- Career planning at a glance
- What are the 7 stages of career planning?
- 1. Assess your skills
- 2. Research your dream career
- 3. Figure out non-negotiable factors
- 4. Identify the right organization
- 5. Career planning: look at other roles
- 6. Take the next step
- 7. Let the world know
- Career planning template
- Why is career planning important?
- Increases your market knowledge
- Increases your self-awareness
- Facilitates your self-development
- Provides a sense of fulfillment
- Boosts your visibility with career planning
- Helps you plan for retirement
- Key takeaways
From fresh graduates to C-suite employees, everyone can benefit from spending some time on career planning. Let’s take a look at what career planning is all about.
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.
Expert Tip Talk to a career coach if needed If you’re having difficulty evaluating your skills on your own, you may want to consider talking to a career counselor. But before you schedule a consultation, at least try, on your part, to figure out your passion and interests. |
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?
Statistical Insight In a study by Blue Beyond Consulting, it was revealed that more than 50% of employees would quit their job if their company’s values do not align with their own personal values. |
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.
Expert Tip Don’t stay fixated on leaving your current employer Career planning does not necessarily mean switching jobs or working for another company. Sometimes, an opportunity might arise in your existing organization that piques your interest. If that’s the case, you should consider talking to your supervisor and determining your suitability for that job. Many people consider a lateral career move in an effort to pursue their dream job while remaining at the same organization. |
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.
Example Career planning template Long-term goal: where do you see yourself in [X] years? Goal #1: a short-term goal that will help you get where you want to be Goal #2: a short-term goal that will help you get where you want to be Goal #3: a short-term goal that will help you get where you want to be Goal #1: Objective: what do you want to achieve with this goal? Activity: what task(s) do you need to complete to achieve this goal? Skills: what skills do you need to develop to achieve this goal? Start: when do you plan to start working on these tasks? End: when do you plan to finish these tasks? Goal #2: Objective: what do you want to achieve with this goal? Activity: what task(s) do you need to complete to achieve this goal? Skills: what skills do you need to develop to achieve this goal? Start: when do you plan to start working on these tasks? End: when do you plan to finish these tasks? Goal #3: Objective: what do you want to achieve with this goal? Activity: what task(s) do you need to complete to achieve this goal? Skills: what skills do you need to develop to achieve this goal? Start: when do you plan to start working on these tasks? End: when do you plan to finish these tasks? |
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
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.
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.
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.
