Insider Finance - Business - Insider Today: Career resolutions

January 6, 2024 • 5 min read

with Diamond Naga Siu

Happy first Saturday of 2024! If you plan on traveling this year, make sure your passport is in good condition. A family missed their dream vacation due to a one-centimeter tear in their son’s passport.

Speaking of things you should do, I chatted with experts about career-related New Year's resolutions for our big story.

What's on deck

• Travel: The most punctual airlines in North America and the world.
• Careers: Remote jobs that nobody wants.
• Life: Young Americans are flocking to live and work in “blue island” cities.

But first, set yourself up for success.

We Are / Getty Images

The big story

New year, new career goals

The new year is a great time to figure out how to level up your career.

For many companies, the beginning of the year is when they look at staff and budgets. So experts shared some professional goals that everyone should have to help themselves stand out.

Learn a new skill

“Everything about the world of work has changed in the last several years — from where people work to the skills that they need to get ahead,” Andrew McCaskill, a career expert at LinkedIn, told me.

So, people should think of two or three skills they’re not the most confident in and try to get comfortable with them. This can happen in multiple ways: online certification courses, an in-person class, volunteering somewhere, or taking on new responsibilities at work.

McCaskill said you could ask for a “stretch assignment” at work — a task you might not already have the skills for — to try a hands-on learning approach. This could be a skills-based project or even managing someone.

iStock; Gilbert Espinoza/Insider

Find a relaxing hobby

Although this might seem outside the realm of work, it can positively impact your career.

“Doing something you enjoy — and that gives you peace outside of your professional and personal obligations — is going to help you recharge so that you can tackle both work and personal obligations more productively and with more energy,” Clint Carrens, a career strategist at Indeed, told me.

The key is to find something that doesn’t add more stress to your life. It can look like reading, playing a sport, making art, or anything else that takes your mind off your obligations.

Develop a networking plan

Whether you want to change jobs this year or learn how to be more successful in your current role, networking is key to career development.

Carrens suggested making an actionable networking goal — all depending on your bandwidth. Some people have time to make multiple connections every week, while others might aim to make two connections per month.

Try attending an industry event, inviting a LinkedIn connection for coffee, or simply strengthen an existing professional relationship.

“The goal should be to commit to it and stick with it,” Carrens told me. “We’re all going to get to the same place eventually, as long as the consistency is there.”

Travel

Joey Hadden/Insider

1. “I didn’t think cruising was for me, but this adults-only voyage completely changed my mind.” This travel reporter didn’t enjoy her first cruise — it was packed with kids and made the trip less relaxing. After giving cruises a second go, she realized it takes finding a ship that matches your desires as a traveler.

2. The top seven mistakes people make with their credit card reward points. People aren’t maximizing their benefits to the fullest extent, according to a man who teaches people how to best earn miles. One of the top mistakes he sees is wasting points on low-value redemptions.

3. The most on-time airlines. “On-time” was defined as arriving within 14 minutes and 59 seconds of the plane’s scheduled arrival time. Delta and United each made the top five in North America. Meanwhile, Qatar Airways and Avianca were among the top five most punctual global airlines.

Careers

Simplehappyart/Getty Images

1. A toxic boss made a dream job into a nightmare. Pay was solid. Benefits were excellent. And the work environment was ideal. But the heat slowly turned up for months. And they didn’t notice until everything was about to boil over. Their boss had become too toxic.

2. The work-from-home jobs that nobody wants. Remote roles are getting harder to find. But some jobs are simply so unpopular that, remote or not, job seekers aren’t interested in them.

3. From part-time forklift driver to earning $11.5 million — the career path of Costco CEO Ron Vachris. He took over the wholesaler on January 1 and is just the third person to hold the top role. Vachris has worked in every area of the company and spent decades rising through the ranks.

Life

Gustavo Basso/NurPhoto via Getty Images

1. Photos show the impacts of flooding and drought in Brazil’s Amazon region. Regions like the Amazon oscillate between extreme weather conditions. Photos show how its residents are struggling to adapt.

2. Young Americans are flocking to “blue island” cities. Blue cities in red states — like Austin and Nashville — are some of the most attractive places to live for younger Americans. These cities offer a lot of fun along with high-paying jobs.

3. The worst diets for your health. The raw-food diet was ranked the worst way to eat overall for the second year in a row. Experts said restriction and cutting out entire food groups are red flags for a bad diet.

In other news

• Seven interview questions every recruiter should ask candidates for a senior role — and the answers they should look for.
• Apple jobs: Career opportunities are available for employees from “all walks of life.”
• Ten things turning 100 in 2024, from Band-Aids to Popsicles.
• More people are canceling their streaming services as companies like Netflix, Amazon, and Disney hike prices.
• This $500 dog bed for humans was one of the trendiest gifts of the year.
• Five rising music stars you need to know in 2024.
• An 8,000-year-old fort defies expectations, showing that Stone Age societies built protective structures far earlier than we thought.

Aldi; Jenny Chang-Rodriguez/BI

For your bookmarks

Aldi finds under $5

The best things to get at Aldi this month for under $5. The list of 14 best products include vegan chocolate truffles, protein pancakes, a rising-crust pizza, and veggie burgers.