Thanks to Linda Denny of the Smart Coaching Company for this blog.
This is part one. See our next blog for the second part “What makes an effective career plan?”
There are some good pointers for people seeking a new direction or those wanting to take charge of their career and job search. We believe that it is essential that you plan your career and that starts with understanding why you should do so.
As a salaried worker if you don’t plan your career who will? Will your manager take as much time, effort and energy in working out career moves for you as well as you could for yourself? Probably not! What about if you are self employed – perhaps it is even more important to plan your development, to have a mentor and take some external frame of reference to be proactive about your business and skills. Will your competition be doing this?
Benefits to you
By planning your career you can:
- increase your sense of control and become less reliant on others to achieve your career goals
- enhance your self awareness about what is possible and how your unique mix of skills and strengths changes over time.
- provide clarity so that when opportunities emerge you are able to make informed decisions and so avoid taking high risks
- monitor progress against a realistic and achievable plan, leaving scope for change
If you are a business owner you can also maximise potential by succession planning.
Timing: When to do the Career Plan
Imagine a ski slope and at the bottom of the slope is the equivalent of the place where most people begin to look for another job. At the bottom of that ski slope you run out of steam and have enjoyed the thrill and buzz of getting there! Similarly, looking for another job when you are at the bottom of the slope, is when you are most likely to be bored, unchallenged and unexcited. This is hard work and a slight feeling of desperation can creep in. Imagine though looking for that role when you are at the top of the peak, you are confident, motivated and energetic. How do you hide those feelings in either situation to a potential employer? They will seep out and help or hinder you. The time to job search is when you are at the peak not the bottom! If you are self employed the time to review your role, skills and development is annually as part of your business review.