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Plan Your Career
Every journey needs a road map

Sooner or later, each of us will decide to change our jobs or even our careers. Change of any type involves risk. If you take steps to prepare a career plan, you will find yourself more in control of the situation.

If you are unsure about making a change, take the easy road and research the field. Talk with peers, re-activate your network, and launch a research campaign to get the facts you need.

Good career decision-making involves looking at professional achievements, future goals, and your personal life. Any change is made easier if you can create a better balance in your business and personal life.

Take plenty of time to review your skills, interests, values, and/ lifestyle preferences and their compatibility with specific HRD (Human Resources Development) concentrations and work environments. In creating your individual HRD career plan, remember to:

• Define what success means to you.

• Develop an ideal lifestyle image listing values, priorities, needs, interests, and wants that will help you establish a career action plan including job and organization parameters.

• Vision a picture of your desired HRD professional future approximately two to five years from now.

• Determine what professional skills you have: work content (e.g., technical, administrative), transferable (e.g., facilitator, problem-solver), and adaptive (e.g., ability to manage stress, take risks).
  
  
• Identify HRD skills and knowledge you need to obtain or improve.

• Based on the above, establish short and long-term career goals that are flexible enough to take advantage of varied career shifts and job opportunities.

• Identify internal and external obstacles that you will need to resolve to achieve your goals (e.g., not willing to risk, need further education).

• Elicit feedback from other people about your career plan including family members, former professors, mentors, friends, and professional colleagues.

• Review your HRD career plan nine months to a year after you are working in the field and revise, if needed.
  

Cheers,

Lisa Marinik

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