to do with police accountability. The democratic party has been pushing for changes in law enforcement and President Biden is likely to make changes there too.

Another impact of the new government on the federal job market is the fact that Biden is pro-worker. He wants to help the individual worker be able to live a life without having to work three jobs just to survive. One of the things that he is working on is making a $15 an hour minimum wage, including for federal workers. Also included in his agenda is the purchase of over 400 billion worth of American products. Not only will this help the American economy but it will help provide Federal jobs to manage purchases and to distribute those purchases.

COVID Related Jobs

COVID-19 has had a huge impact around the world. As 2021 is just starting we are also just starting to roll out the vaccine. The previous administration did not do a good job at handling the task of distributing the vaccine. Now that we have multiple vaccines and a new administration the federal government is going to need people to help with the fight against COVID, which means plenty of new jobs related to COVID-19.

More is needed than simply COVID screeners.

New Openings

In 2020 some federal employees had to continue to go to work because their jobs were essential, but not all of them. Some were out of a job due to the virus. Now that the vaccine is being distributed we are going to be on our way back to normalcy. Of course, we don’t expect it to happen all at once and evidence says that it could take some time, but the federal government is an essential starting point to opening the country back up.

Do Federal Pay Charts Go Up?

Pay is an important consideration in any job. With federal employment, you get good benefits and decent pay. COVID has had a financial impact on everyone, including the federal government. With that impact in mind, many people are wondering if the federal government is giving a cost of living raise. Federal employment pay charts went up 1% as the cost of living rose. It may not sound like much but it will help employees with their taxes and give them a little extra money every paycheck.

5 Steps To Get Federal Employment in 2021

Get The COVID Vaccine

Eventually, it is likely that the vaccine will be a requirement for employment at a variety of different locations. Getting the vaccine, if you are able to, will put you ahead of the game and make you an attractive candidate for a federal job. Not just will the vaccine make it safer for you to be working out in public, it will prevent you from getting sick and needing to miss days at work.

Getting the COVID vaccine is a highly debatable issue around the United States so we do not want to pressure you to get the vaccine. We are just giving a recommendation based on predictions being made around the country.

Keep Your Federally Formatted Resume Updated

The Federal Government expects a different kind of resume than your typical private-sector job. Take your resume and convert it into what the federal government is expecting from you. As the year goes by making sure that you keep that resume updated. Without this properly formatted resume, you will have a significantly smaller chance of getting a job with a traditional resume.

Plenty of resources are available to help you craft your Federal resume. Make sure to find a reliable resource to help you get your resume in top condition for your application.

It can be quite helpful to have someone else read over your resume to find any errors. Sometimes we aren’t the best critics when it comes to reviewing our own work.

Bookmark and Check USAJobs

While many agencies have their own websites for job opportunities, the vast majority of job applications are posted through USAJobs. USAJobs is the clearinghouse for all US Government jobs. In order to make sure you are aware of all jobs being posted in your areas, make sure to check USA Jobs regularly. If you don’t already have an account you need to make one. You can upload a copy of your Federal resume and other information to the site to use as needed.

In addition to creating an account and checking regularly, you can use a wonderful feature on the site to search for careers in your area then save that search. You can get notifications when that search gets updates. Knowing as soon as a job comes available gives you the opportunity to prepare your application with the most time possible. You never know what a job will ask for, some require you to send copies of certifications or degrees, some may also require you to take tests. Getting to these early helps to account for any problems that you might encounter.

Double and Triple Check Everything

With any job you apply to, whether in the Federal arena or private one, a single mistake can make a big

difference between getting an interview and not. Especially when it comes near the beginning of your resume or the beginning of your application. For that reason alone you need to make sure that your application is completely error-free. Errors don’t just cost you the job, they can make you look less professional. If you do make it through the application process to interviews, those errors could be (depending on the error) the decision-maker.

One of the best things that you can do for your application is to write everything in Word and use spell check. The spell-check will help to catch errors you miss but it doesn’t hurt to read through the content yourself multiple times to catch errors. The spell check is not perfect. Grammarly offers a free web-based grammar checker that not only tells you what is wrong but gives you an explanation of why it is wrong.

