Career planning & goal road mapping is the lifelong process of establishing personal/ career objectives & creating a plan of action to achieve them.
Just think about it:
Are you happy with the way your career is moving? Is it heading in the right direction? Are you getting the desired outcomes from your career?
You must ask yourself these crucial questions and try to get an answer.
Long gone are the days of lifetime employment. Today, every individual needs to plan his/ her career to climb the hierarchy ladder. Therefore, career planning and goal road mapping are integral for gaining maximum industry experience.
Well, the task of planning a career is quite tiresome and laborious. Moreover, it includes systematic planning of every step & a calculated execution.
So, what, according to you, is career planning? How significant is it? And most importantly, how to create a career plan and a goal road map?
Don’t worry! We will offer you solutions via this guide today! So, whether you are a student or a working professional, you must know that career planning is absolutely necessary! So, without further ado, let us commence with our discussion!
The Concept Of Career Planning
Career planning is a vital step that can determine the direction of your professional life. This process involves taking specific steps to accomplish your goal. For this, you may require to reiterate the steps many times to stay on track in your career.
So, career planning & goal road mapping includes identifying the professional path that suits your personality, goals, and interests. It includes exploring various career options, self-evaluating to test your suitability, and finding ways to get on the right career path.
For instance, you can find out which educational qualifications you would need for your career, the type of training you require, and the career opportunities that will be available to you in future.
Apart from this, if you are already in the career you like, you can use career planning & goal road mapping to set short-term and long-term goals.
Ask yourself:
Where do I see myself in the next 10-15 years?
Subsequently, you can carve out a career plan and decide which direction to head in!
Benefits Of Career Planning
You must start planning your career at an early age. By having a proper career plan, you can:
- Figure out what you want in your professional life.
- Avoid wasting time and resources in trying to enter into career options that are not suited for you.
- Choose to get an educational qualification or benefit that would put your career on fastrack.
- Become more confident about the career choice you have made.
- Focus on your career goals and work to achieve your desired short-term and long-term goals.
Also Read: Career Path: Create Opportunities For Yourself
Tips to Preparing Your Career Path No Matter Your Age
Career planning & goal road mapping isn’t something you do once and forget about it. Even the research shows that almost 87% of people think that career growth is significant to them. And how’s that possible? Obviously, through effective career planning!
You need a career roadmap to succeed in the constantly changing work environment. After all, employers also wish to attract, hire, and retain employees who provide the best efforts in their jobs.
Here are the top tips for planning your career, irrespective of age and career stage.
- Keep An Updated Resume
One of the most prominent steps in career planning is to be ready to pounce when the opportunities present themselves. Regardless of your career level or industry, you must learn how to enhance your resume and keep it up to date so that no opportunities are missed!
Go for resume templates if you wish to create one all by yourself. Or you can go for a professional resume builder that can help you create a well-written resume in a matter of minutes.
- Make Career Planning A Regular Event
Plan your career at regular intervals to keep a check on where your career is heading. Systematic career planning will also help you recognize what you want out of your career. Likewise, you can create a goal roadmap and determine your plan of action.
For instance, if you plan to check your career plan after every six months, then July and December are the months you can go with! Similarly, if you intend on doing it yearly, December must be the month as it is the last month of the year. You can have a fresh start next year!
- Reflect On Your Career Path
Reflection increases productivity and work performance. So, think about your current situation and the path you wish to follow.
Ask yourself these critical questions:
- Am I happy with my career?
- What can I do to make it better or different?
- What changes can I bring to my career?
When you plan what you really want, it is much easier to plan your career in a way that aligns with your goals and lifestyle. Thus, reflect on your career path and invest as much as possible in career development.
- Keep Achievement Records
Most of us don’t keep track of our work achievements. If you are also doing so, start noting your accomplishments from now on!
This will be useful not only for building your resume but for career planning as well. Learning to track & write about your professional accomplishments will serve you well while working towards your next career goal.
- Identify Your Transferable Skills
Maybe your job title is of a business analyst, but you have excellent project management skills that can be applied to different projects. So, think about your current job title by considering your goals and how your pre-existing skills would help you in a new role.
Make a list of transferable skills to add to your resume. Moreover, do some research on what skills you need to gain. For instance, if you wish to have a senior role in the finance department, consider how many skills and experience you need to gain in the next year to qualify for that title. Then, create a plan for achieving that goal!
- Set Career Goals
Though you can be successful in your career without setting goals, you can even excel more with SMART goal setting, i.e., setting specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound goals.
Make sure to write them down. Also, keep reviewing your career goals regularly. Try to develop new goals as soon as you accomplish the previous ones. So, each time you sit for a career planning session, look at your goals, review them, and try to achieve them!
Dream Big & Achieve Your Goals!
An average person spends 25% of their time at work. In this due course, the relationships and experiences one gain is more important than any other thing.
Remember that, to a large extent; your career determines your happiness. So, it’s worth taking out time to do a little career planning & goal road mapping and set the course for a successful, happy life!
Suggested Read: Career Interests v/s Suitability
