​The truth about career planning: how to create the best pathway for you

To create the career of your dreams you need to know where to start so you can pave the path ahead, but we know this isn’t exactly easy, nor is it a straightforward planning session either. Here are our 9 steps to clarify and inspire you to create a career plan.

1. Reflect

From your experience, can you narrow down five of your biggest strengths? Defining what you’re good at is a fundamental of career planning, because yes – you want to love what you do, but you also need to have the right skills to do the job so you can feel good about it.

 2. Get Passionate

Now that you know what you’re good at, think about what you love to do. Don’t just think about jobs that you know exist, think about literally a n y t h i n g you love doing that brings you joy. This is just a starting point, you don’t need to immediately follow all of your passions on the list.

 3. Prioritise

What matters to you the most? Is it the remuneration? Colleagues/teamwork? Location? Title? Define the parts of any job that would matter to you the most in order of priorities.

4. Environment

It’s not all about what you do; where you do it can be exceptionally important to whether or not you’ll enjoy your job. Think about the location, commute duration, and the people you want to engage with in that space.

5. Industry

Start thinking about industries that might suit your skills, passions and priorities that you’ve just identified. Stay broad and consider any you might like such as Sales, Retail, Hospitality, Insurance, Construction, Finance, Manufacturing or Engineering perhaps. Research any that catch your interest!

 6. Open to possibilities

Now that you have a very good idea of what you’re good at, what you love, the environment you want to work in, and the industry – it’s time to see the cross-over and jot down the potential possibilities that tick, at least, most of the boxes (remembering that no job is going to be 100% perfect).

 7. Ignore money for a moment

Ask yourself – would I still choose this potential career over another without the money? Money may be very important to you however if the career isn’t as suitable as another could be, money might not be enough when it comes to long-term career fulfilment – so it’s worth considering the other options.

 8. How to get there

Research and brainstorm how to achieve these career pathways – find a clear starting place or entry-level role. Remember, one size doesn’t fit all so try to think about how YOU can achieve these career goals with a unique perspective. Need some help with this? Why not reach out to us and see how we could help you find your dream job!

 9. Get a second opinion

One of the best things you can do once you’ve reached the point in your planning process where you have your ideas and a base to work with, have done your research and know what’s possible, is to bounce these thoughts off someone else. Don’t stop at a second opinion though, try asking a few different people such as a mentor, a career coach, or some friends.

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Career planning shouldn’t be a one-off, opportunities can arise at any point in the process and change the path along the way but being prepared and evaluating your situation is always a great idea. Check out our current job openings here.