Choosing a career is not as easy as it sounds. Choosing a career is a very important decision in one’s life and it should not be taken for granted. Have you wondered why it is said that ‘what is worth doing is worth doing well?’ This is something you want to spend the rest of your life doing, it is just proper to spend time planning and strategizing how to make it work.
In this post, we will make you understand what career planning is, give an overview of career planning, and provide helpful and practical tips on how to plan your career and how to select a career.
Make sure you read through to the end of this post as it promises to be helpful and insightful.
Table of contents
What is career planning?
Career planning is the process of a person’s ongoing self-evaluation and planning in order to develop a strong job path that is connected with his or her career objectives, aspirations, and talents. The continual reiterative process of understanding oneself, creating career objectives, refining skills, and seeking suitable job possibilities is known as the career planning process.
Before you start looking for jobs, make a list of attainable long-term goals that outline what you want to be doing in five, ten, fifteen, twenty years, and so on. Then, in between each stage, define short-term goals to ensure you have clear, concrete strategies to attain your long-term objectives. You can outline your goals and reevaluate them as you advance with career planning.
The career-planning approach allows you to uncover professional opportunities that you’re likely to love and excel in by identifying your abilities and interests. This approach consists of a set of basic stages that can be repeated throughout your career to ensure that you’re pursuing goals that are still meaningful to you. In this post, we’ll look at the many stages of the career-planning process and how to get through them.
Succinctly put, career planning is the process of figuring out what you’re excellent at such as; your abilities, talents, values, and interests translating into viable professions or occupations, and finally figuring out what you want to do with your life.
What is the purpose of career planning?
Most occupations that pay enough to support a family require some form of post-secondary education that is, education beyond the high school level. You can improve your chances of finishing your school and landing the job you desire by taking the time to plan for your career today.
If no career planning is done, an individual’s career will be dictated by external forces and circumstances. The person would advance in their profession based on the decisions and evaluations of others. It may lead to a good career path, but it also has the potential to lead to a job profile that is not in line with an individual’s aspirations or career goals.
READ ALSO: 10 Best Answers To “Why Are You Looking For a New Job?” Question in an Interview
Career Planning Process
The process of career planning is critical to an individual’s professional progress. The following are some of the basic steps in the career planning process:
1. Self-Evaluation
The first step towards attaining profitable career planning is that you must first examine yourself in order to comprehend your talents, areas of interest, aspirations, and so on. Aspirations and goals are crucial in this case since they will determine how you create a future plan.
Self-exploration is the process of examining your skills, values, experience, interests, and education
2. Careers and opportunities research
The second step in the process is to comprehend the job alternatives, firms that are available, and professional advancement options that are linked with the self-assessment that has already been completed.
You need to gather basic information on each of the careers on your list to begin your study. Examine each profession’s overall description as well as general labor market data such as median wage, typical benefits, educational and training requirements, and the likelihood of being employed after meeting all of the prerequisites.
The right chances must be found, which necessitates thorough investigation. Individuals must be informed of market trends and potential growth opportunities.
Occupational research entails things like researching opportunities and job descriptions, Interviewing people for information, Attending job and career fairs, and gathering information about the labor market.
3. Define your career goals
Setting short- and long-term work goals, as well as having a defined career path, is the next step in career planning. These can be characterized as immediate goals as well as how one views their future career. A strategy must be based on specific goals.
Make a precise list of short- and long-term goals that you must attain before achieving your ultimate professional goal. These lists should cover all of the occupational, educational, and training objectives necessary to pursue your desired professional path. You should also think about the obstacles you’ll face in achieving your objectives and how you plan to overcome them. Financial, educational, vocational, or personal hurdles may exist, such as the cost of tuition, family duties, or the necessity for tools and supplies for your chosen profession.
READ ALSO: List Of Soft Skills Employers Need
4. Enhance and learn new skills
The fourth phase in the process is to continue to learn new skills and knowledge in order to meet career goals and industry needs. There are often obvious gaps in objectives, desires, and skills. To close those gaps, careful preparation is required to acquire and learn the necessary skills so that the career plan can be carried out successfully.
