If you have a “wish list” for your career, then just like any plan — you need to create a map in order to make everything on the list come true. When you create a map, you are creating a plan of action to get to your destination. When you can see the plan, it is easier to work towards the goals needed to meet every item on the wish list. Even though there is nothing wrong with making things up as you go along, you can get there quicker with a plan mapped out in your mind.
Here’s how to get started mapping out your career success:
Write Down Likes, Dislikes, Needs and Wants
One of the first things you need to do when mapping out your career is writing down all of your likes, dislikes, needs and wants associated with your career. When you reflect on all of this, you will be able to map out a more distinctive path for your career. If this is the first time you are doing this, you might have different likes and dislikes now compared to when you first started working the job five or 10 years ago.
Review Job Trends
The next step involves you reviewing job trends from your career. Even if your career path is wide right now, it could shrink within the next year or two without much notice. When you review job trends, you are able to determine which jobs are expanding and growing within your industry and which ones are being phased out at the moment.
Seek Education and Training Opportunities
When mapping out your career plan, you need to include new educational and training opportunities within the plan. You need to find new training experiences that can move you further down the career path you have mapped out instead of sitting idle watching your career pass you by. Use temporary jobs as a way to boost your experience and training levels, too.
Note Your Accomplishments
As you continue to create the map for your career plan, you need to acknowledge all of the accomplishments from your career. The more often you update your list of accomplishments, the easier it will be to write a killer resume when the time comes to apply for a new job. When you sit down to review past accomplishments, it could remind you of forgotten successes. This can lead you down a new career path without even knowing it.
Perform a Personal Skills Assessment
Another important part of mapping a career plan is performing a skills assessment. Write down what skills you use right now for your job, what you have used in the past, and what you will need to further your career in the future.
Mapping out your career plan will make it easier to find a new job, take a temporary assignment in Detroit MI, or move further into your industry as a professional. It is something that everyone should do, no matter which industry they work in or what type of job they hold.
