Planning your career involves thinking about where you want to go in the future. You may also need to solve organizational problems and expand your skill set. It is important to keep track of your work achievements, set realistic long-term and short-term career goals, and identify the means to achieve those goals. These tips will help you start your career planning.
Goal setting
Setting goals can help you improve your career and personal growth. These goals can relate to earning potential and promotion, education, or creativity. You need to evaluate how well you're progressing toward your goals on a regular basis. Doing so will allow you to have a better sense of the progress that you are making towards your goals and make it easier for you to work toward them.
Beyond identifying your current goals and future career plans, it is important to also think about your future goals. When you are in your early career, it can be hard to create a long-term career plan. For example, it's possible to not have a clear idea of the type of work that interests you or of the career options available to you. You can still reflect on your long-term career goals and determine what you really want from your work and career.
Reminder: Keep track of your achievements at work
In the process of careers planning, keeping track of work achievements is crucial. This will allow you to show your work achievements to potential employers, and then use them to negotiate a better salary. This could be a way to show that you have been awarded or are a member. Documentation can also be helpful in proving your qualifications. This is a good way to boost your self-esteem and confidence.
It can also be used as a reference point during performance appraisals. It can also be helpful in building your online presence. To keep track of major accomplishments in work, you can use a spreadsheet with a brief description and date.
Setting realistic, short-term and long term career goals
Short-term and long term career goals are important for anyone, whether they're students, adults, or people who want to be a professional in a certain field. The short-term career goals can be smaller and more easily achieved, while the long-term goals take more effort, patience and time.
As they are often more ambitious and long-range, long-term career goals require more planning. These long-term goals may also require several years of work. Although a degree is a common goal over the long term, it can be difficult to attain. A degree is usually the first long-term goal people set.
To identify ways to achieve your goals
Careers planning involves identifying the means to achieve your goals. This will help you clarify your short-term and long-term goals. If you would like to be a public speaker you could enroll in public speaking classes. If you would like to be a data analyst you can learn to program in certain languages. The most important thing is to have specific goals.
These goals may be related to different areas of your personal life, including family, finances, artistic, or physical goals. Sometimes, goals can be directly related with your career, like a promotion in an organisation. Others may have to do with family life or health issues in old age.
A senior employee can give guidance
Senior employees can offer valuable guidance that can help you develop your skills and open up new possibilities. First, review your job description to determine the career path that you would like to take. Once you have established your goals and developed a plan, present it to you manager. You should keep the conversation open-ended and honest to ensure that you both and your manager understand what is best for them.
Career pathing requires an upfront investment by your employer, but it pays off in terms of employee engagement. LinkedIn Learning reports that 94% said they would continue to work for their company if their bosses invested in their professional development. This is because employees who do not know what their career paths will be are more likely to feel frustrated and to seek out alternative work.