3 Steps of a winning career plan
10.20.09
In the film Serendipity, lead stars John Cusack and Kate Beckinsale go through years of mishaps, missteps, and misadventures before they happily find each other. But that’s the movies. In real life, leaving anything to chance or destiny sucks. To succeed in anything, you need to take control—grab the driver’s seat and go in the direction you want to go.
In the realm of career, for instance, driving off-course could translate to years of misery and stagnation and unrecoverable lost ground. Thus, a well-laid plan is crucial to accomplishing your goals. “A good career plan can serve as a lamppost, lighting your way as you navigate bumps and potholes for a smoother ride along the corporate highway,” says Rosalie Duran, a college guidance counselor.
Who needs a career plan? Everyone does. If you fit into one of these categories, you are sure to benefit from having a career blueprint: casualty of retrenchment or downsizing fired from job and fearing the future contemplating a career change planning to re-enter the workforce on early retirement and eyeing a second career currently employed but can’t seem to get ahead a new graduate unsure about career options.
Developing a career plan
A sound career plan involves a three- step process. Your choice of career, like most major decisions in life, is one of those life-defining actions whose outcome depends largely on self-knowledge. Yet it’s incredible how people can drift along in occupations that they loathe or that freeze their potentials because they do not bother to find out what they really want to do. “Poor self-awareness is one of the reasons why some students end up in jobs that are far from their major. Or why workers hop from one job to another. Or why individuals change careers midway into the game,” says Duran.
To discover what makes you tick, ask yourself: “Who am I?”“What do I like to do?”“What am I good at?”“What matters to me the most?” Your answers to these and similar questions will give you valuable insights Into your skills and abilities, interests, values, personal traits, and work style.
And while you’re on a self discovery journey don’t forget the input that family and friends can contribute to your personal search. Having known you for years, they can validate your discoveries and identify your strengths and weaknesses. Taking personality or skill tests and seeking guidance from a career counselor are other means of boosting your quest. ‘ answering professionally designed tests can yield information about you that you may not be aware of, while a professional career expert can help you see pathways ahead of you,” says Duran.
2. Study careers. There are thousands of occupations in today’s work world. Without a plan, it’s so easy to make an ill-fitting job choice. But with an honest self-assessment, you have a greater chance of hitting a career bull’s eye.
Based on your soul searching, conduct research on the types of careers available to you. There are several ways to collect occupational intelligence. You can read publications on areas that appeal to you. You can also surf online. The Internet is an amazing resource center that can give your search a big push.
There is also reaching out to other people. Interview persons in fields that interest you and ask them what their typical workday is. These so-called informational interviews can further open your eyes to the realities of certain careers.
Says Duran, “If you’re a graduating student or a fresh graduate, take advantage of your school’s counseling services, internship programs, and school-sponsored seminars and conferences on careers to gather and generate ideas.”
Another way to do research is to visit online job sites likeJobStreet.com
and check out openings being offered by employers. Then compare the responsibilities and requirements that go with these positions against your skills set, experience, and interests.
Once you’ve dug up the information you need, narrow your options to those select few that match your personal makeup and abilities.
3. Make a decision. Now comes the J trickiest part: making a choice. Af ter you’ve shaken hands with yourself and scouted around for jobs that might suit your particular lifestyle, you have got to act on it.
One strategy to arrive at a decision is to take a piece of paper and write down where you think you would like to be one year, five years, 10 years from now. Another is to weigh the pros and cons of working in your top two or three career prospects and see which one offers the best option. Once you have taken your pick, it’s time to go on a test drive. Again, you have several avenues open to you.