Just like we mentioned in the resume section, having someone review your application can be a big plus. Another set of eyes can help you not only to catch errors but to find areas where wording can be changed to maximize the way you say things. Good phrasing can make your application stand out amongst all the rest, to make you the best candidate out of the pile.

 

Sign-up For Career Motivation For Up-To-Date Information

Getting up-to-date information on Federal jobs and the Federal application process is crucial to ensure you get what you want, a federal job. One of the best ways to do that is to sign up for http://www.career-motivation.com. At Career Motivation, we have career information on the Federal employment system, insights, recommendations, and news to make the application process easier.

Many other websites are out there to help with Federal jobs but Career Motivation utilizes a variety of resources, real-life experiences, and news sources to help users get what they need. Having more than one source can be helpful so we do recommend getting information from a variety of sources so that you get as many inputs as possible.

Federal government jobs are among the most sought after for a reason, they provide a good retirement and a lot of options. Not only that, once you are in a Federal position you can move within the government to any position that you are eligible for with much greater ease. Take this guide and start on your path to getting a Federal job in 2021. It is a year that will be pro-worker and will have new job opportunities on the Federal level.

Thank you for reading — it means a lot to me. I appreciate your sharing as well. Please follow me on Medium, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn — I’d love to connect and be a part of your network team. On social media I share my own articles, but also those that I find helpful and relevant to business, success, entrepreneurship, leadership, community enhancement, and personal development. You can find out more about us at www.career-moviation.com.

How To Navigate The Federal Hiring Process

Updated on OCTOBER 03, 2020 by JOSEPH MERCER

How To Navigate The Federal Hiring Process

 

Many people want to find federal jobs not for the pay but for the benefits and the job security. As most of us know though, the government is a massive machine that can be complex and doing anything takes time. What you also probably know about the federal government is that if you know how to navigate it properly, you can speed almost anything up.

Today we are going to take a look at how to properly navigate the federal hiring process so you can not only have the best chances of getting the job but expedite the process too. Make sure that you read every step.

A Brief Overview

Before we go any further we want to give you a brief overview of the process. For most government jobs the process has nine different steps. These steps can take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks. Not only that, but job postings can remain posted for up to 60 days and they must close before human resources looks at the applicants. Here are the nine steps that happen after a posting has reached its closing time:

●        The posting officially closes

●        Applications are reviewed by human resources

●        Qualifications are reviewed and used to filter applicants

●        Interviews are planned

●        A basic background check is conducted

●        Interviews are conducted

●        The Hiring Manager selects the best applicant for the job

●        A job offer is extended to the applicant

●        Theoretically the applicant accepts the offer

While we review these steps and the process a few of them may be merged together to simplify the explanation. This is one of the reasons it is important to read every step we cover.

Submit Your Application

The first step to getting hired at a federal job is to submit your application. Jobs are announced and applied for on USAJOBS. You will need to sign up and create a profile here: https://www.usajobs.gov/. USAJOBS doesn’t just host the applications it simplifies the application process so you can reuse information for future applications. Before you continue to submitting your application we highly recommend selecting to have the job search feature automated so you receive emails with any relevant job.

Once you find a job on USAJOBS start the application process. Make sure to fill out everything as requested by the website. If a form element or other instruction contains something specific follow it. The government is very picky about how they want things done and if you don’t do it their way, you will risk not being a real candidate for the position.

Take the time to double check everything. Make sure all attachments are present, instructions are followed, and that you have proofread everything. With everything done and double checked click the submit button at the bottom and follow any additional instructions provided.

Behind The Scenes Part 1

As soon as the application period closes the first series of behind the scenes steps begins. During this step all of the applications are reviewed by human resources from the agency that is doing the hiring. At this stage they are looking for any glaring or straight forward problems with an application.

Out of the yes pile that HR has created, the hiring manager shortens that pile even further. The hiring manager looks at qualifications and experience to determine whether the person will be a good candidate or not. These steps depend on the number of applicants and the number of people dedicated to working on vetting candidates.

