Plans are ubiquitous in all aspects of our lives. We follow our own plan or someone else’s for most of our daily existence. From Game Plans to Lesson Plans, Medical Plans to Retirement Plans, Bonus Plans to Pension Plans, Financial Plans to Travel Plans, and Strategic Business Plans, plans are prevalent. However, the most infrequent plan is the Career Plan, and we spend so much of our lives working. This misalignment is evident. The scarcity of Career Plans is such that there is little available data on the number of people who have even created one.
Some individuals work according to a development plan structured by their employer, and others are even unsure of the company’s plan for them. The company will usually extract the work necessary to its agenda, sometimes to the detriment of the individual. It is unsurprising, as that is the function of a development plan made by your boss. If you fail to advocate for yourself and create a personal career plan, the company will only provide a development plan to meet its goals.
As the saying goes, “Hope is not a plan.” You need to develop your own Career Plan to safeguard and promote your development.
Traditionally, individuals have been too reactive to changing circumstances and career opportunities, hampering their ability to create effective career plans. In the present job market, individuals have more power than ever to take ownership of their career plans.
While it’s not their responsibility, employers appreciate well-crafted career plans from their staff that align with the company’s mission, enhance engagement, foster transparency, and build trust. Constructing a successful career plan is a deeply personal and multifaceted process for which you must take responsibility. It’s unrealistic to expect employers to create your career plan for you. Nonetheless, companies can support you in achieving your career goals if you provide clear direction.
A career plan is a comprehensive strategy that considers how to utilize your unique talents while factoring in financial outcomes and the effective use of your available resources, primarily your time and energy. Since your skills and goals for personal resources will evolve and change throughout different stages of life, only you can plan the outcomes you want.
Your plans at 23 will likely differ from those at 30, 38, or 47, as each stage has unique considerations. Nevertheless, you are high-potential and have unique values and a purpose that drives you, which should inform your plan and growth. Crafting a career plan is a personal process, but you need a support system of people who can offer feedback and advice as you progress.
CareerTruth is a Career Management Solution with tools and exercises to help you create your own Career Plan. Over time, you’ll examine the following:
- Take inventory of your professional and personal goals. Note your career achievements and advancements, alongside your personal objectives, such as financial rewards and how you allocate your time between work, family, friends, health, and community activities. Taking stock of your complete professional and personal inventory is vital in creating a comprehensive and successful career plan.
- Define and document your values, purpose statement, and vision of success. Many people can’t articulate who they are and how they view life, so it’s essential to recognize your unique values and purpose that align with your professional and personal inventory. It’s helpful to consider what success might mean to you in the future by examining all of these factors together. This exercise helps you identify how you should grow and make decisions that will fuel your career, ultimately enabling you to achieve mastery, freedom, and leave a meaningful legacy.
- Create a purpose-driven course of action that you can be held accountable for. Your action plans should be tailored to your career aspirations, whether that involves developing technical skills or enhancing your leadership abilities. Additionally, you can ensure that your work/life flow is appropriate by establishing personal goals and action plans for financial outcomes and determining how you will allocate your time to achieve the legacy of your career and vision of success. These action plans will help you stay focused and make steady progress toward your goals.
CareerTruth will help you develop a comprehensive and long-lasting Career Plan that will grow with you as you advance in your goals. Make sure you continue to check back in on your plan to make sure you’re taking the right actions and making good progress. When you build your Career Plan, you’ll be ahead of most other employees as you will claim agency over your work life with CareerTruth.