A good career plan can help you succeed in your professional life, from getting your first job to having a rewarding career. You can evaluate your professional options and create a strategic plan for achieving your goals with careful career planning. How to plan a successful professional path and how to approach career planning are the topics we cover in this article.
A career plan outlines your immediate and long-term professional objectives as well as the steps you may take to get there. Plans for your career can assist you in choosing the classes you should enroll in as well as the extracurricular pursuits, academic pursuits, and internships that will position you as a great employment applicant.
The helpful steps listed below will help you create a career plan that is tailored to your interests and aspirations.
Have more enquiries?
Set up a meeting with a career advisor to begin or evaluate your strategy; we are here to assist.
What is career planning?
Mapping the important phases in your professional future is part of career planning. With the aid of this technique, you may create a plan for a successful career, from choosing the disciplines you wish to pursue to creating long-term goals.
During the process of career planning, you determine your desired career path and the steps required to achieve it. You decide what actions you need to take in order to achieve your career objectives, which are short, medium, and long-term in nature.
The term “career planning” refers to the process of choosing a career path, setting goals for one’s career, and selecting educational and training opportunities to enhance one’s ability to accomplish one’s goals. It is an essential component of an individual’s self-evaluation.
To find a career path that is a good match for one’s skills and the opportunities it offers, it is important to investigate each option in detail. To build and develop as a worker, career planning involves continuous learning and improvement.
How to start planning your career path?
Consider these steps when creating your career path:
- Learn about potential career options
- Discover growing job markets
- Identify careers that match your skills
- Understand career qualifications
- Assess salaries and other benefits
- Compare possible career paths
- Establish SMART goals
- Develop a career action plan
1. Learn about potential career options
Ask friends, family, and coworkers about their jobs to get started learning about career options. Find out what skills they employ and what credentials they hold. Find out what they enjoy and don’t like about their jobs, as well as what kind of experience they have had prior to their current position.
Next, look into the best businesses and talk to experts in the field. Set up informational interviews with experts or attend networking events in person or online. Try looking for volunteer opportunities, internships, or opportunities to work as a job shadow to get firsthand experience in a potential career.
Through self-evaluation, narrow down your career options by looking at your interests, skills, and values. Examine career information, look up companies, and talk to experts in the field to narrow your career options. By participating in activities like internships, volunteering, and shadowing, you can further narrow your list.
2. Discover growing job markets
The most professional opportunities are typically found in expanding employment markets. Try speaking with people who are experts in your field to find out about some of the most exciting opportunities that they anticipate. Keep an eye out for new jobs that pique your interest by reading the leading publications and online news outlets in your field.
Review data-based studies like the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics’ list of the fastest-growing occupations for a more in-depth look at expanding job markets. You can quickly determine which jobs have the highest median pay and the greatest potential by looking at them.
Listing options is not sufficient. You must set priorities. Which are your best abilities? What do you find most interesting? What is your top priority? It’s helpful to know what matters to you and what won’t work for you, whether it’s intellectually challenging work, family-friendly benefits, the right location, or a big paycheck. Make an appointment with a Career Advisor to take advantage of our skills and values assessments.
3. Identify careers that match your skills
Think about the technical skills you picked up in school or at work if you want to work in a field that makes you feel good about yourself and successful. You might be able to teach a class concepts, operate heavy machinery, or make a plan for buying media.
Next, consider your acquired behaviors and characteristics, or soft skills. You might be good at critical analysis, for instance, or you might be excellent at clear communication. Check the compatibility of your list of technical and soft skills with the career paths you are thinking about. Compare your most promising career options to the skills, interests, and values that are most important to you.
4. Understand career qualifications
Review the degrees you’ll need to work in your chosen field to get started. Find out if you’ll need a bachelor’s degree in a particular field and if you’ll need a master’s degree to apply for advanced positions.
Next, review the licensing requirements for your profession and professional certifications that could help you succeed in your field. To ensure that you are legally qualified for the position, keep track of the licensing procedure in your region.
You should think about more than just your own preferences. How much work is needed in this area right now? Are you willing to take a chance if there is little demand or entry is difficult? What credentials are necessary to enter the field? Will it necessitate additional training or education? What will happen to you and the people in your life if you choose this option? Collect advice from family, friends, and coworkers. For each of your final options, think about potential outcomes and obstacles.