The Interview Scheduling

Now that the yes pile has been filtered down a fair amount the hiring manager will start one of the harder processes, contacting candidates to schedule interviews. Not only does the agency need to find times that work for both the candidates and the agency, but getting a hold of candidates can take a good amount of time. Factor in the need for some candidates to travel and it can be quite obvious why it can take weeks or more to schedule all of the interviews.

After an interview has been scheduled and before the interview is conducted, a member of human resources conducts a basic background check. This check is to verify the information you put on your resume and ensure that there are no glaring red flags that may not be on your resume. For entry level jobs at many agencies, this background check may be enough. However, for jobs that need a security clearance or are higher level, you will likely need another background check after the interview.

The Interview

Interviews will vary depending on the job that you are applying for. Some jobs may have one interview while others may have several levels of interviews. It is essential to do some research into what kind of interview and how many interviews are customary for the position you are applying for. Having this information before the interview will help you to be prepared.

A decent amount of time can go by between when the interviews are all arranged and when they are all conducted. Again, this varies greatly on the number of people who applied and ended up in the yes pile.

Behind The Scenes Part 2

As long as no further interviews need to be conducted, it is time for the second set of behind the scenes steps. The first step is to finalize any information had on the candidates. This step does not happen with every interview but will happen when multiple people are involved in the interview or there are multiple interviews.

Once all of the information is available, the hiring manager has to make a decision on which candidate best matches the job and the job requirements. Typically this step only takes a few days as a fair amount of the candidates will be ruled out during the interview.

For jobs with the more than one interview, the process will still look relatively the same. The main difference is that before this step the multiple interviews will be conducted. While the interviews might mean more time in between the first interview and an offer being extended, with more interviews, more candidates are eliminated.

A Job Offer Is Extended

Once the best candidate for the job, also referred to as the preferred candidate, is found, a job offer will be extended. This job offer means that the government is interested in hiring that person. In most cases the government will not notify every candidate that an offer has been extended to someone. In some cases you will get an email that you are no longer in the running for the position.

A job offer being extended doesn’t mean that a position is necessarily off the board yet. The preferred candidate then has to accept the job offer. Sometimes this happens right away. For example, when the job is something that they have always wanted they will accept the job right away. Others may take longer to choose, such as when the person might be waiting to see if they get any other offers. Negotiations over the job offer may also further extend the amount of time that the offer sits out there.

If the person declines the job offer the hiring manager will decide whether there is another preferred candidate or if they have to start part or all of the process over again. This will also involve department policy and whether or not there are enough candidates. Rarely will you know if this happens. In many cases they will either relist the position or reach out to you for another interview.

Specific Job Hiring Processes

Wondering whether your job has one interview or goes straight to the process of picking the preferred candidate? A little research can be done into a position to help find more information on the hiring process for a specific position. You may have to look off USAJOBS and on the Agency’s website under the career section. A Google search may also help you find the details either on the agency site, on a hiring website, or on someone’s blog.

Occasionally you might find a job that doesn’t have specifics about the hiring process. If this happens and you have put effort into finding the process you can contact the agency you want to apply for. When you contact them make sure to word the email politely and mention that you attempted to find the information elsewhere. Also make sure to word the email in a way that makes you seem interested in the position.

Applying for a government job has gotten a lot easier since the introduction of USAJOBS. Even with the hiring website though, there is still an air of mystery around the process. We hope that this article has helped to make the process clearer for you. The most important tip that we can leave for you is to read everything available on the position. Much of the information you need during the application process can be found either in the application instructions, on the agency website, or in the job listing.

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Here's what you'll learn:

• Why you should ditch most resume-writing tips that focus on business resumes
• How to analyze federal job announcements and read between the lines
• How to make your skills and work experience really stand out
• How to avoid the typical mistakes that make most resumes look unprofessional
• How to write a cover letter that truly highlights your awesomeness
• And much more!

Need Help With Your Federal Resume?

I've have over a decade of experience writing reviewing and recommending federal job applicant resumes. CLICK HERE to learn more about how we can help you get hired for that dream federal position.

