Twenty Keys to Successful Career Planning

1. CAREER PLANNING BEGINS WITH YOU UNDERSTANDING YOUR SKILLS AND MOTIVATIONS!

• What makes you tick–regular evaluation?

• What are your main strengths?

• What drives you with your job? “Success comes from clear vision.”

• What circumstances make you happy to do your job best?

• Measure yourself to be top person!

• Are you aware of Managements’ HR Policies, Employment, Legislation, Training & Development?

UNDERSTANDING

2. LOOK BACK AND LEARN FROM YOUR SUCCESS & FAILURES TO MAXIMISE POTENTIAL!

• Are you having fun ? Follow a desire!• Use your background and experience effectively• Be happy to provide genuine “In-flow” into your job.

• Identify reasons why you failed and apply “your talents”

• Adopt a mentor who can grow you with understanding –

help develop new capabilities.

• How do you really handle criticism?

LEARNING FROM THE PAST

3. LOOK AHEAD AND THINK CLEARLY ABOUT WHERE YOU WISH TO BE!

• Do not float like a cork• During times of change a clear and positive goal become more important.• Use your goals as a compass and maintain direction and purpose.• Flexible strategies accommodate Final Achievement in 3 – 5 – 10 years.

4. BALANCE YOUR WORK WITH THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!• Work should enable you to enrich your life not dominate it• “Whole life” also consists of family recreation, friends, health and community as well as work.• Become and remain a corporate athlete with proper diet and exercise.

PLANNING

FOCUS

5. FOCUS ON A CAREER PATH NOT JUST A JOB!• Accommodate changes to your job description.• Try to identify any concerns your employer may have.

6. FOR CAREER SUCCESS FIND A JOB YOU LOVE!• There is no greater punishment that futile and hopeless

labour.• Organizations should create meaning in the work place.• Don’t always vote with your feet, change the job

internally.

7. JOIN BUSINESSES WHERE YOUR SKILLS CAN BE DEVELOPED!• Is your organization a market leader along with new

challenges?• What value does this job add to my employability?• Make sure you are growing by contributing and not

standing still.

8. SUCCESS = FOCUSING ON STRENGTHS AND MANAGING YOUR WEAKNESSES!• Focus on your strengths = source of your success.• Do more of what you are good at and become more

successful.• Develop strategies to minimize your weakness.• Jack of all trades but master of none.

9. GET OUT MORE AND EXPAND YOUR OWN NETWORK!• Find and maintain friends who you can work with and learn from.• Establish effective working relationships with complementary sound people by listening and taking time to get a feel of the pulse of the organisation .• Communicate regularly with these people you have chosen• Don’t imitate your competition at work just listen and learn from the encounter.

10. KNOW WHEN TO MAKE A CAREER CHANGE!• Do not get caught in comfort zone and stop developing.• reaching a peak and then declining in motivation and challenge.• Find and challenge somewhere you can practice compelling• Maintain purpose /clear perspective and courageous persistence.

GROWTH AND TIMING

11. TO PROGRESS BREAKOUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE!

• Stretching and growth can be slightly uncomfortable.• Consider different areas and challenges• Identify activities at work that make you uncomfortable and learn to manage discomfort.• Learn new things outside work to keep ahead.• Display willingness to take charge of a situation.

12. BE ALERT OF OPPORTUNITIES WITHIN YOUR CURRENT JOB!• Build a track record of success in your current job.• Excellent performance plus attitude = Visibility.• Use initiative and expand your job responsibility.

13. SEEK MORE INFLUENCE ON CRITICAL DECISIONS!• Participate – Be part of the solution • Become a decision maker • Management always move “with the movers.”

14. PLAN AHEAD AND PREPARE FOR AN UNCERTAIN FUTURE!

• Develop an appropriate and alternative career plan • Planning = survival• Adaptability = Longevity• Know your own course of action to cope with growth, retrenchment and business as normal.

AWARENESS

15. RIDE “TRENDS” NOT “FADS”!• Anticipate, predict and understand future and then turn it to your

advantage • Where are you illustrated ….• Making it happen?• Watching it happen?• Wondering what happened?• A Trend = Slow but significant change in social economic • Technologies like Ageing or Life Cycles.• A Fad = short lasting fashion ie fireworks.

16. SUCCESS = REALISTICALLY REPRESENTING YOURSELF!• Do you have both the sausage and the sizzle?• How is your image – now be honest?• How do people /friends rate your brand identity?• Perception is reality .

FLEXIBILITY / INTEGRITY

17. ALWAYS LOOK AT THE BIG PICTURE!• Ambitious high flyers differentiate themselves from the pack by both

the SIZE and SCOPE of their recommendations and thinking.• Look at the long-term benefits of your “Recommendations” which

do not have to be clever but offer your organisation practical and

genuine “Added Value Contribution.”• These “Added Value Contributions” will influence management and

your successful career path.

18. KEEP THINGS SIMPLE!• We can’t “do it all” or “have it all.”• Don’t be confused over vast range of things available to us.• Focus only on what will give your career the best boost.• Focus on Critical Career Plan Paths.• Say no to “Nice-to-do” projects as this disturbs priorities.• Be ruthless about time-wasting at workplace and outside .• Focus on few real and critical projects which contribute to your organisation and accelerating your career progress.

VISION

19. ENSURE ACCELERATED CAREER PROGRESS- KEEP YOUR SKILLS UP TO DATE!

Widen set of your skills through:-• Continuous product knowledge expansion.• Compliant and Competency delivery of tasks in workplace• Attending development courses to accelerate your own up-skilling plans.

How transferable are your skills and competencies?

20. ENSURE ACCELERATED CAREER UP-SKILLING BECOMES A LIFE-LONG HABIT FOR LIFE-LONG SUCCESS!

• If you analyse your strengths and weaknesses when retrenched

this is too late. • Continuous accelerated up-skilling is not for debate.• Review your progress and re-set goals to accommodate “our ever- changing world.”

CONTINUOUS PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

20 Keys - Questions and Answers At interviews is personal appearance important? Y / N At interviews should eye contact be made Y / N Is sincerity, enthusiasm and manner essential Y / N Should achievements be demonstrated at interviews Y / N Should portfolio of life values and beliefs be discussed Y / N Should strengths and weaknesses be discussed Y / N Should hobbies / leisure activities be discussed Y / N Should ambition and career progression be mentioned Y / N Is evidence of a balanced lifestyle really important Y / N Are demonstrated conflict resolution skills important Y / N Is thorough preparation and key-word delivery important? Y / N

20 Keys- Questions and Answers Do you understand what planning a career involves?

Y/N Have you learnt from past mistakes and re-orientate?

Y/N How thorough and structured is your planning really?

Y/N Should portfolio of life values and beliefs be discussed

Y/N Should strengths and weaknesses be discussed Y/N Should hobbies / leisure activities be discussed Y/N Should ambition and career progression be mentioned

Y/N Is evidence of a balanced lifestyle really important Y/N Are demonstrated conflict resolution skills important Y/N Is thorough preparation and key-word delivery important?

Y/N