10 Step Approach to Career and Personal Development Planning

Approach to Career and Personal Development Planning

Career planning is an exercise that is well worth the time invested in it because it sets you going on the path that leads to where you would like to go. You need to understand the art of career planning even before you begin to look for job openings. This exercise provides you with a lot of clarity regarding your career objectives as well and it best done before you embark on your job search.

Often most people get stuck at the very beginning of the planning process itself. There seem to be too many choices that are throwing themselves at you with all kinds of material gains, fame and wealth, comfort and luxury, glamour and beauty. From acting to singing, writing to banking, software programming to business, choices confuse you. Naturally feelings of self-doubt might creep in at this stage. Am I good enough for that, you may ask, or how do I become successful at this. After some time of pondering over many career paths you may end up thinking that maybe you are no good for any of these things after all.

Here is where a bit of career planning helps. There are two relevant ways of starting off. One is to find out what you really like doing and do it irrespective of the gains and growth patterns and the second is to find out what really motivates you, find out which among the careers gives you what you want and build up competencies for it. Either way you will get what you want - in the first method the journey itself is your reward (though many will discourage you on this path, but don't worry, many have tread this path and quite successfully at that too) and in the second you are carefully working your way to your reward which could be clearly spelt out to be a consequence of your work or occupation.

Whichever path you choose, it is most important to know your individual strengths and weaknesses. Sit down and assess yourself honestly. Think of all your accomplishments, of all the compliments you got, of all the work that really inspired you, of the times when you worked with passion at and jot them all down. You will find that as you note down your victories, your achievements etc a pattern will emerge. You can find that you are good at organizing, at making people comfortable, at leading, at solving puzzles, at physical activity, at playing music or games. Each of these represents a career option by itself or throws up some characteristic in you - qualities that could be good assets in your future career options.

Now list out things that motivate you, that you aspire for, your dreams - things you would want more than anything else in the world. Find your fit between the person you are and the dream you wish to achieve. As this picture gets clearer you become more aware, confident and purposeful. Attributes that serve you well along the way. You have now formed a sharp picture of yourself with specific saleable qualities.

Based on your aspiration level and your aptitude, you can also identify the careers that offer the kind of lifestyle or returns that you wish. If you wish to frequently travel and be in command of a dynamic business you can zero down to careers in marketing with a goal to set up your own firm or to head a large company (the same may not be possible if you inherently like to paint for long hours).

It is best to be honest with yourself at this stage because most people take decisions based on glamorous misconceptions about certain careers and later change them. For example if you wish to be an airhostess, check out the sources available to the kind of work that is associated with being an airhostess. Only if you really enjoy doing that kind of work and the rewards that come with it must you opt for it. Else look further for what really fits you. Growth, rewards, recognition and most importantly job satisfaction and a good quality of life come from one thing -loving your job.

Having decided on a particular direction, build competencies. Specific careers need specific education and training. Whichever area you choose to be in, you will fare well if you strive to be the best in it. Leave your individual brand on it. Learn the ropes by acquiring information, by taking up courses, by taking up internships and summer jobs, by learning the economics of the job, by adding special skills that help in handling the job with greater proficiency.

All careers without exception would certainly require a good writing and verbal communicating ability so please work on that, a pleasing and well-mannered personality, a professional work ethic and good inter-personal skills. Work on these important soft skills along with as you plan your career.

If you have a goal then be clear about it and start walking towards it. You will learn along the way. You will acquire skills and competencies that help you along. The important thing is to start the journey.

10 Main Steps Of Personal Development Planning And Career 

If you want to get ahead in your professional life, don't leave it to chance. Use this 10 relevant step approach to get off to a flying start.

Step 1: Set a vision

• Get a clear vision of what you want. Ask yourself at the pinnacle of your career:

• What role do I want?

• How much do I want to earn?

• What type of organisation you want to be working for?

• When do you want to achieve it by?

• What impact do you want to leave behind at the end of your career?

Step 2: Identify what you are willing to do to achieve your vision

• Life is all about choices. By saying yes to career you are saying no to another area. Make a list now of:

• What you are willing to to achieve your vision

• What you are not willing to do

Step 3: Identify what it is worth to you to achieve your vision

• Get connected to

• What it will give you

• What values your will be honouring

• How it will feel to achieve it?

