What is your career development plan? If you don’t have one yet, 2016 might be the year to start! A career development plan is a list of goals you can set for yourself to achieve your career goals, with step-by-steps details to help make sure you stay on the right track. Here’s what you need to know to successfully plan for your future.
Writing a Career Development Plan That Works for You
The first step in planning how you’ll grow and advance in your career is to dream big—what do you want to accomplish? It’s a good idea to set a goal that you can achieve within the next 3–5 years. Then, you can reassess and set another goal, and another. It’s likely that the more career experience you get, the more you’ll learn and evolve—and your career goals might change. But the first step is to choose one thing you’d like to accomplish, then follow these steps:
Be Specific
Write down your career goal and desired income. If you’re in college, you might begin your career plan with the position you’d like to land after graduation, and the starting salary you hope to make. If you’re currently in the working world, you may wish to advance within your company, branch out to try something different within your field, or stay put but develop your skills within your current position.
Determine Your Needs
To achieve your career goal, you’ll want to think about what steps you’ll need to take. This could include training or education, specific work experience, research, or something else. Jot down which of these requirements you already have, and which you’ll need to work on. Also think about potential obstacles that may arise.
Identify Resources
You may already have access to people or opportunities that can help you achieve the steps in your career goal. This might include education reimbursement at your job, career mentors or community organizations. You can also talk with your boss for other ideas to help you develop your career.
Create Your Action Plan
Once you’ve identified your goal and what you need to do, you’ll want to plan how you will go about accomplishing all the steps. This will also include deadlines for when the steps should be completed, to help keep yourself on track.
Consider Working with a Staffing Firm
A recruiter can be a valuable partner as you develop your career. Whether you’re looking for temporary experiences or a new, full-time placement, your recruiter will work with you to understand your career needs. He or she can help you shape your career and build your resume.
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Snelling Georgia Group can help. We specialize in placing candidates with opportunities perfectly matched to your skills, experience and career goals. To learn more, contact Snelling Georgia Group today!
