[TOC] [Title] [Author] [Endorse] [Acknow] [Preface] [Intro] [Ch 1] [Ch 2] [Ch 3] [Ch 4] [Epilogue] [Ap A] [Ap B] [Ap C] [Ap D] [Ap E] [Readings] [Bib]
This abbreviated outline is designed to be used during Phase Three of recovery. Career planning involves assessing what skills you have now, where you want to go with your talents, and how to get there. Moving ahead in your job often involves acquiring additional skills and improving existing ones.
Take time to think through and write down your thoughts. Where appropriate, try to assign a sequence and time frames to acquiring skills. Also, determine what the measurement will be. A measurement is something that enables you to evaluate how far along you are toward completing your goals.
Assess Your Career Goals
1. Identify your needs and rank them in order of priority, such as:
a. What do you need to be happy?
b. What does success mean to you?
c. Are you the primary or secondary wage earner?
d. Should you work part-time or full-time?
e. What are your long-range financial needs, such as:
i. Health and education
ii. Travel and vacation(s)
iii. Housing and transportation
iv. Retirement
f. Do you want to volunteer for community activities?
2. Identify your interests - what you like and do not like to do.
3. Identify your abilities - what you can and cannot do well.
4. Identify your personality style - what types of people do you and don't you work well with. What effect do you have on others?
5. Identify whether you want to work for yourself or for a company (government, education, business).
6. If you want to run your own business, identify the skills necessary for success. Which skills do you have now and which ones will you need to develop?
7. If you want to work for a company, identify what kind of company you want to work for. What is its:
a. Culture-its values and ethics
i. How does it treat people?
ii. How does it treat the environment?
iii. Is it responsive to community needs?
b. Benefit package
i. Medical and dental coverage
ii. Life insurance
iii. Worker's compensation
iv. Tuition reimbursement
c. Size and product
i. Does it make nuclear weapons or raise flower bulbs?
ii. Will you be one of thousands or one of twenty?
d. Management style
i. Does the manager want to make all the decisions or does she want the employee to participate?
ii. Does the manager look over your shoulder or trust you to come to her with problems?
Build a Career Plan
Once you know what type of job and company you are looking for and why, complete the following:
1. Assign time frames to your priorities and needs. What can you accomplish in 6 months, 1 year, 3 years, 5 years?
2. What are the measurements you can use to assess your progress?
3. Identify the tasks and additional skills you will need to develop:
a. Interpersonal-getting along with and utilizing the talents of others
i. Listening
ii. Questioning
iii. Teambuilding
iv. Negotiating
v. Collaborating
b. Functional-what does it take to carry out the job?
i. Decision-making
ii. Running meetings
iii. Giving presentations
iv. Followthrough
c. Technical
i. Computer competence
ii. Analysis of data
d. Organizational
i. Understand how your department fits into the company-wide organizational structure.
ii. Understand the roles and responsibilities of others. This will help you get things done and identify inefficient processes.
iii. Understand the pressures or needs of your manager, such as budget and policy constraints.
Opportunities for Career Development
Remember, you are building a career. Building takes time.
1. Remember that promotions and opportunities to change jobs take time. Rarely is there an instant fix.
2. You have the responsibility to work with your manager to make it happen for you. Don't expect your manager to "save you." Build a development plan with the support of your manager and see it through.
3. Look for opportunities-stay abreast of what's happening in your industry.
4. Look for opportunities-stay abreast of what's happening in your company.
5. Network with other organizations and people. Build relationships that can help you connect with people who can get things done. Also, build relationships with people who can give you constructive feedback.
6. What are the future forces affecting your job? You don't need mystical revelations to figure this out. You need to learn to evaluate your situation, technological advancements, and the effect of the economy on your company.
7. Diversify your job skill set. The economy is constantly changing. As time allows, expand your skill set to ensure you're employable. Stay open to change.
[TOC] [Title] [Author] [Endorse] [Acknow] [Preface] [Intro] [Ch 1] [Ch 2] [Ch 3] [Ch 4] [Epilogue] [Ap A] [Ap B] [Ap C] [Ap D] [Ap E] [Readings] [Bib]