• What will be the cost to you if you don't achieve?

Step 4: Identify the help and support you will need along the way

• Start to make a list of all of the people and resources that you will need along the way to achieving your vision.

Step 5: Assess your skills

• In assessing your skills you need to identify:

• Skills that you currently have

• Skills that need to be developed

Step 6: Assess your knowledge

• Similar to skills consider areas where you have specific knowledge such as Finance, Marketing, IT and also the knowledge you will need to develop to be a leader.

Step 7: Assess your personal qualities

• Read any research or speak to anyone who has reached a leadership role and they will probably tell you that softer skills were the most important attribute. Rigorously assess and review this area.

Step 8: Prepare a personal development plan

• Use the results of the steps 5 to 7 to set out your personal development plan for each of the next 5 years. Be specific about what you want to do, the outcome you are seeking, how you will do it and when you will do it by. Consider the accountability you need to say on track.

Step 9: Prepare your career plan

• In developing your career plan consider the experience you need to acquire, type of roles you need to do, specific industry experience you want, time in each role, support and help you need.

Step 10: Monitor, evaluate and adapt

• If you don't monitor you are likely to go off track. Set up accountability. Set review dates. Be honest about what is working and what is not. Be ready to adapt to reach your final destination.

• Remember that many people have the potential but fail to realise it. Use this 10 step approach to get you off to a flying start.

Personal Development: Advice On Reaching Your Full Potential

Many people experience great difficulty when pursuing personal development, but the process does not need to be as painful as you might think. Advents in technology and personal development techniques allow you to pursue your personal development goals in the easiest and most productive way. This article is meant to guide you through your personal development with helpful tips and advice.

Making yourself the best that you can be is no small task. It can take time, even years of discipline and structure. This article will give you the tips that you can use to start on your own journey. Everyone is different and you will find something here that works for you.

Seek pure truth rather than flowery words. Wisdom does not always come in a nice package, but it is powerful and pure in its mission. Discern the truth and wisdom in your day to day life, and separate it from false ideas that are dressed up nicely in flowery language and passed off as wisdom.

Always try to present yourself in a positive light. While you should not worry so much about what someone thinks of you, if you need to promote yourself, you do have to be understood. Just do well to be yourself so that you don't paint a false persona for people just to get their business.

An important tip that will improve every area of your life is to get a good night's sleep. Intellectually we all know this already, but few of us take it to heart. Proper rest is essential to restore the body, but also to reduce stress and inflammation, protect our heart, regulate our hormones, and improve our memory. A good night's sleep is 6-8 hours " and some people need more. Your health and your outlook will improve greatly when you make a good night's rest a serious priority.

In order to be successful with your journey of personal development, you need to have a sound foundation from which to build upon. Your success is determined by your own self image and confidence levels. These are two easy things you can boost, which will in turn assist you in successfully identifying all the things you would like to improve upon in your life.

Make sure you know how to balance the various goals in your life. You should never be too harsh with yourself. You might find your confidence takes a hit from a loud inner critic. At the same time, you should also be flexible. Failing to reach certain goals can be a tough blow to recover from, but learning to forgive yourself makes a big difference in keeping yourself motivated.

Related: Why Ambition Is Important In One's Life And How To Be More Ambitious In Life.

A self-help strategy for overcoming anxiety is to stop thinking in absolutes, using words like "never," "always," "must," and so on. This type of distorted thinking results in unrealistic expectations, which cause you to put additional, excessive pressure on yourself. By defeating these cognitive distortions and putting thoughts into more realistic terms, you are less likely to overwhelm yourself with stress.

Make a list of your strongest qualities and most desirable traits, then pick one and improve upon it as much as possible. Do you enjoy teaching other people to learn new skills? Consider taking non-credit courses or attending seminars that can teach you how to become a more effective leader and communicator.

Final Words

In conclusion, you really should choose an exercise regimen that you enjoy. This can be yoga, Pilates, walking, biking, aerobics, jogging and so on. A diet will help jump start your exercise; you are what you eat is a very popular saying and it makes a lot of sense. If you eat unhealthy, bad food you will feel bad; improve your health and you will be improving you.

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