6 Tips for Career Planning at Any Age or Career Stage

Last Updated: 

February 7, 2024

Hurdles are quite inevitable along one's professional pathways. However, knowing those hurdles and thoroughly planning your career will be a great relief.

Thus, career planning can be defined as the approach a person makes use of to set career goals and the path to realise those objectives. The process involves several actions, including self-improvement phases and the procedure to achieve those goals.

Career planning also involves deciding on precise professional objectives and pathways. It is capable of encouraging synthesisation, developing competencies, reaching decisions, generating objectives, as well as taking necessary actions. Necessary action is critical in generating alternatives for career progression. Age is a critical thing for career progression for choosing a path according to your age. A Pearson age calculator provides the solution to knowing your career according to your age. There are many age-related tools and apps are there on Calculator-age.com for career progression. Know your age and then decide about your career.

Career planning requires time, work, and study. Considering the fact that an average worker could change professions (not jobs) about five to seven times over their lifetime, career planning is something to do frequently. The following tips will help you plan your career in order to attain the professional height you desire.

Key Takeaways on Career Planning

  1. List Out Your Likes, Dislikes, and Desires From Work: Reflect on what you enjoy and dislike in your current job to determine if you're on the right career path.
  2. Set Achievable and Reasonable Career Goals: Use the SMART framework to set short-term and long-term goals, and review and adjust them regularly.
  3. Always Plan Your Career Now and Then: Devote time to researching your interests and potential job paths, and be ready to adapt and assess your plan.
  4. Keep an Updated Resume: Maintain a well-crafted and up-to-date resume to seize opportunities as they arise.
  5. Keep a Record of Your Accomplishments: Track your achievements to showcase your unique combination of skills and experiences when switching careers.
  6. Carry Out Necessary Research: Stay informed about the latest professional trends and the projected growth of industries you're interested in.
  7. Do Your Best: Seek career counselling and utilise professional development opportunities to ensure you're on the right path and prepared for future challenges.
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List Out Your Likes, Dislikes, and Your Desires From Work

Our likes and dislikes tend to change as time goes on. Therefore, it is always advisable to reflect on what you strongly care about in your life and your job at a particular time. You can list out those things associated with the employment that you enjoy, as well as the things you do not take pleasure in.

It is also crucial to have a clear and distinct goal that is capable of emotionally engaging you. You could create a list of your previous and present jobs, and after listing out what you love and dislike, you can use that list to examine your career path.

It is worthy of note that if the duties of your current job fall under the "like" category, then you are on the right path. On the other hand, if the majority of your job roles fall under the "dislike" class, then that means it is time for you to start searching for other opportunities.

Set Achievable and Reasonable Career Goals

Goals setting can contribute to you achieving much more. Set your short-term goals, which you expect to have accomplished within a year. Likewise, set your long-term goals, as in those goals you should have realised in about five to ten years. You must already be familiar with SMART, an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

You should note them down and share them with your mentor or anyone else, as it will instill a sense of responsibility and accountability into you.

However, another essential part of career planning is regularly examining and adjusting your objectives, as well as setting fresh goals the moment you accomplish the existing ones. Hence, whenever you devote time to plan your career, you can always draw out this list and go through it. To drive home a point, flexibility in setting goals and enlisting realistic and achievable goals is highly critical.

Always Plan Your Career Now and Then

Plan Your Career Now
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Not all plans get accomplished without difficulty or hitch. Therefore, adaptability and assessment of a plan's strengths and shortcomings are vital. Concerning something as crucial as picking up a job role, it is essential to devote so much attention to your career planning efforts.

You can choose to surrender a weekend or a day to carry out research on your hobbies and prospective job paths. You can then utilise that period to focus on getting a job that will give you the highest level of satisfaction.

With that, you tend to feel more assured in your job direction and decision. You will also be more equipped and strengthened to overcome the difficulties and uncertainties ahead.

Keep an Updated Resume

One of the most critical procedures in planning for the future of your career is being ready to strike whenever opportunities show themselves. Irrespective of your career level, knowing how to write and regularly update a resume is a tremendous exercise.

To make the task of writing a resume easier for you, there are resume templates you can get inspiration from. There are also professional resume builders who can help you develop a properly-written resume within the twinkle of an eye. However, before you entrust the creation of your resume to anyone, make sure they are licensed to write a resume. For example, they must have obtained a resume writer certification, at the very least.

Keep a Record of Your Accomplishments

Reflecting on your previous accomplishments can encourage you to select a profession that will allow you to do those things that make you proud. When you have a special combination of achievements, education, and talents, you will be set apart and be outstanding from the remaining people in your profession.

As a result, whenever you start working in preparation for your next job objectives, the procedure involved in keeping track of and writing about your professional achievements will be helpful. Hence, when it is time to switch careers, you will be able to present a lot of evidence.

Moreover, apart from track record keeping being helpful in career planning,  it is also useful in building your resume.

Carry Out Necessary Research

In order to build a successful career, it is better to be aware of the latest professional trends. If any job sector is currently flourishing, there is a probability that it will begin to dwindle in the future. Thus, before you commence a new career, it is essential to know whether sustained growth in employment is projected in those industries you have an interest in.

This is because visualising oneself in the future is a critical tool for career planning. You can conduct research on new training and educational options, and getting training programs, seminars, or classes that could enable you to advance your profession is a vital part of career planning.

Endeavour to make use of any professional development opportunities that your company gives, as they are grants that could help you in attaining your goals.

Do Your Best

Career Planning
Via Pexels

Career planning is crucial, irrespective of the stage you are in. And since an essential part of any career planner is the assurance that the road being taken is the appropriate one, you can get career counseling sessions and tests whenever you are not certain of your professional path.

Additionally, although frequent reviewing and planning will better prepare you for anything that lies ahead in your career, you should also be open to life, shocking you with new adventures, even if they are not in line with your planned destination.

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