Our latest advice to inspire you to take action and create a happy career.

1. 15 Actions for a
Happy Career in
2015

2. 2015 Career Checklist
1. Learn something new
2. Volunteer your time
3. Update your CV
4. Create your pitch
5. Record your successes
6. Get strengths feedback
7. Get recommended
8. Focus on mentoring
9. Listen more
10. Be mindful
11. Get organised
12. Map your possibilities
13. Show appreciation
14. Renew your network
15. Make a manifesto

3. 1. Learn something new
WHY
The people with the happiest careers
operate with a ‘growth mindset’, continually
looking for ways to increase what they know
and how they apply it.
The more skills you have, the more
interesting and employable you are.
Learning is proven to keep you healthier and
happier!
HOW
• Read about The Growth Mindset.
• Start a course on Coursera or
Skillshare.
• Set and track your learning goals.

4. 2. Volunteer your time
WHY
Volunteering is a great way to pursue your
passions outside of your day job.
Studies have shown that volunteering
strengthens communities, is good for your
health and can even help you get a job!
Volunteering gives you the opportunity to
learn new skills, extend your network and
helps to build confidence.
HOW
• Think about how much time you
can dedicate – 1 hour a week can
still make a real difference.
• Read about 3 volunteering
opportunities that will boost your
career.
• Explore local and global
volunteering through Do It ,
Projects Abroad

5. 3. Update your CV
WHY
It’s better to get into the habit of regularly
updating your CV while you can remember
everything, even if you’re not actively
looking.
You can then easily amend your ‘master’ CV
for any specific job opportunities
When applying for a job, chances are your
CV is being reviewed alongside lots of
others. Making sure it’s as fresh as possible
will pay off.
HOW
• Top 10 tips on writing a great CV
from The Guardian
• Get someone who is good at
grammar and doesn’t know your
job to review your CV and give you
feedback.
• Make sure your CV information is
consistent with your Linked In
profile.

6. 4. Create your pitch
WHY
Your personal pitch is designed to interest
someone in who you are, what you do and
how you can benefit them.
Many people feel uncomfortable pitching
themselves so everyone ends up sounding
the same. Your personal pitch should be
compelling and authentic, so you stand out.
We’re all time poor, so your ability to pitch
yourself is a critical short-cut for people to
understand what you’re about.
HOW
• Write down your personal pitch as
a tweet in just 140 characters.
• Practice your personal pitch out
loud to yourself. Then practice
with people you feel most
comfortable with.
• Read this article on personal
pitching and read the book The
Brand Called You.

7. 5. Record your
successesWHY
Recording your successes will help build
your confidence, which will help you
succeed more, which will help your
confidence…….
You need to take accountability for
championing your own successes, don’t rely
on others, or for the work to speak for itself.
Recording your successes (big & small) will
show that you have more than you think!
HOW
• For a month keep a record of:
- Your work successes
- Your home successes
- Where you’ve helped others
succeed
• Download free ‘wins’. worksheet
• Read The Start Up of You

8. 6. Get strengths feedback
WHY
You need other people to know your
strengths so they can help you to use them
as often as possible.
The more you use your strengths the better
they will get and the more value you will
add at work, which is good for you and good
for your employer.
People often focus on areas for
improvement identified in feedback and
positive feedback gets ignored.
HOW
• Ask for feedback using this
question ‘can you tell me about a
time when you saw me at my
best?’
• Read these articles
fromHuffington Post and Life Hack.
• Give people strengths based
feedback to encourage others to
reciprocate.

9. 7. Get recommended
WHY
LinkedIn is now the first thing that recruiters
look at when researching candidates for
jobs.
LinkedIn recommendations give you the
chance to get endorsement about your
strengths and skills from an external source.
LinkedIn is also the go to site if you’re
meeting someone for the first time and it’s a
good way to expand your network.
HOW
• Read this Forbes article and the 5
step process for writing an amazing
recommendation.
• Create a list of potential
recommenders.
• Only approach people who have
worked with you closely to ensure
recommendations are personal and
authentic.

