Career Management

Many times in our careers, we will face challenges at work that later become some of our defining moments.  Our boss gives us a tough project, impossible deadlines, and goals that stretch our abilities.

Outside of the workplace, we can face similar challenges.  Trips to the emergency room, the addition of a new family member; these events often mirror what happens to us at work.  In fact, throughout our careers we are forced to strike a balance between work and family life.  Inevitably, career management and work / life balance are important for both our physical health as well as our relationship with our family.

Managing Career and Family

So just how do we juggle all of the responsibilities our careers and families manage to send our way?  We can do this by keeping things in perspective, remembering what is truly important in our lives, and working as efficiently as possible.  Since the focus of this publication is to provide business information, we'll stick to the career management side of the equation.

The first step in career management is to take charge of your career.  If you are floating through your career like a rudderless ship, then it will only be by good fortune that you get everything you can from your career.  You need to take control of your destiny and map out a course.

Planning Your Career

Some people might think that it is ridiculous to create a detailed career plan when so much of their success depends on factors beyond their control.  But we're not speaking about writing it down once, and sticking to that plan no matter what happens.  We're talking about visioning where you want to be, and what you want to do.  That document, or mindset, has to evolve and change as circumstances change.  We are talking about actively managing your career, and that is not a one-time event.

That being said, we start down this road by first looking inward and asking some questions.  Assess your basic skills, figure out what your strengths and weaknesses are at work.  Take an aptitude test if you need some help.  Figure out what the ideal job is for you.

Assessing your Skills

As you assess your skills, you will likely be faced with some tough decisions.  For example, you may be very good with numbers, and remembering the details behind those numbers.  The problem is that you might hate keeping track of all those details.  Fortunately, you may have also had some strategic assignments.   If that's true, then you can decide which of the roads you want to travel.  You need to decide what you really like to do, versus the skills you have learned.

Finding the Ideal Job

The next step is to evaluate your past experience against the ideal job.  Take a close look at the skills you've acquired during your career. and what skills are needed to move ahead.  One way to do this is to prepare your resume, and then find the ideal job posting or two somewhere.  Read the requirements of those jobs to get a sense of the skills and experience required, then look back at your resume.  Being as objective as possible, start to make a list of the experience and skills you need to gain or strengthen to be a viable candidate.

Now that you've figured out whom you are and where you'd like to go, you need a career management plan to help you get there.  You need to itemize the skills and experience gaps, and figure out how to get them added to your portfolio.  Here too you have choices on how to move down the road:

• Look for, or accept, assignments that give you the experience you want.  You can talk to your manager and tell them you are interested in a certain assignment or opportunity.  A good manager will help you, and be on the look-out for opportunities if they know your feelings ahead of time.  But be prepared to work harder if this assignment is added to your existing workload.
• Look outside of work for the experience.  There is absolutely nothing wrong with volunteering in your community, and adding that new found skill to your resume.  In fact, it also creates a great impression on others when they see that you give back to the community in which you live.
• Sign up for career training opportunities.  These can be at work, at a community college, or even over the Internet.  You'd be surprised at what you can find just by seeking it out.

To summarize, we've assessed our skills, found the skills of the ideal job, and conducted a gap analysis.  Then we've mapped out a plan to acquire the needed skills over time.  Guess what?  Now you've the beginnings of a career management plan.

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