Career planning: What is it and why do it?
Do you have big dreams and ambitions for your future? Perhaps you know where you want to be, but have no idea of how to get there. Or maybe you have no idea at all. No matter where you stand, a career plan can get you moving in the right direction.
By creating a career plan, you can identify your aspirations, then break them down into smaller, more manageable steps. You’ll be better positioned to move towards your goals, even if you’re not 100% certain what they are. Keep reading to learn more about career planning, how it can benefit you, and steps for creating your own career pathway.
What is career planning?
What is the meaning of career planning? Career planning means creating a ‘roadmap’ for your professional life, with personal and work-related goals and steps for achieving them. It involves assessing your skills, interests, values and preferences to make informed decisions about which way to direct your career path. The goal of career planning is to map out your professional journey, so you can navigate through its stages and challenges and achieve long-term success and satisfaction.
Why is career planning important?
Career planning is important for a number of reasons:
- By understanding your skills, interests and career goals, you can put strategies in place to help you achieve the things that are important to you.
- Career planning involves setting both short-term and long-term career goals, which help keep you moving forward in your professional development.
- By developing a career plan, you’re more likely to make choices that align with your long-term objectives.
Steps to begin a career plan
When it comes to developing your own career plan, there are a few steps you can take to set yourself up for success. Here’s how to develop a career plan.
1. Set realistic and achievable career goals
Once you’ve got a good idea of what you want in your career, start to break down your long-term goal into smaller, short-term objectives. It helps to follow the SMART goal-setting method to help you keep your targets realistic and your progress on track.
Here’s what the SMART acronym stands for:
- Specific. Goals should be clearly defined. Avoid using vague language when writing your career goals and objectives. They should answer the questions: What? Why? and How? Being specific helps you understand exactly what needs to be accomplished.
- Measurable. Goals should include criteria for measurement so you can track your progress and determine when you’ve achieved a goal. This adds a quantitative aspect to the goal-setting process, making it easier to evaluate your success.
- Achievable. Goals should be realistic and attainable. While it’s important to set ambitious objectives, they should still be within reach. Setting unrealistic goals can lead to frustration and a lack of motivation when you don’t reach them.
- Relevant. Smaller goals should be relevant and aligned with your bigger career goals. They should contribute to your overall success and be meaningful to the big picture of your career plan.
- Time-based. Goals should have a specific timeframe or deadline. This helps keep you motivated and continually moving forward. It also allows you to regularly evaluate and adjust your goals.
2. Developing a comprehensive career plan
Creating a step-by-step career roadmap involves thoughtful planning and consideration of your professional goals. Depending on what you want and where you are in your journey, you might need to incorporate both education and skill training. If your career aspirations require you to get additional education, you also need to factor financial milestones into your roadmap.
Plans can change
It’s not uncommon for career goals to change over time, so it’s important to approach your plan with a flexible mindset. It can also be worth putting alternative options into your career plan in the event that you come up against challenges.
Use software to your advantage
There’s a range of career planning software and apps to help you set your objectives and keep you on track. You might even want to consider undergoing a professional career assessment. This kind of assessment can help you to gain a better understanding of yourself, as well as your skills, interests, values and aptitudes in the context of your career.
Career plan resources
If you’ve already got a good idea of where you want to be, you’ll often find that online job portals and career websites can be a great source of free resources to help you on your journey. SEEK’s Career Advice pages offer a wide range of information to help you write a personalised career plan. You could start by downloading our free career planning template and tailoring it to your own goals and aspirations.
3. Evaluating and adjusting your career plan
Part of creating a career plan is giving yourself specific timeframes or deadlines for your objectives. By using these dates to regularly review your career goals, you’ll be able to make adjustments along the way to help you stay on track without burning out.
Industry trends are constantly changing and it’s not unusual for your goals to shift with them. By regularly evaluating your plan, you’ll be in a better position to course-correct along the way.
As you reach different milestones and come up against challenges, it’s a great idea to ask for feedback from your peers or even get guidance from a mentor. Use advice from your friends and family network to help you hone your skills and get the knowledge you need to get where you want to be.
Free resources for career planning
When you’re planning your career, it can be tricky knowing where to start. Tap into some of these free resources to create a career plan that will help you achieve your goals.
Self-assessment tools
Self-assessment tools can help you identify what’s important to you, where your strengths lie, and what areas are of interest to you. Popular self-assessment tools include:
- The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI)
- DISC Assessment
- Big Five Personality Traits
- Values assessment
- Skills Inventory
- The Strong Interest Inventory
- The Career Beliefs Inventory
Websites
Websites with career information and online courses are a great resource to get you moving on your professional journey. With online platforms like SEEK, you can explore industries, occupations and training options. You can also see up-to-date information about specific jobs and roles. From there, you can make informed decisions about your career goals and plans.
Career planning templates
On SEEK’s Career Advice pages you’ll find articles to help you map out a career plan, as well as a free career planning template that you can download and customise to fit your short- and long-term career goals. The template leads you through five sections:
- Completing a self-evaluation
- Exploring career possibilities
- Weighing up your options
- Setting goals
- Reviewing and reassessing your career plan
Career counsellors
If you’re struggling to narrow down your career options or find a professional pathway that matches your skills and interests, it can help to chat with a career counsellor. Their services can help you identify the careers, courses and jobs that make the most of your skills and passions.
Career planning helps you focus on the big picture and stay on track towards your professional goals. By creating a career roadmap, you’ll have a better chance of staying motivated and ultimately securing a job that provides a high level of job satisfaction. Whether you’re starting out in your career, looking for a job change or just wanting to develop your skills and knowledge, a career plan is a great tool for reaching your goals.
FAQs
What are the steps in effective career planning?
There are five key steps that you should follow to develop a good career plan for you:
Step 1: Identify your skills, interests, passions and preferences and assess where you are now in your career.
Step 2: Reflect on your career aspirations and set long-term goals
Step 3: Set smaller, achievable goals using the SMART goal-setting process
Step 4: Develop a step-by-step career plan that plots out the individual actions you need to take to achieve your ultimate career goal
Step 5: Evaluate your career plan regularly and adjusting when industry trends change or your own personal goals shift
How can I align my career plan with my personal goals and aspirations?
All great career plans start with thorough self-reflection. This allows you to identify your personal goals and aspirations and align them with your career plan. By pursuing a career that matches your goals and aspirations, you’re more likely to find your job fulfilling.
What tools and resources are available for career planning?
There are many free tools and resources available online for career planning. SEEK offers a free career planning template that you can download and use to create a personalised career plan. There are also different online self-assessment tools you can use to understand your skills and interests and narrow down your potential career options.
How often should I review and adjust my career plan?
Ideally, you should review and adjust your career plan every six to 12 months, or whenever you achieve one of your career objectives. By regularly reviewing your career plan, you’ll be able to make sure you stay on track to fulfilling your long-term goals and tweak or revise your targets, if needed.
How can career planning help in transitioning to a new field?
Career planning can help you successfully switch careers by providing structure and guidance. Using a career plan encourages you to reflect on your transferable skills, research your field of interest, and set clear transition goals to help you make a career change. A career plan can also help you identify any additional education or training you need to move into a new field, then help shape your job-search strategy, whether that’s reaching out to professional contacts for opportunities or expanding your network into your target industry.