Thank you for reading — it means a lot to me. I appreciate your sharing as well. Please follow me on Medium, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn — I’d love to connect and be a part of your network team. On social media I share my own articles, but also those that I find helpful and relevant to business, success, entrepreneurship, leadership, community enhancement, and personal development. You can find out more about us at www.career-moviation.com.

How to Get More Federal Job Referrals by Using the C.A.R. Resumes

Updated on MARCH 09, 2020 by JOSEPH MERCER

Knowing This Information Can Get You Hired!

Writing the perfect resume can be challenging, but putting your experience into a Federal Resume C.A.R. format can make it even more so. C.A.R. (Challenge, Action, and Results) is an essential need for any Federal H.R. Specialist to assess your abilities and skills. This is vital when it comes to an open job vacancy that you are applying for. This type of resume is critical as it provides the context and scope for your experience and will allow you to showcase your extraordinary potential.

While working on your resume, you should center your C.A.R. story on the qualifications that are required for the position you are applying for. You want to give the hiring staff a reason to hire you, and they want to see that you meet the qualification. Even if your experience in something is nothing less than spectacular, unless it’s needed for the job your applying for, then leave it out. You don’t want to waste an H.R. Specialist’s time.

How to Develop and Write Your C.A.R. Story

The anatomy of a C.A.R. story is everything. It’s essential to understand that when you write your story, a prospective employee would rather see eight results-oriented accomplishments over a bunch of generic job responsibilities. Keep in mind that your past success will mean future success to a potential employer. This is, after all, your job resume is not a job description. Sufficient and detailed information will be the strategy you need to take to rise above all the other candidates and get the interview you need to shine.

A well-written resume is a marketing tool for a successful job search campaign. With all forms of printed communication, you may need a few revisions to make sure it’s at the standard it needs to be. As you edit and refine your resume and preparing for an interview, you are telling a C.A.R. story.

What is C.A.R.?

The C.A.R. format is used in the experience section of your resume to provide scope, definition, and legitimacy to the experience factors you claim qualifies you for the position. These experience claims should be are tailored around the list of job qualifications outlined in the vacancy announcement. The acronym C.A.R. stands for Challenge, Action, and Results.

CHALLENGE

C (Challenge) – The challenge is often a specific problem or organizational goal that had to be accomplished. When it comes to your resume, each achievement you list is a challenge that you have successfully responded to and not just an accomplishment of a task. Remember the bigger the challenge the more significant the results will appear to the HR Specialist and Hiring Authority.

ACTION

A (Action) – The specific actions taken by you to address the challenge. Demonstrating yourself as an achiever will take a compelling presentation of all your actions. This will show that you are a results driven individual, who make things happen, and will get the results your prospective employer wants. Make sure to use strong action verbs to present this information on your resume.

RESULTS

R (Results) – The are specific, measured, and tangible examples of the results of your actions. This is the evidence that your accomplishments and skills have been successful. These results MUST accomplish two things. First they must demonstrate that you were able to solve the problem. Second, they must provide either quantitative(metrics) and/or qualitative facts to backup your assessment of success.

How is C.A.R. Used?

HR Specialist are interested in hearing your story. More specifically, the story of your career experiences and accomplishments. When it comes to telling the story of your career experience, IT MUST BE compelling, well-defined, understandable, and concise. This is where C.A.R. is most valuable. It tells your story in a meaningful manner without it turning into a  Harry Potter novel.

C.A.R. Tips

Below are some additional tips concerning the use of the C.A.R. format that will help you when you create your resume and examples.

