Imagine entering 2021 with confidence—you're so invested in yourself that you're able to set yourself up for success in your career.

Do you like the picture in your head? Now how about making it a reality? 

It's time you stop imagining and start doing. A lot has changed in 2020; everybody made efforts to go online. As proof, Zoom boosted to the top of the most downloaded apps in 2020.

This substantial digital shift has also impacted the employment bubble significantly. When everything's online, new sets of skills are needed, and competition becomes fiercer.

Despite the changes 2020 gave us, you can still navigate your career to go in the direction you want, but you need to start preparing. 

Here are 5 evergreen and timely career tips that you need to make it big this 2021. 

1. Invest in Your Personal Branding

Is there more room on your New Year's Resolution List? Well, make room for "improving my personal branding". 

No matter what industry you're in, personal branding is valuable. It's your story—your worth, your competencies, and your vision combined. It paints the idea of you and shows why people should notice you. 

When you invest in your personal branding, you're able to create your image in people's minds the way you want it to be. 

Increase your chances as an online job seeker with more practical tips to enhance your personal branding with our other article, which you can read here.

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2. Upgrade Your Skill Set 

With the major shift in employment, new skill sets have proven to be more in demand than others. On top of that, competition has become fiercer than ever—so make sure you're not falling behind in the trend. 

When you're in the pursuit of learning, you allow yourself to shine bright. There's nothing more eye-catching in a resume than your skillset—so you have to make sure that it's attractive enough. 

There are lots of free online courses all over the Internet, don't let all those sources of rich knowledge go to waste and start upgrading your skills as early as now. 

Your skills paired with great personal branding, starting from a beautiful, customized logo, is a powerful combination that can take your career to the next level this 2021. 

3. Review Your Online Presence 

Get ready because it's time to tidy up your digital footprint.

Not many people realize the importance of polishing one's online presence—the slightest lapse of judgment or forgetting to delete an unwanted post can cost you your dream job.

It's essential to have a trustworthy and clean digital presence because that's how many people connect with you, possibly potential recruiters and customers. 

Delete comments or shared posts that could harm your image, and be mindful when moving forward.

4. Strengthen Your Digital Footprint 

Once you've tidied up your online presence, the next step is to enhance it. 

Your potential recruiters and customers should not only see you, but they should feel that they can trust you—and a great way to do this is to build a professional yet engaging digital presence. 

Invest in quality marketing graphics for yourself, create relevant content, and be consistent with your brand voice online. 

Setting up a LinkedIn Profile is a great way to boost your professional image—read up on our article here on how you can use personal branding to improve your LinkedIn Profile.

5. Improve Your Time Management Skills 

Time—the most precious resource we can ever have. Sometimes, there's too much of it; sometimes, there's never enough. 

As we work on improving our more tangible skills, sometimes we overlook our capability to handle time. Time management is an advantage for anybody in any industry. 

Being able to work more productively is key in boosting your career this 2021.

Why? Because you can find the right balance between crushing your goals and taking care of your well-being, which is the perfect recipe for long-term success.

Start creating your best life this 2021 as early as now. 

Investing in yourself will never end up in a loss because it's the same as investing in your growth. 

If you want to succeed careerwise, you have to start looking at ways to improve yourself, your capabilities, and your value. 

Don't wait for opportunities to knock on your door—create waves for yourself with your effort, and you'll soon reap the fruits of your labor.

You can start with these 5 essential tips today to map out how you want your professional life to work out this coming 2021.

It's never too late to create a life for yourself that you're genuinely proud of.

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