How to develop a career plan?
17 July 2014
Read by 4210 persons
The goal of a career plan is to give direction to your professional development, preventing you from stringing together jobs without a specific goal. Furthermore, if your career plan is based on your qualities and respects your values, you will only be more fulfilled in your work. Here are some tips.
Define the values important to you
Even if a career plan must be concrete, first think about the values that are important to you. What do you prefer? A position that stimulates your creativity, that assures you of job security, or that allows you to keep free time for your friends and family? Think about it before moving to the next phase.
Set specific goals
After defining these values, set concrete goals. Do you prioritize human contact, do you like to work independently, do you want to continue learning, and are you very interested in marketing? You could consider a position as a marketing consultant that offers you the opportunity to work with various clients.
Believe in your dreams
Your career plan should remain realistic, but that doesn't prevent you from dreaming a little. If you want to completely change your professional orientation or if you dream of starting your own business, define concrete goals and do everything possible to achieve them. These are the first steps in the right direction.
Proceed step by step
Don't just settle for long-term goals; also imagine where you would like to be in a few months or a few years. Do you want to become editor-in-chief of a magazine in 10 years? In that case, you could aim for a position as deputy editor-in-chief in 5 years. Take your final goal as a starting point, and reconstruct in reverse the path you will need to follow to get there.
Give yourself the means to succeed
What do you need to achieve your goals? Maybe you don't have enough experience in a certain field; or you need to first improve your knowledge, or even move abroad to have a chance of getting the position that interests you. See what you need to do to get your career on the right track.
Seek those who can help you
Improve your knowledge and skills by carefully listening to the comments of your colleagues, your clients, and your superiors. Stay in touch and build relationships with people who can help you achieve your goals. It's not uncommon for an acquaintance to tell you about an interesting job offer. So don't hesitate to expand your network and stay in contact with your colleagues, clients, etc. Who knows? They may one day be valuable allies.
The ReKrute.com team
Define the values important to you
Even if a career plan must be concrete, first think about the values that are important to you. What do you prefer? A position that stimulates your creativity, that assures you of job security, or that allows you to keep free time for your friends and family? Think about it before moving to the next phase.
Set specific goals
After defining these values, set concrete goals. Do you prioritize human contact, do you like to work independently, do you want to continue learning, and are you very interested in marketing? You could consider a position as a marketing consultant that offers you the opportunity to work with various clients.
Believe in your dreams
Your career plan should remain realistic, but that doesn't prevent you from dreaming a little. If you want to completely change your professional orientation or if you dream of starting your own business, define concrete goals and do everything possible to achieve them. These are the first steps in the right direction.
Proceed step by step
Don't just settle for long-term goals; also imagine where you would like to be in a few months or a few years. Do you want to become editor-in-chief of a magazine in 10 years? In that case, you could aim for a position as deputy editor-in-chief in 5 years. Take your final goal as a starting point, and reconstruct in reverse the path you will need to follow to get there.
Give yourself the means to succeed
What do you need to achieve your goals? Maybe you don't have enough experience in a certain field; or you need to first improve your knowledge, or even move abroad to have a chance of getting the position that interests you. See what you need to do to get your career on the right track.
Seek those who can help you
Improve your knowledge and skills by carefully listening to the comments of your colleagues, your clients, and your superiors. Stay in touch and build relationships with people who can help you achieve your goals. It's not uncommon for an acquaintance to tell you about an interesting job offer. So don't hesitate to expand your network and stay in contact with your colleagues, clients, etc. Who knows? They may one day be valuable allies.
The ReKrute.com team