Challenge

• Keep it brief and with enough detail to get the point across.
• Provide context, talk about people or groups that you may have worked with and the environment that you worked in  - This will help others understand the significance of the challenge
• Keep the challenge in a positive context, never speak negatively about the organization or past colleagues

Action

• Highlight the steps taken to address the challenge
• Focus on your ability to solve problems within the organization you are applying for
• Summarize as much as possible - the H.R. Specialists will only have so much time to review your resume

Results

• Provide specific examples of your results
• Present your results in measurable and tangible facts (Use numbers and percentages in your story as much as possible)
• Talk about your overall results
• Don't be modest

The experience section of your resume is your chance to showcase your "Awesomeness." You want to show them. If you have a hard time presenting your experience details, C.A.R. will help you through this process. Ask yourself what the stories are behind my accomplishments. Consider what was going on at my last position - what issues were you tasked to take on and address. When it comes to your resume, give the reader some background. You don’t have to write a novel, just a small hint or blurb to entice them. You want to show off your skills and accomplishments in a compelling way to impress your prospective employer.

Make Sure to Read My New Book

ORDER NOW

Here's what you'll learn:

• Why you should ditch most resume-writing tips that focus on business resumes
• How to analyze federal job announcements and read between the lines
• How to make your skills and work experience really stand out
• How to avoid the typical mistakes that make most resumes look unprofessional
• How to write a cover letter that truly highlights your awesomeness
• And much more!

Need Help With Your Federal Resume?

I've have over a decade of experience writing reviewing and recommending federal job applicant resumes. CLICK HERE to learn more about how we can help you get hired for that dream federal position.

Thank you for reading — it means a lot to me. I appreciate your sharing as well. Please follow me on Medium, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn — I’d love to connect and be a part of your network team. On social media I share my own articles, but also those that I find helpful and relevant to business, success, entrepreneurship, leadership, community enhancement, and personal development. You can find out more about us at www.career-moviation.com.

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A Different Look: Private Sector vs Federal Job Resumes

Updated on JANUARY 10, 2020 by JOSEPH MERCER

Knowing the Difference Can Get You Hired! 

A resume for one industry is not the same as a resume for another industry. With that in mind, different sectors also have different resumes. Federal jobs use a different style of resume than a private sector job.

Why do you need to know the difference? In order to be the best candidate for a job, you should have the right resume. To help you with that process, we are going to take a look at the biggest differences between private sector resumes and federal job resumes.

Specific Requirements

Most private sector jobs just assume that you know what should be included in your resume. This isn’t very helpful for someone who is applying to work in a position they have never held before. One great part of federal job listings it that they will often include specific details about what they are expecting from your resume.

These details include length, how far back information should be provided for, what is relevant, and any other specific information. Make sure to read this before starting to write your resume. You don’t want to have to go back and change everything you have written.

A specific requirement to keep an eye out for is an essay or short response section. Depending on the level of federal job that you are applying to, you may be asked to write an essay or short response. Missing this will almost always cause you to be disqualified from the position you are applying to.

Generic Resume Vs. Specific Resume

While you might be able to get away with using one resume for all of your applications in the private sector, especially if they are all in the same industry, this doesn’t work for the federal resume. Your federal resume should be tailored to the position you are applying for. This is important as each position has different requirements and they are looking for you to demonstrate those requirements on the resume.

Also remember the first bullet point. Federal jobs often give specific requirements for how you format your resume and what to include in it. A generic resume will not fit that need.

Length of the Resume

If you have ever written a public sector resume you know the challenge of trying to pair the document down to one page, two-page max. Public sector hiring managers do not want to read overly long documents and would rather have a very brief overview of everything you have done in your career.

A federal job resume is far more detailed. Before being considered for a federal, military, or contractor job, the government wants to make sure they know who they are hiring. Instead of the two-page max, a federal resume can end up being around 5-8 pages depending on your work experience and education.

In the end, your private sector resume will be a quick and easy read, guided by the bullet points, while the federal sector resume will read more like a paper about yourself.

Detailed Contact Information Vs General Contact Information

One of the details that a federal resume requires is the contact information for everyone listed on the resume. On your resume, you should have your phone number, email address, and mailing address. You can often leave at least the mailing address off private sector resumes now that there is such a large focus on email communication.

For each job listed on a federal resume you also have to list contact information for each supervisor or manager that you have had. At a federal job, they will contact each manager or supervisor as a recommendation.

Bullet Points Vs Descriptions

When most people think of resumes, they think of bullet point documents that list out a very brief description of either a task or skill related to that job. These bullet points are typically limited to three or four bullet points per job title you have had. Each bullet point is as compact as possible, less than a line in the document.