5. Assess salaries and other benefits
If you want to know how much money you could make in your field, look at salaries on Indeed or jobs by industry. The average annual salary for common occupations and factors that can boost your earning potential, such as obtaining an advanced degree, can be found here.
Take note of the perks that each job offers, such as health insurance, vacation time, and opportunities to work from home. Since these benefits can help you save money and live a better life, they should be included in your total compensation.
Pick the career paths that suit you best. The number of options you have is determined by your situation and level of comfort. If you’re just starting out with your planning, it might be best to choose from several options. To make sure you don’t miss out on any opportunities, you might want to take multiple routes. On the other hand, limiting your choices to just one or two might help you find a better job or apply to graduate school.
6. Compare possible career paths
Compare your options after considering a few possible career paths. Compared to the other options, one may necessitate a greater number of skills and a higher degree, which may be more time-consuming or costly. Another person might have a much better chance of making money.
The next step is to compare how well each career path aligns with your core values. One might make it possible for you to cultivate more of the personal qualities and relationships you want. You might be motivated to produce your best professional work by another. To determine which professional path is most likely to assist you in achieving your objectives, review your list of benefits and drawbacks.
7. Establish SMART goals
Divide larger goals into manageable smaller ones because pursuing a career path can take years. Try making SMART goals to help you along the way:
- Specific: Make your objective as specific as you can. Set a specific objective if you want to become a teacher, like getting a job teaching high school biology in your community.
- Measurable: Count how far you’ve come. Establish targets, such as obtaining a bachelor’s degree in education or applying to ten jobs that meet your needs.
- Attainable: Set attainable objectives. Think about the individual steps and assess how feasible they are to ensure that your goal is realizable.
- Relevant: Any goal you set for your career should really matter. Consider the significance of the objective and whether it will assist you in achieving your long-term goals.
- Time-based: Give deadlines to your goals. If you have committed to a specific time frame, you will have an easier time achieving the desired outcome and motivating yourself to take action.
8. Develop a career action plan
Review the SMART goals’ action items and chart the steps you’ll need to take to create a professional roadmap. Then, to set your schedule, put them on a paper or digital calendar. Make your career action plan easily accessible so that you can regularly review it. As you complete each step, mark it off your list and give yourself praise for both big and small accomplishments.
Make any necessary revisions to your career action plan. Changes in essential career planning can be brought about by new opportunities, technological advancements, personal priorities, and economic trends.
It is essential to be realistic about deadlines and expectations. To stay organized and accomplish your goals, write down specific steps to take. Check them off as you finish them, but you can always change your career action plan if you need to. It’s alright if your priorities and objectives shift.
How to start career planning?
Are you now prepared to begin making your own career plans? There are four primary considerations you should keep in mind when making a plan: your values, preferences, interests, skills, and interests.
Here are 4 steps to start your career planning:
- Consider your interests
- Evaluate your skills
- Understand your values
- Determine your preferences
1. Consider your interests
Your interests are the things you love doing. You would want to spend time and perhaps money learning more about them even if you weren’t paid to do them. Our hobbies and choice of college major frequently reveal our interests. Scan everything from your apps to your email subscriptions and bookshelf. Is there a recurring theme?
2. Evaluate your skills
Your strengths are your skills. They could be your inherent skills or areas of expertise that you’ve honed over time. When you need to complete a task, you can rely on these characteristics.
3. Understand your values
The ways in which you want to make a difference are your values. Let’s say you want to become a lawyer, for instance. Do you want to work as a general counsel, a public defender, a prosecutor, or an intellectual property specialist? Do you want to work in environmental law or criminal justice? You might work for two completely different companies with the same title.
4. Determine your preferences
Finally, picture the perfect day at work. Do you prefer a sunny Cancun café or a skyscraper in the big city as your ideal workplace? Do you have plenty of time to spend with friends and family, or does your job keep you busy? Do you have a lot of money coming in or just enough? You can use these preferences to help you choose a career path that will allow you to achieve the work-life balance you want.
13 steps to build an organized career planning
It can be overwhelming to set career-long objectives. However, once you have an action plan, it can streamline your efforts and accelerate your growth. Putting your thoughts down on paper (or somewhere you can see them) is worth the effort.
So, where do you begin when planning your career?
