When it is time to look for a new career path or even just a new job, many people go straight to LinkedIn or some online job posting site and start applying to jobs. Even though you can sometimes get replies, which is becoming more rare, most of the time, online job postings leave most people frustrated and unemployed longer than they want.
Career planning is a smart alternative because it gives you a sense of direction in a weary time. Instead of randomly looking at online ads that every other person in trasitiion is looking at, creating a career plan keeps you motivated and on track.
So much of the time, people who are either unemployed or are unhappy with their current jobs become jaded and more unhappy. Having a career plan will keep you positive and looking towards the future.
Along with these reasons above, here are 7 reasons why you should start career planning:
Sense of achievement - setting and achieving a goal builds confidence.
Greater ownership - Career planning lets you take charge of your own destiny rather than leaving it to chance. Having a career plan enables you to remain motivated and focused. It helps you anticipate barriers and problems that may arise and what you can do to avoid the barrier or problem, solve it and move on. It may also point out your weakness or deficiency so you can get the resources or skills needed to deal with the problem.
Sense of direction and purpose - you'll feel positive about what you're doing, and you will experience greater meaning. It will guide you to doing what you really want to do for a living, rather than just drifting from job to job aimlessly.
Develop a lifelong skill - managing your career is a lifelong responsibility. The more practice you have now, the more confidence you'll have in making things happen.
Get the most out of professional development - having some direction will help you identify the experiences, jobs, clubs etc. that will be most relevant to you and where you want to go.
Support you with your job search - employers look for positive, motivated people with a sense of whom they are and where they want to go. Planning will help improve your job prospects and employability skills, as well as your ability to market yourself.
Develop transferable skills - planning skills are relevant to a host of jobs and careers. You'll be able to add career planning to your skills list.
If this concept still seems a bit foreign, a career coach is a good place to look. The job of a career coach is to help you create a plan then execute it in less time than if you did it on your own.
Take control of your career and find a career that makes you feel fulfilled.
Written By Michele Brant is a Senior Consultant with The Frontier Group. She
