Spring cleaning a career goes beyond refreshing your inbox and decluttering your workspace. Now is the best time to figure out a career strategy.
This plan can help you manage the direction you want your career to take, the job skills and knowledge you will need, and how to obtain your goals.
According to Forbes.com, employees undergo three career phases:
- The first 10-15 years: The time when employees develop sustainable relationships and meaningful work experiences in preparation for the long haul.
- Mid-career: The phase when employees set themselves apart with their unique skills and expertise.
- Heading toward retirement: The period when senior-level employees pass the torch by teaching, training, and mentoring colleagues.
“The UCPath Center is a place where employees in all three phases can work together on a project that will move the University of California – and higher education overall – forward,” said Tom Abt, senior recruiter. “One of the neatest things about the UCPath Center is we have a little bit of something for everybody at every point in their career,” he shared.
Abt explained that the UCPath Center has entry-level positions for recent college graduates, as well as opportunities and attractive benefits for people halfway through their career. For those heading toward the latter half of their career, the UCPath Center is a place where they can make a difference again. “If you are looking for the next challenge, the UCPath project is amazing,” he added.
Check out these helpful tips to spring cleaning your life outside of work!
Spring Cleaning Career Checklist
When drafting a career improvement checklist, think about what energizes and excites you. Do you like to help people? Tinker with technology? These questions may put you on the right career path.
Here’s a checklist to help you spring clean towards your work goals and career aspirations:
1. Find and build relationships with colleagues: Regardless of your career stage, it’s always a good idea to look for an experienced colleague who can offer advice and guidance. Communication is at the heart of collaboration.
This is in line with a couple of UCPath Center’s core values. “We are one team” exemplifies that colleagues work together, respect each other and recognize the best solutions come from collaborative relationships. “We are engaged” demonstrates that employees challenge themselves to grow personally and personally.
Many UCPath Center employees say they feel like they are a part of a big family. They feel comfortable picking up the phone or walking over to their colleague’s workspace to ask for help.
Gina Aguirre said her dedication to her position in employee services in the customer service department at the UCPath Center led to a promotion. “Upper management noticed my work; they noticed what I am capable of,” she continued. “I knew from the beginning I wanted to be in this position, so I worked hard and my efforts didn’t go unnoticed.”
2. Master new work-related technologies: Companies that offer different types of training and skill-building opportunities are investing in their most important asset – their employees.
Jennifer Carlos, a records analyst, said that she takes advantage of software and business skills programs offered on Lynda.com to achieve her personal and professional goals.
According to Lead Portal Administer Jeff MacCharles UCPath Center employees should be familiar with various platforms like Oracle and PeopleSoft when working in a development role on the UCPath portal. “There’s also potential for development with Drupal, Salesforce and MySQL,” he continued.
“There’s a lot of modern upcoming technologies that we’re looking to integrate – including enterprise search with the new portal – so there’s definitely a lot more to come,” he stated. “It’s not just a matter of using pre-existing technology. It’s definitely dealing with the cloud; dealing with the latest and greatest across the board.”
3. Revitalize your physical work environment: In addition to shredding and recycling old documents and decluttering your virtual desktop, it may be time for an office refresh. Updating a work environment can have immediate and lasting effects on a company’s ability to attract and retain employees. It may also boost the morale of existing staff.
UCPath Center’s low-wall, double-cubicle workspaces allows for interactive work sessions, huddle areas for small meetings, as well as large, medium and small conference rooms. The building’s green features include a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, a solar panel-shaded parking lot and large double-paned windows that provide natural daylight.
Esperanza Sanchez, a business analyst for the employee services department, noted the UCPath Center’s physical environment makes it a great place to work. “We work in a brand new building, designed where all of the cubicles are set up in a certain way where people work with each other,” she said.
She added the UCPath Center’s state-of-the-art phone technology also makes her job easier. “With the infrastructure we have in place, we have the ability to do our job well,” she added.
Tamara Guerrero, senior employee service associate, sings the praises of her UCPath Center colleagues. “Everyone is very welcoming, very friendly and very approachable.”
“UCPath Center’s atmosphere excites me most about working here,” Guerrero concluded. “This is truly my second home.”
Ready to explore a new career direction? The UCPath Center may be the opportunity you are looking for View our 
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