10. 8. Focus on mentoring
WHY
Having a mentor gives you the opportunity
to reflect, discuss ideas and get perspective
from someone outside of your day-to-day
working life.
Being a mentor and mentee will often help
you to expand your network.
Mentoring is a flexible development tool -
you can have one-off sessions as well as
long-term relationships.
HOW
• To find a mentor, ask someone
who knows you well for an
introduction or use online sites
such as HorsesMouth.
• Explore reverse mentoring – what
skills do you offer that more senior
people would benefit from?
• Agree the practicalities of your
mentoring from the start.

11. 9. Listen more
WHY
Listening allows you to learn more about
other people and build deeper relationships
with them.
Strong listeners are perceived as more
mature and considered.
Effective listening allows you to formulate
more intelligent and insightful questions.
HOW
• Ask a colleague to observe you in a
meeting and comment on your
listening skills.
• Put down your pen in meetings
and make sure you’re making eye
contact.
• Try this active listening test

12. 10. Be mindful
WHY
Being mindful can help you to be happier
and healthier in work and life.
Developing a mindfulness habit is proven to
bring greater focus and reduce stress.
Living in the present allows you to make the
most of opportunities and enjoy your
experiences.
HOW
• Take 10 minutes each day away
from your desk to reflect and
refocus.
• Download the Headspace app for
an accessible meditation tool.
• Take this 5 minute stress test.

13. 11. Get organised
WHY
Organising your day and your tasks will help
you stay in control and get more done.
Doing ‘first things, first’ will ensure you
prioritise the most important tasks and
don’t get distracted.
Completing your actions helps you to feel
more productive and is a source of
motivation.
HOW
• Free apps like Evernote and
Todoist can help you to keep track
of your tasks.
• Getting Things Done is a famous
process which can help you to be
more organised.
• Read these habits of highly
organised people.

14. 12. Map your
possibilitiesWHY
Many people can limit their opportunities
by only focusing on one career direction.
Mapping out multiple possibilities expands
your thinking and creates new routes to
explore.
Exploring different possibilities can build
your network and increase your knowledge.
HOW
• Write down 10 things you have
loved in your previous roles.
• Use this strengths test to identify
what you’re great at.
• Apply the things you love and the
things you are great at to map
your possibilities using this career
mapping tool.

15. 13. Show appreciation
WHY
Showing true appreciation means that you
are showing respect for and understanding
of others.
It enables you to build deeper relationships
and to contribute more value.
The most successful and happy people
invest time in developing others and giving
them positive reinforcement.
HOW
• Send people handwritten notes
thanking them for something
specific they have done for you.
• Proactively give people feedback
when you think they have done a
great job.
• Recognise and celebrate
individuals’ successes, no matter
how small.

16. 14. Renew your network
WHY
An active network will provide increased
learning and career opportunities.
Spending time maintaining relationships
with current contacts as well as adding new
contacts will help you to keep your network
fresh and relevant.
Thinking about what you contribute to your
network will help you to cement your
relationships.
HOW
• Write down and score your existing
contacts to prioritise your efforts:
- 1-5: How much value you add
- 1-5: How close is the relationship
- 1-5: How valuable they are to you
• Read this article on how to stop
your network getting cold.
• Put time in your diary each week to
ensure you invest in your network.

17. 15. Make a manifesto
WHY
A manifesto is a powerful statement of your
beliefs, motivations and ambitions.
It can help you to focus and direct your
efforts and inspire you.
A clear manifesto can help you to overcome
challenges and develop resilience.
HOW
• Be inspired by these manifestos.
• Write down your beliefs,
motivations and ambitions for
your career and life.
• Craft your words into a statement,
using strong affirmative language
and put it somewhere visible to
prompt you.

18. Who we are & what we do Our Happy Career Actions
We have a simple mission to help people
have happy careers.
We specialise in research, training and
development for the Millennial mindset.
Our work includes open training courses,
in-house company programmes and 121
career coaching.
You can find out more about us at
www.amazingif.com
Last year, we our 50 Amazing Actions
were downloaded over 500 times.
This year, we’ve produced our Career
Checklist with 15 new actions for 2015.
We hope you find this useful, please do
share it and let us know what you think
@amazing_if or you can
getintouch@amazingif.com