New Year, new you! Engineers reveal what they want from their career in 2018

Many of us view the New Year as the perfect chance to make a fresh start.

In fact, almost half (46.4%) of engineering professionals admit that they have already made New Year’s resolutions for 2018.



What’s more, the majority of those (74.4%) revealed that they have made career or work-based resolutions. That’s according to the latest data from CV-Library, the UK independent job site.

The survey of 1,200 sought to explore what workers want to achieve from their career in 2018.

From the data, it’s clear that engineering professionals are feeling confident about their ability to achieve their goals, with 93.1% stating that they believe they will stick to their resolutions.

Workers were asked to share the changes that they wanted to implement to their working life this year. The top 10 include:

* Look for a new job – 69%

* Change career paths – 27.6%

* Exercise before or after work – 24.1%

* Get promoted by the end of the year – 24%

* Make a career out of their hobby – 20.7%

* Take more pride in their work – 14%

* Stand up to their boss more – 13.8%

* Leave work on time – 11.1%

* Get on better with their colleagues – 10.6%

* Be more social with their colleagues outside of work – 10.3%

The data also explored the effect these resolutions can have on morale, with the majority (93%) of engineering professionals stating that having career-based resolutions makes them feel more motivated at work.

What’s more, over a third (35.7%) have shared their goals with their colleagues, and of those that have, 80% said their colleagues are supporting them in achieving their aims.

Lee Biggins, founder and managing director of CV-Library comments on the findings: “It’s positive to see that so many engineering professionals are setting themselves up for a great start to 2018.

“With many looking for a new start in January it’s unsurprising to see that looking for a new job tops the list of New Year’s resolutions. It’s also encouraging to see that such a high percentage are confident they will be able to achieve their aims this year.

“January is the perfect time to set yourself career goals, as you return to work after the festive season and get ready for the year ahead.

“These resolutions can be the motivation you need to take the next exciting step in your career, so if you haven’t thought about yours yet, there is still plenty of time to set yourself resolutions for 2018!”

CV-Library also shared its top five tips for setting and achieving your career goals in 2018:

Set achievable goals – Whilst it might be nice to get a new job, go for a run every day before work, take on a new training course and get promoted all before the end of the year, this is not a feasible goal. Whilst you may be able to achieve this, setting your goal posts too high could put unnecessary pressure on yourself.

2. Find a job you love – Take time and care in your job search, to ensure you’re finding the best company and role for you. We spend so much of our time at work it’s important to find a job you enjoy!

3. Discover the next steps – Once you’ve set your goals, it could be time to arrange a meeting with your manager to discuss what you need to do to achieve these.

4. Stay organised – Getting yourself organised can really help you to stay on track. This could mean small changes like making your lunch the night before so it’s ready to go in the morning, or getting up an hour earlier to fit in time to go to the gym.

5. Master the art of work-life balance – Whether looking for a new job, or in your existing role, it’s important to work somewhere that encourages a good work-life balance. Aim to arrive and leave on time, avoid work emails and calls outside of office hours, and take your lunch break every day.

These steps can really make your working day much more enjoyable!