'Tis the season to make New Year's resolutions. If you are trying to decide what resolutions may be the most beneficial to you in 2021, consider adding some goals designed to improve your professional life. Setting measurable goals for your career progression will give you something to strive for as you continue an upward trajectory. Here are six of the best New Year's resolutions that will make 2021 your best year yet in your professional career.

Learn a New Skill or Further Your Education

One of the best ways to make yourself more marketable is to always be adding to your skill set and education. Learning new skills related to your profession will make you a more attractive job candidate and may also put you in line for a salary advancement at your current position.

You might even find out that your company is willing to pay for you to acquire this new skill. Many organizations offer attractive continuing education reimbursements so that you can further your schooling. Start with asking your manager if there are any skills that you could learn that would benefit your organization. Not only does this boost your own resume, but it also shows your willingness to continue to learn and improve.

Update Your Resume

You never know when the perfect job opportunity will come along. You should always be ready to go after these opportunities with a fresh resume. Do not wait until the opportunity strikes to have to hurriedly update your resume so that it contains current information. It is also a good idea to periodically update your resume so that you do not forget to add any pertinent information that might advance your career.

Review Your LinkedIn Profile

While you are updating your resume, you should also review your LinkedIn profile. These online professional presences are being used by more and more job recruiters, making it important that you always display the most current information about your skills and knowledge. In addition to factual information, you should also stay on top of current style trends. Consider your digital presence a reflection of your overall personal brand so that it accurately reflects all of your career goals.

Read at Least One Career-focused Book

You can learn a lot from the experts in your field. By committing yourself to read at least one career-focused book in 2021, you will expand the knowledge of your field and put yourself in the position to further all of your career goals. If there is no suitable book specific to your career, consider reading a general book on professional development.

You may also find helpful advice and tips by reading a motivational book. Blogs are another resource packed full of invaluable information that may be worth your time to read regularly.

Commit Yourself to Networking

If there is one element that can advance your career in a hurry, it is proper networking. There is absolutely no reason to not make networking one of your key resolutions heading into the new year. Rather than creating a vague goal to boost your network, commit yourself to a specific resolution. For example, maybe you want to resolve to create one new professional connection each month? Or perhaps you want to be purposeful about attending a set amount of networking events in the following year?

Get Healthy at Work

You are not alone if better health is one of your resolutions for 2021. There is no reason why you cannot combine these with your professional goals by committing yourself to implement healthier habits in the workplace. Good ideas include making it a goal to work out over your lunch break, committing yourself to pack healthy lunches for the office, or taking the stairs instead of the elevator in your building. All of these little things will add up to big gains in both your physical health and your emotional well-being while at the office.

While there is no shortage of New Year's resolutions to shoot for in 2021, these professional goals will pay off big dividends as you continue to advance your career and build financial security. Being specific and intentional with following through with these resolutions will lead to the most success both now and down the road.