Everything you need to know about career planning!

Career planning allows you to identify your core competencies, personal strengths, and interests, and then discover professional opportunities you’re likely to enjoy. It includes self-evaluation, and it can be performed at any stage of your career. The goal is to help you identify what you love doing and how you can excel at it.

In this blog post, we’ll take a look at

• What is career planning?

• What are the stages of career planning?

• What are the benefits of career planning?

Career planning at a glance

While career planning looks different to each individual and at every stage of a professional career, its essence is the same. It’s a process of self-discovery that allows you to take a closer look at your existing skills and decide where you want to go next in your career.

Contrary to popular belief, there’s no ‘right age’ to start career planning and development. If you’re a fresh graduate, you can work a number of entry-level positions, build up your professional network, and then figure out which career aligns best with your interests. Similarly, if you’re well into your existing career, you can look at all that you’ve accomplished and think about what you’d like to do in the future.

As an employer, you should think about career planning as well. If your organization has policies that facilitate learning, development, and growth, you’re likely to notice higher employee engagement and retention. Proper career planning can also help you improve efficiency and synergy across the board by encouraging employees to focus on specific, specialist tasks that they find interesting. It also helps them keep burnout at bay.

What are the 7 stages of career planning? 

Determining your long-term career goals can be an overwhelming task, but it doesn’t have to be this way. Once you have a proper plan of action, you can take all the steps necessary to take your career to the next level and do what you love the most. Here are the stages of career planning.

1. Assess your skills

Self-assessment is the first step to career planning. You can take a personality test to help you identify your biggest strengths and weaknesses. Similarly, a career path quiz allows you to identify what motivates you to do your job and what type of jobs you should be looking into.

2. Research your dream career

When it comes to researching your dream career, ask yourself this question: ‘In a perfect world, what would I like to do for a living?’ After figuring that out, log in to LinkedIn and look for people with the job title that you want for yourself. Pay close attention to their education, previous experience, skills, and certifications. Find out who they report to and what companies are hiring people with that particular job title. This should be a good starting point in helping you set some short-term and long-term career goals.

3. Figure out non-negotiable factors

While there are several steps to pursuing your dream career, there might be some non-negotiable factors or gatekeeper credentials that must be met. For example, if you decide to practice litigation, you will need to attend a law school and pass your bar exam. As part of your career planning, you should figure out those non-negotiable factors that are keeping you from your dream job and what you can do to overcome those obstacles. 

4. Identify the right organization

Once you’ve figured out what you want to do, the next logical step is to look for organizations that are providing those career opportunities. Is there a particular company you want to work for? Do the company values align with your personal values? Is there any potential for growth in the job opportunity you are seeking at the organization? 

5. Career planning: look at other roles

Once you’ve figured out what you want to do with your career and which company you want to work at, the next step is to look at job roles and open opportunities at your target company but in the same department. For instance, if you want to be a Sales Manager, look at the other job openings in that company that report to the existing Sales Manager. This will help you identify the easiest rung on the ladder that you can grab so that you make it to your dream job in the next promotion. 

6. Take the next step

Determine the short-term goals that will help you accomplish your long-term goal. For instance, if you’re switching fields, you may want to consider applying to a college or technical training institute first to complete a certification course in your field of interest and then create a career change resume. On the other hand, if you’re applying to a job that’s within your field of expertise, you may need to polish your resume and make sure it contains the right buzzwords.

7. Let the world know

The final step in your career planning is to tell the world about your career move. Reach out to recruiters and seek their assistance in finding your dream job. Talk to your manager and let them know. A little bit of networking goes a long way in helping you take your career to the next level. 

Career planning template

Now that you have learned about the importance of career planning and the steps involved in this process, let’s take a look at a sample template.

Why is career planning important? 

One of the primary functions of career planning is to develop a roadmap for the future that will help you make smart, well-informed decisions. Here are some key, long-term benefits you can gain from career planning. 

Increases your market knowledge

Developing a career plan will help you scout the right opportunities at the right time. It makes you more aware of all the career options at your disposal, and it helps you filter the option that best suits your wants and needs. The more you research your dream job, the more you learn.

Increases your self-awareness

In this day and age, self-reflection is critical. Career planning allows you to take a deep dive inward, focus on your strengths and passion, and identify your biggest skills. This exercise gives you clarity and helps you pick the right opportunity. 

Facilitates your self-development

To pursue your dream job, you will need discipline, focus, and strength. These traits are extremely important for whichever career you choose, especially if you go into an extremely challenging and demanding field. The more you focus on developing and honing soft skills, the better prepared you will be for an increasingly competitive world.

Provides a sense of fulfillment 

Lack of motivation will not only affect the quality of your output at work, but it will also have a detrimental impact on all other aspects of your life. This is where a career plan will come in handy. By identifying your dream job and working toward it, you’re likely to stay motivated, deliver exceptional results, and improve your overall quality of life. 

Boosts your visibility with career planning

With a solid career plan, you’re likely to work your dream job and enjoy every moment of it. The more motivated you are at work, the more likely your performance will get noticed by senior management. This will boost your visibility and help you stand out among your colleagues. 

Helps you plan for retirement

Since career planning is all about thinking long-term, you’ll probably think about your retirement. At what age do you want to retire? How much money do you need to save for your golden years? How long do you have until you reach your age of retirement? Answering these questions will help you prepare for the future and save something for rainy days. 

Key takeaways

1. It doesn’t matter what stage of your career you’re in. Without having a proper career plan in place, you might not be able to discover your true passion and potential.

2. When preparing a career plan, you need to focus inward. Find out what motivates you and what you want to do for the rest of your life.

3. Career planning does not necessarily mean rising up the corporate ladder. Sometimes, a lateral move can prove beneficial if you’ve found a better opportunity within your organization.