A Strategic Career

Every once in a while I’ll meet someone interesting during my morning commute. This week, a woman gave me some career advice that I wanted to share with you. I told her, that like many recent graduates, I’m trying to figure out what direction I want to take in my career. Her advice was simple but it made me reflect. She said: “Think about what it is that you want to learn and go for it. Ultimately you should be doing something that brings you joy.”

This woman, who was so passionate about her career, had put a lot of thought into the path she had chosen. It can be difficult for recent graduates like myself to even know where to start. This is where a career plan can be useful. Below I have outlined the basic steps to creating a short term career plan.

1.     Self Assessment

Start by looking at your professional experience to date. What aspects do you like, what aspects don’t you like? Do these jobs align with your personal interests and values? List your findings.

2.   Research and Set Concrete Goals

Research some career options that are aligned with the information gathered during your assessment. Then indicate the ones that interest you the most and figure out what it is that attracts you to these options. A great way to do this is to look at current job openings and descriptions that interest you and list all the similarities. Is it the sector, the salary, the responsibilities, work-life balance, training opportunities, etc? The answers will help you shape a better picture of where you want to be 6 months to a year from now.

3.  Consider Obstacles

Based on the job descriptions for the role you want, you can determine what you need to achieve in order to meet the requirements of that role. You may realize that you need extra courses or volunteer experience in order to meet the requirements of your goals. Write down any gaps.

4. Actions

In this section, list exactly what you are doing to meet your goals and when you expect to complete them. 

Your career plan should constantly evolve along with your experience and interests. The steps above will provide you with a solid foundation.

If you’re having a difficult time visualizing what a career plan might look like, a simple search on Google will bring up various templates and examples.

Have you ever strategically planned your career on paper?