Thinking About Your Career Strategy
Posted on January 08, 2016 by Peter Capezio, One of Thousands of Executive Coaches on Noomii.
Many of us have aspirations to advance in our careers, but lack a clear cut plan to get there. This article should help you begin to craft a strategy
Thinking About Your Career Strategy
Written by Peter Capezio
When you think about the ideal job, you most likely want to work in a role that’s challenging, fulfilling and fun; and that pushes you to achieve your full potential. The good news is that there are probably several opportunities, but you will need to identify them and then create a strategy to get there.
Many people feel that the development of their career is out of their hands. After all, you can’t get a job, promotion or project without someone else giving it to you. The reality is that you do have a say in the process, by developing your skills and planning for the next steps in your career. Taking ownership of this part of the process will greatly assist you in reaching your career goals.
Developing a career strategy is similar to building a house. First you will need a blueprint, and then a solid foundation to build on, step by step, until your goals are achieved. Here our some suggestions on how to get started.
Taking Control of Your Career
The first exercise in building a career strategy is to analyze your strengths and areas of development. Think about the skills that you excel in – in both your current job and skills you have used successfully in previous assignments. Create a list of those skills that stand out and you feel are truly your strengths. Seek feedback from your co-workers and manager to help to validate these strengths. A few steps that you can use to help you do this are: First
• Identify and list your 3 most important life values
• Identify and list your top 3 strengths and talents
• Summarize performance feedback from a recent performance appraisal
The second exercise is to identify your development areas, asking what skills can be improved and what tasks/assignments are most difficult for you. Again, create a short list of your development areas – should not be more than 3. You can draw from source list above.
The third exercise is to identify your motivators. Here is how to think about your motivators – again making a short list.
• What tasks, projects or assignments get you excited in your current role?
• What interests do you have in your current job, e.g. creative thinking, analysis and problem solving, being part of a team, recognition, etc.?
• What tasks would you enjoy working on that you don’t have available to you right now?
Putting a Plan Together – Using a Career Development Plan
Take the 3 lists you have created and think about what jobs you may be able to apply your skills, what development you might need to quality for these jobs and determine if your motivators will be fulfilled in these new assignments.
Create a short Career Development Plan
1. List your major accomplishments in your current job
2. Add your top 2-3 strengths
3. Add your top 1-2 development areas
4. List you short term career goal – what would be your next step for a new job?
5. List your long team career goal – where do you see yourself (job) in the next 3-5 years?
6. What are some actions you can take this year to help move toward your short and long term career goals
Creating a career plan is one sure way to start to define your future. It is a method of creating a pathway that you can share with others, revise anytime and feel good about having a career strategy!
If you are interested in having a trusted advisor guide you through this process, don’t hesitate to contact me through the Noomii coaching program.
