In my last post, I discussed why every working professional should have a career action plan. It serves as the roadmap guiding professional choices throughout the different career stages. Almost everyone has a dream or an aspiration they hope to achieve in their life. This is also true in the world of work. What is your dream job? A solid career action plan would help you define goals and develop attainable milestones to land your dream job, accelerate in your chosen field and find fulfillment in your career.
Career Action Planning is an ongoing process. Use the following 4 steps to manage your professional growth and career advancement. Make sure to revisit and adjust the plan throughout your career.
Step 1: articulate your dreams & set your destination
Define your ideal future self. Clarity of direction would ensure all of your choices are sustainable and purpose-aligned.
Questions for consideration:
What do you want?
If you could do anything at all, what would be your ideal career?
If you had a magic wand, what would you make happen in your career?
Where would you like your career to be in 18 months/5 years/10 years?
To-do:
Write down your primary career interest.
Write down long-term professional goals, including desired positions.
Tip: Choose goals that really resonate for you and that would help motivate you into action. Best goals are stated in the positive, what you are aiming towards rather than what you are trying to move away from.
Step 2: assess where you are & recognize your starting point
Define your current self. Ask thought provoking questions to develop a deeper level of understanding and self-awareness to know who you are. Think of this step as looking at yourself in the mirror.
Questions for consideration:
Who are you now?
What do you stand for?
What do you like/don’t like about yourself
What are your strengths/weaknesses?
What unusual skills do you have?
What is keeping you from being fully yourself?
To-do:
Write down where you are along your career path.
Describe in up to 20 words what makes you uniquely you.
Write down your qualifications, skills, experience, & interests.
Tip: Self-reflection is essential for understanding why we do the things we do to be able to change what we need in order to become who we want to be. That’s how we grow.
Step 3: Perform a gap analysis
Identify the gap between your current situation and the ideal future state you aspire to reach. Gap analysis doesn’t require any specific template. Use any method to list the differences between where things are now and where they need to be. Describe the gaps in detail: what is lacking and the things that need improvement. Propose interventions to close the gaps listing all the activities. Cluster them into different development categories.
To-do:
Write down activities that contribute to your long-term goals/what you need to do more of.
Write down the activities that do not contribute to your long-term goals and think of ways to minimize or stop doing them.
Make a list of knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs) any special qualifications, personal attributes, or experience you would need to develop.
Tip: proactively engage in professional development activities such as reading relevant professional literature, pursuing training, taking on special job assignments and projects, or finding a mentor.
Step 4: Put it all together
Create your career action plan and put it in writing. This is where the work really happens. You’ve now outlined all the details of where you are going and what you need to do to get there. Define both the big picture and the in-between action steps that would take you to your ultimate career goal. Put all items in a logical order and prioritize the action items. Make your goals SMART.
Specific: spell it out. The more specific you are, the easier it would be to achieve your goal.
Measurable: define the results so that you know when you’ve achieved your goal.
Actionable: commit to actions within your control.
Realistic: set challenging yet attainable goals to position yourself for success.
Time-bound: establish milestones and a timeline.
Keep track of your progress and adjust the action items as needed.
Tips:
Identify the short-term goals that contribute to long-term objectives.
Identify barriers and challenges that must be overcome in order to reach your short-term goals.
If a goal seems too big, break it down into smaller steps.
Establish progress checkpoints.
Evaluate the outcome of your actions to make sure they are moving you towards your ultimate goal.
Remember: To live is to dream. Life without dreams is like a garden without flowers. Dare dream and dream big. Transforming your dreams into reality would make your work life more fulfilling. f you need help drafting or implementing a career action plan, team up with a career coach. This may be the best investment you could make in your career.
Email me at info@choicefulpath.com to schedule your 30-minute free career consultation to discuss your career strategy or career action plan.
