Why career management means YOU need to act in your best interest
Career management is starting to become a more popular term. It was largely unknown prior to this current recession until career speakers like Jason Alba started talking about it. Wikipedia defines career management as:
Career Management is the combination of structured planning and the active management choice of one’s own professional career.
The outcome of successful career management should include personal fulfillment, work/life balance, goal achievement and financial security.
Start, Move Up, and Retire – not anymore
Years ago the best career management advice was to start at one company, move up the ladder, and retire 40 years later.
Many people who thought that was going to happen to them have had a rude awakening.
For a person who visualized their career as successful as long as they continued the path within one organization, they find themselves in shock when their company closes, merges, or is acquired.
Even if you don’t end up losing your job, you may find that your company changes or your management changes. What you loved about working there dissolves. Effective career management means you have to be ready for change.
Planning your career takes a conscious commitment to evaluation of what you like to do and where you like to do it. This may mean you do some soul-searching.
Perhaps, you employ an expert to help you with the process. At the same time, you need to learn to use the tools of modern day job search.
Career Management means not loving the point n’ click strategy
Regular readers and my clients know I am not fond of the point n’ click strategy of finding a couple hundred jobs online and applying. Usually people who employ this strategy have no follow-up strategy. Their untargeted applications drop into the black hole.
Effective career management means that you figure out what the tools you need for the future. Set about getting new skills ready and using them long before the door closes on your current job.
Plan ahead because you know there may well be a someday when your 40-year plan dissolves. At that point, you need a new plan and possibly a whole new career path.
We’re facing challenging times, my friends, and you need to be ready. That is Career Management!
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Julie Walraven
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