“The best way to be sure you have a lot to look forward to in life is to work to create a future you want to live in.” ~ Charlie Eitel

For real career success you need a plan.

I often hear the “statistic” that the average worker can expect to change careers seven times in a lifetime. While no such statistic actually exists, the truth is that you probably will change your job or career at least once or twice in your lifetime.

So ask yourself: are you really happy with what you are doing right now?

And if not, “Do you have a plan to become the best in your chosen career field?”

You’re competing in a dynamic global marketplace–and you cannot afford to stagnate.  Life is too short to continue doing something that makes you unhappy. To maintain your competitive edge and to pursue a career that makes you truly happy–you should follow these Three Essential Steps of Successful Career Planning.

The 3 Essential Steps of Successful Career Planning:

1. Understand your strengths and weaknesses

To accomplish the most in your career, you should work in a job that you find satisfying. You will perform your best in a role that you enjoy–your job satisfaction is largely determined by how good you are at it. The better your job responsibilities “fit” your work style and personality characteristics, the more likely you are going to be happy in your job.

One of the biggest problems–particularly when you’re getting started–is identifying a career in which you would have the greatest fit. The problem is you may not be aware of the opportunities where you could succeed the most. Also, you don’t know how good you are at various tasks, since you may have never tried them. Doing a self -assessment can help you in this regard; these tools help you understand your strengths and weaknesses so that you can identify the jobs that best match your talents.

Some examples of these assessment tools are: The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), StrengthsFinder 2.0, and PsyMax’s very own WorkStyle Assessment (WSA).

2. Study the latest career and job trends

A career that looks promising today may not hold as much potential just a few years down the road, so you need to be constantly aware of the latest developments that are taking place and determine how best you can fit in to the changing scenario. In order to make long-term decisions to your career, you should know what kind of job growth is expected in the future, particularly in the field that interests you the most. If you plan ahead, you will be ready to take the leap when the situation demands, and not run the risk of missing out on taking advantage of an opportunity that presents itself to you

3. Establish specific career objectives and work to achieve them

As the old saying goes, “If you don’t know where you are going and don’t care, then any road will get you there.” If you do not have a roadmap for your career and you don’t care where you end up, it will be difficult for you to achieve your long term career goal and you may not be happy if you even get there.

To sum up…

Goal-setting is a critical requirement for effective career planning. You need to determine both your short-term (1-2 years) and long-term job and career objectives. Once you set this process in motion, you should continually review and adjust your actions and plans based on your progress. As soon as you achieve one goal, you need to identify and move towards the next… being on a dynamic journey of continual growth and adaptation.

If you work to understand your strengths and weaknesses, study the latest career and job trends, continually review and adjust your job and career goals, and follow through on your plans–your strengths will naturally show, the people you work with will recognize your passion for your work–and you will naturally rise to choosing a job you not only perform extremely well, but also truly enjoy doing.

Then you’ll be in a position to have a very successful career.

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Filed under: Career Development • Career Management • Human Resources

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