In the federal sector, you are expected to write a paragraph description for each position you have held. In this paragraph, you are expected to give a detailed description of your job duties and skills associated with that job. 

Keywords

In general, on a private sector resume, you are going to want to intersperse keywords throughout your resume to make it appealing and to hit everything. With the federal style resume, you are going to instead put keywords at the beginning of every section or paragraph. This helps to start with the basic relevant information then get detailed from there. As you imagine, this makes sorting through hundreds or thousands of resumes for one position much easier.

When adding keywords to a federal resume you can write them all caps to help make them stand out. 

Accomplishments

Not every civilian resume lists accomplishments but when they do, it tends to be as a small part of the overall resume. Federal-style resumes include an accomplishments section where you highlight things you have accomplished through your career and in your education.

Education

Almost all resumes require that you put any education you have gone through on them. The difference is that in private sector resumes you tend to only put your school name, graduation date, and what you specialized in. You might also put any clubs or extracurricular you participated in.

For a federal resume, you are going to want to put in all of the details about your schooling. From your GPA to your years attended, to any special accomplishments, you don’t want to hold back. The only thing you should leave off is a list of your classes as that would likely be pretty long.

Veteran Status

If you are veteran apply for a federal position it is essential that you make it clear on your resume that you served. Almost all federal positions have what is known as veterans preference. This gives you extra points when your application is being weighed. Depending on the position that you are applying for, you may be able to get more than just extra points due to your veteran status.

When writing a resume for any job position it doesn’t hurt to go and look at samples. Just remember to look at samples that are as similar as possible to the position that you are applying for. That includes looking at private sector samples vs. federal samples. Make sure to use the right format and the right language for each resume that you write. With this list, you should be equipped to start your resume and craft a winning final product.

Need Help With Your Federal Resume?

I've have over a decade of experience writing reviewing and recommending federal job applicant resumes. CLICK HERE to learn more about how we can help you get hired for that dream federal position.

Thank you for reading — it means a lot to me. I appreciate your sharing as well. Please follow me on Medium, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn — I’d love to connect and be a part of your network team. On social media I share my own articles, but also those that I find helpful and relevant to business, success, entrepreneurship, leadership, community enhancement, and personal development. You can find out more about us at www.career-moviation.com.

Sources:

https://www.military.com/veteran-jobs/career-advice/resume-writing/difference-between-private-industry-and-federal-resumes.html

https://va.org/private-industry-vs-federal-job-resumes-apples-and-oranges/

https://thecareerexperts.com/jobseekers/resume-writing/differences-between-federal-resumes-and-corporate-resumes/

https://money.usnews.com/money/blogs/outside-voices-careers/2015/10/16/federal-resumes-vs-private-sector-resumes-whats-the-difference  

https://www.careerproplus.com/blog/private-industry-vs-federal-resumes-whats-the-difference/

https://www.job-hunt.org/federal-government-job-search/federal-resume-myths.shtml

https://www.resume-place.com/2017/12/stop-making-federal-resume-mistakes/

Ten Ways to Deal With a Lack of Motivation in Your Career

Updated on JANUARY 02, 2020 by JOSEPH MERCER

Being in a career with a lack of motivation is a good way to become stagnant and find yourself in the same place for a long period of time. A lack of motivation can lead to a lack of upward momentum and some people even experience depression. Most people have at least one point in their career where they experience a lack of motivation. The good news is that there are multiple ways you can deal with a lack of motivation.

Know Your Career and Your Career Path

It isn’t uncommon to take a job just to get your foot in the door to an industry. Just being in a career though. You need to determine what career you want to go into.

After you know what career you want to take up, you are going to need to decide what the path to your end goal is. Do you want to end up as a director? Running your own business? Manager? Etc. How are you going to get there? You may want to move from being in your position to being in a senior position doing what you do, to becoming a manager, and so on. Chart out your career path and save this chart, along with all of the other material you use when following these tips so you can reference it later.

