Have you taken time to think about the direction of your career?
If you intend to continue at your present job, move up the career ladder, or planning to open your own start-up, you will almost certainly need to have a final-goal to pursue. But do you really know what you need to do to get there?
Why to Develop a Career Roadmap?
Maps and plans are energizing; they indicate us where to go and what we can do next to reach our destination. However, we all wish career planning was that simple. We are often confronted with opportunities and major shifts that throw us off track. However, it should be a constant motivator for us to build various types of career maps to help us remain focused.
A Career Roadmap specifies the intended destination as well as the steps, experience, and progression he/she will need to get there. It provides a sense of direction, as well as a means of evaluating career progress and achieving career goals and achievements along the way. Additionally, building a “roadmap” to identify the steps required to achieve your career goals will accompany you in getting a true understanding of what it will take.
Career Mapping Guidance!
We often ask ourselves three deep questions; “Who am I? Where am I going? And how will I get there?” Once these questions are tackled there are some steps to take that will help us to create a successful career roadmap;
- Conduct a comprehensive self-evaluation:
Find out what your strengths and weaknesses are, what you excel at, and where you need to learn. Define your work values: what do you admire most about your career and what values are most important to you. Often, consider your ambitions, what you like to do in your spare time, and what you wish you could do if you had more time.
- Plan how you’ll get into the career of your fantasies:
Always do a gap analysis in your career field. Identify what you need to know about your career choices, analyze what skills & knowledge you need to have to be competitive and look for a perfect-fit candidate. But don’t stop there; fill in the gaps between your current self-assessment and your end-goal by doing more analysis. Still think about how you’ll get closer to your actual career.
- Set goals for yourself:
You must prioritize these things after you have identified the void and listed the skills that are lacking. By prioritizing your self-development in all ways and placing the most critical void to be filled first. Obtaining the necessary skills will put you on the right track and get you closer to your goal.
- Form a network
Why network? Networking allows you to make important connections and explore and seek opportunities that aren’t available to others. Building connections with people who are on the same or similar career paths to you would aid you on your career path. At the end of the day, everybody requires assistance, guidance, and suggestions to make their journey easier.
- Have a Clear Vision
Your vision is a depiction of what you want to happen tomorrow. For your career path, having a clear view of what you want and how to get it is imperative. It will direct you in the right direction and provide you with the opportunities and networks you’ll need to integrate yourself into your career choice.
Thus, Creating a career roadmap is a challenging task, but this guide can accompany you in mastering the proper actions to reach your goals.