Well, the summer is coming and while you are taking time out for some R & R why not put aside some time to re-evaluate your career. Here are three tips to improve your career outlook anytime of year.

ONE
Treat each day like a new opportunity to make a bigger impact on your company. Think to yourself, what is my goal today. Not just what are the things on your to do list, but what new idea can you try that will help raise the level of importance of Risk Management in your organization. Maybe you will start a dialogue with a division VP or perhaps you will pick a topic to write an article about or maybe you will set up a meeting with a peer in your RIMS Chapter to talk about some topic of interest. The point is to be creative and think outside the box. (Sorry about the clichï¿¿

TWO
Improve your skills. Whether you decide to get an MBA or you just want to improve upon your communication skills, take action. Companies today are looking for Risk Managers who have strong financial skills, communicate effectively and are hands-on managers. Today an MBA is preferred more than any other certification, degree or accreditation. What does this mean? It means that if you want to be the number 1 of a Fortune 500 company, you will stand a better chance if you have an MBA in Finance. It doesn’t mean you won’t be considered if you don’t, it just means you stand a better chance if you do.

THREE
Set your sites on your next career move and then make it happen. If becoming the Director of Enterprise Risk is one of your goals then identify the skills and experience you need to get there and map out a strategy for how you are going to get there. Being proactive about managing your career is the key. Hoping things will happen without planning for it is a recipe for disappointment and unfulfilled dreams. So be aggressive, put an action plan in place and go out and make it happen!