Take A Look At All You Have Done

Chances are that if you are starting to lack motivation in your career you have been in the field for a while. No matter what you do for work if you have been in the field a while you have had a chance to leave your mark. Take a look at all of the work you have done. That work is an accomplishment you should be proud of.

Use that accomplishment to motivate you to continue doing well and to exceed your past performance. Challenge yourself to do more.

Set Goals For Yourself

Along the same lines as the first tip, you can use goals that you establish for future work to help as motivation. Create a list of achievable goals that you can use as a reference while you work to achieve them. Without written goals, most people have a hard time following through.

Make sure that your goals have milestones so that your progress can be tracked. Progress helps to build motivation in between the achievement of individual goals. For example, if your goal is to make 50 sales in a month, a milestone might be to be halfway there in the middle of the month.

Take Stock and Be Patient

Sometimes we tend to expect forward momentum consistently throughout our careers. This is rather unfair to ourselves. We can’t move forward until we have thoroughly learned our current position and had the time to demonstrate it as such.

Take a few deep breaths when you are feeling a lack of motivation and remember this is helping you get to where you want to be.

Make Time To Sleep

According to the CDC, only 2 out of every 3 Americans get enough sleep. Per the guidelines that the CDC has set forth, they recommend that an adult get no less than 7 hours of sleep in order to function properly and recuperate every day.

Being emotionally and physically exhausted often stems from a lack of sleep. If either or both happen, you will have a very hard time finding your motivation. For the sake of your career, it is important to make time to sleep.

Many will argue that they are too busy every day to get enough sleep. Sleep is important enough that you need to make time to get a minimum of 7 hours of sleep, if not more. With sleep, you will find that you will be energized and ready to work.

Take A Vacation

A good amount of the time when we start to lack motivation it is because we haven’t taken a break from work. Doing the same thing every day can quickly get tiresome and feel repetitive. Take a break away from work and relax.

If your current employer does not offer adequate vacation time, it may be time to move your career to a new place of business.

Find A Mentor

Most businesses do not have a formal membership program, although that is slowly changing. Big companies like Intel, General Electric, Time Warner Cable, Boeing, and Liberty Mutual have high-quality mentorship programs in place. For those of us who work at a company that doesn’t have one of these programs in place, we need to find our own mentor

.

Once you have a mentor they will help you to develop a plan for your career. They can’t tell you what your motivation is or where you should go but they can help you work to discover it.

It May Be Time To Move Up

Sometimes a lack of motivation is a sign that you have been in your position too long and it is time to move up or start learning to take a new position. Start looking into new positions at your employer or studying content that will help you move up.

Consider Moving To A New Company

Not every company is the same to work for. Every company has different benefits packages and different specific niches. Take a look at your company and evaluate if it is where you truly want to work. If the answer is no, it is time to look for a new employer so you can start to find your motivation again.

Change Your Work Environment

It can be pretty difficult to find motivation in a career if the workplace isn’t designed to fuel motivation. Take a look at your environment and determine if it needs a change.

The first thing to do to make an environment motivational is to make it a caring and visually appealing environment. Stock white walls with no decorations and glaring fluorescent lights make a place feel inhuman. A little decoration can go a long way towards motivating employees.

By adding standing desks or desks that can raise, you can get employees off their feet and help to stimulate blood flow. With this ability, they will be better able to find their motivation.

These are just a few tips to change your environment. If you don’t have your own office, talk with your employer to get permission to change your environment. Going into that discussion armed with statistics, facts, information, and sources can help you to demonstrate to an employer how the changes can benefit their business.

Using these tips you can start to overcome a lack of motivation. An important part of that is being committed to success. If you do not commit you will find yourself having trouble discovering your motivation. Get out there now and seize your career.

Thank you for reading — it means a lot to me. I appreciate your sharing as well. Please follow me on Medium, Twitter, Facebook, or LinkedIn — I’d love to connect and be a part of your network team. On social media I share my own articles, but also those that I find helpful and relevant to business, success, entrepreneurship, leadership, community enhancement, and personal development. You can find out more about us at www.career-moviation.com.