How to Pre-plan for the Career you Want!

We plan our weekend in advance.

We plan our meals in advance.

Hell, some of us even plan our outfits. 

But why do we leave it down to chance when it comes to our #careers?

Journalist Andrew Seaman pointed out in a recent LinkedIn post/article, that much of the human experience is full of detours, coincidences, and situations that none of us planned for.

Andrew then asked his audience whether they thought mapping out a career plan was helpful, or disappointing. 

Original post: https://www.linkedin.com/posts/andrewmseaman_career-getahead-success-activity-6801265560001765376-Y2HW/ 

Tops comments varied from: 

Technology and the West’s progressive society have meant we can adapt and change within different jobs/industries with ease. Long-term planning is no longer essential.

 To…

A plan, even if it is vague or short-term, is necessary if you want to be able to fund other aspects of your life.

It’s dependent on the person, but either way, we all have a goal or aspiration of sorts and every goal needs a target. ⚽ 

Keep reading to learn how to build a career plan that you can stick to.

#1 FIGURE OUT YOUR LONG-TERM GOAL

A long-term goal is usually something that will take five to 10 years to achieve – (a short-term is six-12 months).

The long-term goal is supposed to be a milestone, i.e. either a role, position, geographic location, or status, for example. And, all of these will take a lot of determination and hunger to reach. 

So think about this carefully. What are you happy to focus most of your energy on for 5 to 10 years. 

It doesn't have to be specific, but it needs to be enjoyable for you. If you like computers and you get excited when you learn a new function on your laptop, maybe that's the direction you should look into, for example.

The next thing you need to do is start asking the right people the right questions. 

Let’s stick with tech for this one. So, you have realised that UI development is something you enjoy, but you’ve never done that before and you’re not sure if you could do it for 5 - 10 years.

Find someone on LinkedIn that has and ask them kindly for advice. 

#2 BUILD A PLAN TO ACHIEVE THE GOAL

Career growth expert wrote to Andrew, “without a plan of action and commitment, it will be hard to achieve [the goal].”

If you’re planning to reach a goal, it means you’re not there yet and sometimes you feel as though you're not even in the right area or industry. 

The best thing to do is list your soft skills, transferable skills, and past experiences (both professionally and throughout your life!).

By doing this, you not only remind yourself of what you CAN do already, but you’re making connections to your new goal.

For example, you’re the captain of your football team and professionally, you want to own your own restaurant. Being captain requires managerial skills, leadership, and confidence; so does being an entrepreneur.

#3 ACCOUNT FOR CHANGES IN YOUR PLAN

Sometimes, things don’t go to plan.

You fail the test.

You discover that the career isn't for you.

There is something that excites you a whole lot more. 

Whatever it is, it isn't the end of the world. Your plan just requires some tweaking.

Finding new paths is just as exciting and full of growth as the original journey that you set out on. The best mindset is to see opportunities in everything along the way, rather than hurdles or distractions.

– We can never know too much! 

#4 GET IN TOUCH WITH A RECRUITER TODAY

In need of a little more advice?

Our friends over at Forwrd, a global recruitment agency, are always on hand to help.

Check them out today and start planning for your future: https://www.teamforwrd.com/