Here are 13 steps that will help you build a great plan for your career:
- Self-evaluation
- Research your dream job
- Determine the basic steps
- Identify organizations that align with your values
- Look at job openings on the ground level
- Take the right next step
- Tell everyone you know
- Start volunteering activities
- Talk to your college
- Apply for internships
- Build your skills
- Review your resume
- Build your professional networks
1. Self-evaluation
The first step in career planning is self-evaluation. A personality or aptitude test, might be a good option for you. A core values assessment might also help you figure out how to combine your career and your values.
Additionally, speaking with a coach or career counselor is a great way to discover your strengths and areas of potential success. If you don’t give yourself enough time for self-exploration in this first step, you may later be dissatisfied with your career choices.
2. Research your dream job
At this point in the process, be bold when setting goals. What would you do for a living in an ideal world? Conduct a LinkedIn job search for the desired title. Pay close attention to the responsibilities and skills listed in the job description. Who is their supervisor? How much training do they possess? What kind of businesses are looking to fill that position?
3. Determine the basic steps
There is no one right way to get the job of your dreams, but there may be some steps that can’t be changed. For instance, attending medical school is a prerequisite for becoming a doctor. What are your role’s non-negotiable short-term objectives, and how will you get there from where you are currently? Will you need to change careers or go back to school?
4. Identify organizations that align with your values
Take a look at the businesses that are advertising open positions while you are researching open roles. Are these businesses ones where you could see yourself working? The kind of business might be more important to some people than their title or position. Others may place a greater emphasis on the industry or the organization’s mission. Consider what is important to you and why.
5. Look at job openings on the ground level
Look into other positions within the same department once you have an idea of the position and the companies you want to work for. Take a look at the other open positions, especially those that may report to the director, if, for instance, you want to become director of IT. Which ladder rung is the easiest for you to reach? It could be a help desk coordinator or another mid-level position, or it could be an entry-level position.
6. Take the right next step
Determine which short-term objectives bring you closer to your desired job. You might want to start by applying to training or graduate school if it represents a career shift. You might just need to start sending out your resume if it’s just the next step in a field you already work in. Discuss your objectives with your manager if you are ready for a new position but adore your current employer. They can assist you in taking on new responsibilities and developing a career development strategy.
7. Tell everyone you know
Recruiting as much assistance as possible is the final stage of the career planning process. Tell your director, mentor, and everybody at early lunch that you’re hoping to push forward. Helping other people is something that many people enjoy doing, especially if they can offer advice or show off their connections. A crucial component of your career planning is networking and demonstrating your commitment to development.
8. Start volunteering activities
Although it may be difficult to find paid work in your field, you can still gain experience. Make an offer to work part-time as a volunteer for a group that shares your objectives.
9. Talk to your college
Most professional schools, honor societies, and universities have some kind of alumni network. Contact them or the career center of the organization. They might even assist with career exploration or financial aid.
10. Apply for internships
Find opportunities to collaborate with companies and individuals you admire. For your next job interview, even short-term internships can provide valuable experience. Additionally, you will be informed first of any new full-time openings.
11. Build your skills
Consider enrolling in online training and certification programs that complement your career objectives. When you’re ready to apply, it can help you stand out by demonstrating your dedication to learning new skills.
12. Review your resume
If you haven’t been looking for work in a while, you might want to look at the templates for your resume and cover letter. Include your most recent accomplishments, certifications, and position in this update.
13. Build your professional networks
Attend conferences and events for networking. Examine the job boards of the appropriate professional associations for your field. Make some changes to your LinkedIn profile and, if you’re brave, connect with people in jobs and industries you’re interested in and ask for informational interviews.
Conclusion
Work accounts for nearly 25% of a person’s time. Nearly everything else is secondary to the connections and experiences we have at work. Your happiness is largely determined by your career. It is worthwhile to devote some time to career planning and charting a course toward happiness and success in life.
Hey, I am Sachin Ramdurg. I run and manage futuredecider.com website that helps students, graduates, and professionals, to find and decide on their future career with ultimate future career advices and future career guides. I have an overall 12+ years of career guidance experience in multiple domains which has helped multiple students, graduates, and professionals to find the best career path for their future.
1 thought on “How To Make Career Plan – 8 Steps to Create A Career Plan”