Interview Tips;6 tips for successful career planning

Having a successful career is not always about the short term, you need to create a balance between short and long term goals. If you get the mix correct, it can lead to career success. One of the best ways to achieve success in your career is to plan for it. There are several simple steps that you can take to plan for your career. They don’t have to be followed in order, it just depends on what stage you have found yourself in. Remember, career planning is not a once in a lifetime event, it’s something that requires regular check ups, to ensure that you’re still on track, and the track you’re on is still the right one for you.

1. Have regular check-ups

Any health-conscious individual knows that the best route to long-term health is to have regular check-ups with their doctor. There is no reason why your career planning should be any different. Take a day or even a weekend once a year to sit down without distractions to focus on your life and getting the most out of your career. By making career planning an annual event, you’ll be able to keep track of where your career is going and also avoid any foreseeable derailments.

2. Map your path

The first step you’ll want to do (after you sit down to plan your career, annually, of course), is to map your career path. Spend a bit of time focussing on your career path since the last time your made your plan. See where the job has taken you, and whether the two align. Don’t spend too much time dwelling on the past, it’s important to learn from it but not live there. Next you’ll want to take some time to plan what comes next. A great way to figure out what should come next is through personal reflection.

3. Self reflection – what you like and what you’re good at

One of the only constants in life is things will inevitably change. And not just things, but people too. People will change their likes, dislikes, where they live and what they do. So naturally it follows, an important step in career planning to is reflect on the type of person you are today as opposed to who you used to be. Think about what you enjoy doing, what you dislike doing, what you’re hobbies and dreams are and also what you’re good at. You might like to create a list with two columns, populated by your likes and dislikes, then add them all up and measure them against your current job and career. If you know what you like and who you are, it’ll go a long way in successfully planning your career path.

4. Keep track of your past accomplishments

The main reason why it’s important to keep a note of your accomplishments is because people tend to forget. Then when it comes time to write a stellar resume, you’ll be scratching your head trying to think of a time when you accomplished something really great. Another reason why you should not only keep track of your accomplishments, but also reflect on them, is because you might find a forgotten success – one which might trigger a career change to a whole new job. One that will allow you to achieve more accomplishments that make you the most proud and the most fulfilled.

The next part of a successful career plan is to take it out of the lab and bring it to the workplace. This is especially important if your career plan has you performing a new job role altogether.

5. Have a clear vision for the career you want

This crucial step should now be much easier to perform, thanks to your solid, theoretical groundwork. Your clear vision should include thorough insights into what your dream job is, and what you need to get it. The best way to break into a new industry is to apply for an internship or some kind of work experience. Working with a short-term contract is a great way to gauge whether or not you would enjoy that type of work. Having a clear vision for where your career needs to go is the best way to achieve your goals and be happy with your career.

6. Take the necessary next step

This part is either going to be quite simple or quite involved. Most of what you’ll need to do next will depend on the knowledge and skills you possess versus the knowledge and skills required. If you don’t have the skills required, don’t fret, it just means your next step should either be undertaking a course or relevant work experience to get the needed skills/knowledge. Whatever you need to do you should do it – because a year from now, you’ll wish you had started today.

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