We spend the majority of our lives at work. So, It is important to execute wise career planning when it comes to the type of career, job, and industry that we want to pursue.
We all have different perspectives while choosing our careers. Career planning and development are a vital part of everyone’s life. Someone might settle for a mechanical job with good pay while the other might want to follow her passion and passion alone. Whatever the situation might be while making a career choice, always make sure that you choose a career that less or more compliments your interest. Having a healthy life-work balance is another important factor while choosing a career path.
The process of Career planning can be tumultuous and confusing. Someone, who is stuck in the process of making a career decision and is afraid of taking the next step should go for career coaching. A career counselor can help in performing career planning techniques and giving career planning tips that can help someone develop a fruitful career path.
So, In this blog, we will discuss some of the major aspects of career planning like what is career planning, the Importance of career planning, the process of career planning, tips for successful career planning, and reasons why you might need a career coach.
Let’s start with discussing three important factors of career planning
Three Important Factors of Career Planning
Career planning depends upon a list of factors like your personality type, family background, academic history, interests and hobbies, etc
In this blog, we have listed down the three most important factors of career planning that you should assess to identify and filter your career options.
- Personality
Before stepping your first step in a kind of working environment related to your career path, you should not your personality type and your satisfaction associated with that work.Because let’s face the truth, If you’re working 8 to 9 hours a day on some project, either as a job, self-employment, or freelancing, you must have a sense of fulfillment and satisfaction from that work. You cannot be happy all the time with your work but the satisfaction, in the end, does matter.
So, while you create a plan for your career, know yourself. What kind of work excites you, Are you an introvert or an extrovert, What kind of work inspires you, Are you into visuals or written work, etc.
Transferable Skill
Choose a path that matches your skills or create skills that will lead you to your dream job. That’s the hack.
You can create your path in accordance with the current skills you possess. For example, suppose you like writing and you’ve participated in essay writing or poetry writing competitions in your school or college. You are always zealous about writing and would like to earn through writing for the rest of your life. In such a case, for building a fruitful career, you might want to pursue a professional course in writing like copywriting or creative writing.So, Not only will you have a new skill but your prior experience in the same field will act as a big boon in defining your career opportunities and progress.
- Lifestyle
Many of us work to improve our lifestyle, don’t we? But often, our work is also derived from the kind of lifestyle that suits us. While deciding on a career, it is important that we identify our needs and wants and strike a balance between them.
Let’s say, you like writing and you have researched the sort of jobs or work where you can earn through writing. And often, jobs like writing need cleansed thoughts and calm surroundings. So, you might want to pursue a job that is remote, like freelancing. On the other hand, If you’re someone who is an extrovert and a team player, you might want to go for a job that requires a team effort.
Everyone has a different personality. Either you should build the capacities to understand your personality or take the help of a career coach or career counselor to help identify your personality type and suited career.
Tips that can help in career planning
Career planning is an ongoing process. Your career needs change as you grow and gain experience in your career path. Whether you pursue this activity of understanding, analyzing, and devising a plan for your career along or with the help of a career coach, here are some tips that can help you make the right decision.
- Scrutinize your hobbies:
Sometimes the activities that you perform in your leisure time can turn out to be a great career choice. With the right mindset and courage, there are literally no limits that can stop you from earning money from any activity that you like doing. For Instance, the kidpreneur, Mikaila Ulmer opened a million-dollar business with her grandmother’s lemonade recipe. - List out your past accomplishments
One of the important points to consider while planning for your career is to identify what people appreciate you for.
What were some activities for which you got applauded and praised by others?
What work of yours impacted and inspired others?
Noting down your past accomplishments will help you identify the things that not only make you happy but proud too. - Trace your past career path
Sometimes looking back is as important as looking forward. Review and reflect on your career path till now. Analyze your past mistakes. Ask yourself questions like “What led to the current situations?”, “Am I happy with my career path right now?”, “What could I have done differently?”. - Make Career Planning your annual task
Career planning is an ongoing process. There is no one-time strategy for your whole career tenure. Your career plan will change according to the changing situations, needs, wants, and desires. Taking a pause in the year between and scrutinizing your career can help you grow in the long run. Cut out all the distractions and put yourself in identifying your career goals. This will help you be prepared for uncertainties and difficulties. - Keep acquiring knowledge
Knowledge is no doubt the most powerful driving force in any aspect of life. Make sure you keep yourself updated with the kind of knowledge that will always keep you in demand. Learning and growing should be the inevitable part of your life. Instead of only working on the passive opportunities, look for new career-enhancing opportunities and work on them.
Why do you need a coach?
All the factors and tips mentioned above will help you devise the right kind of career for you. But if you feel overwhelmed with the process of career planning and need professional guidance in identifying your goals, purposes, and ways of pursuing it, then you should seek a career counselor or career coach.
A coach will help you identify your goals and purpose. She will help you analyze your personality and your likes and dislikes around which your career revolves. She would also help you create a career pathway with the help of relevant career planning tips and techniques. So, If you feel you need professional assistance in identifying a fruitful career, you should seek career coaching by a career counselor or coach.
Conclusion
Hope you gain some useful insights from this blog. If you are worried about your career, we would advise you to follow the aforementioned tips and identify your career path. If you think you need professional assistance, you should go for a career coach.
The Zen Ladder is a group of counselors that help people stuck at their career path to clear off the roadblocks and pave the way to an effective career strategy. Visit our home page and book an appointment to seek the best career advice and guidance.