This is a very exciting week for me! I recently took on a big challenge and taught myself how to use Adobe’s Dreamweaver software to build my own webpage. I have now officially launched the Career Courageously site.

The process of building a webpage is much more than learning code and picking colors. It actually forces you to crystallize your offers and build a cohesive brand around those offers. It was in this process of defining several offerings that I created The Complete Career Campaign ™. My approach includes a complete suite of tools and strategies to help professionals design their career the way they want to, in order to achieve the goals they hope to reach.

Fundamentally, all professionals should be actively engaged in their own career campaign, REGARDLESS of their current state of employment. As the old saying goes, be sure to build your well before you are thirsty (or, something like that). The very cornerstone of such an approach is networking, both in-person and online.

What makes a career campaign “complete” is that the professional has thoughtfully designed and implemented an online presence across multiple platforms which highlight their skills and expertise. We then leverage that online presence to enrich their “live” networking activities. THAT is what I offer my clients.

By creating The Complete Career Campaign ™ I have now begun to address my own professional goals and I am designing my life around what I want to accomplish. In other words, I am following my own advice! I now work out of my home and go to as many networking events in the Bay Area as I can physically attend. I have accepted several speaking and seminar engagements for January which is very exciting!

So, what can you be doing NOW to achieve your own career goals in 2009? Please don’t wait until you get laid off to start considering your next steps. Begin by defining your goals and do so with the understanding that a career campaign is a lifelong commitment. With the new year on the immediate horizon, this is the perfect time to get clear on what you hope to achieve during 2009 and beyond.