Consider taking courses linked to potential employment options if you are pursuing any sort of higher education. Through projects and essays, these classes can give you foundational information and training that will help you comprehend some of the fundamentals of a vocation.
5. CV/Resume preparation
The next step in the preparation process is to ensure that you have all you need in terms of a CV, cover letter, and recommendations. The CV should clearly show the abilities, qualifications, and objectives that are relevant to an individual’s career goals.
You may also leverage your goal-setting technique and career plan to craft a compelling cover letter that illustrates your enthusiasm for the role, field, and company. You can utilize your career plan to highlight your goal-setting abilities and dedication by identifying the steps you’ve done thus far on your journey. These products can also be used throughout the interview process to demonstrate your interest and qualifications to potential employers.
6. Job/Work Lookup
The sixth stage is to narrow down the companies where a person is looking for work and begin applying. It could also be working on an entrepreneurship endeavor. If you get a job offer, look at the income, benefits, location, work-life balance, and responsibilities to see if they meet your self-evaluation and action plan.
READ ALSO: 7 Ways to Passionately Know How to Find What You are Good At
Helpful Tips in Career Planning
1. Keep your resume up to date
Being ready to seize chances when they arise is one of the most critical aspects in planning for your career’s future. Learning how to write a resume and keeping it up to date is a great annual activity regardless of your sector or job level.
2. Make career planning a frequent event
At least once a year, set aside a day or weekend to genuinely focus on what you want out of your job. The greatest time to do this, in my opinion, is near the end of December, as we approach the new year.
3. Think about where you’ve been in your career since your last career planning session
Reflection has been shown to boost productivity and performance, so take some time to consider your current circumstances and the path you wish to take. Are you satisfied with your professional path so far? What could you have done differently or better? What can you do differently in the future? It’s a lot easier to make a strategy that fits your goals and lifestyle when you know who you are and what you actually want.
SEE ALSO: Job Search Advice: What Most Persons Don’t Tell You
4. Consider what you like, dislike, require, and desire from your job
Our preferences change over time, so it’s a good idea to think about what you care about most in your life and job. Make a list of the aspects of your employment that you enjoy and those that you despise. Hopefully, you still enjoy many aspects of your work, but if not, it may be time to start looking for a new job or career.
5. Keep track of your accomplishments
Most of us don’t keep track of our professional accomplishments, although doing so is beneficial not just for developing your résumé, but also for career planning. When you’re working toward your next job objective, how to keep track of and write about your professional accomplishments will come in handy.
6. Make a list of your transferable skills
Your job title may be Business Analyst, but you have extensive project management expertise – talents that you may apply to other positions. Consider your goals and how the talents you have today would be valuable in a different role, in addition to your present work title. Make a list of transferrable abilities that you may include in your CV.
READ ALSO: How To Set Career Goals And Achieve Them | Step-by-Step Guide
7. Set career objectives
While you can succeed in your work without setting goals, you can achieve even greater success by doing so. What are your short-term (next year) and long-term (five to ten years) career objectives? SMART (specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound) goals are certainly familiar to you. Always jot down your ideas and share your list with someone. This will assist you in instilling a sense of responsibility.
8. Look into new educational or training options
Never pass up an opportunity to learn and grow as an employee and as a person. Finding training programs, classes, or workshops that will help you advance your profession is an important part of career planning. Take advantage of any professional development opportunities offered by your firm. This is free money that can help you achieve your objectives.
Conclusion
This has been a really insightful journey. We really hope you have learned from this article. With everything in this post, you can go on and plan your career successfully and rest assured that you’ll make excellent career choices.
FAQs On Career Planning
A job is whatever occupation you hold at any particular time. A career is a term that describes your working life through time, and it can relate to a single job that you hold for many years or a series of positions in the same sector.
Career management is the combination of organized planning and active management of one’s own professional career is known as career management. Career Management is an umbrella word that encompasses both individual and corporate career planning and development.
Career goals/objectives are things, positions, and situations that you have set your mind on accomplishing in your professional life.
Long-term career objectives are those that you want to achieve in the next year or a few years. They’re goals that will help you stay focused on your professional goals in the future.
References
We Also Recommend
