Career Planning

What is Career Planning?

Most entrepreneurs do not begin their careers by starting their own ventures (though there are some notable exceptions). The majority have had at least a small career first so that they can take the skills and knowledge they have learned and apply it to their own ventures. While some job-seekers are happy to take anything they can get, ambitious job-seekers understand that like anything else a career has to be selected and planned diligently. Career planning consists of looking for a position that you desire and determining which roles you need to perform first to qualify for it.

Determining lifestyle needs

The first mistake many job-seekers make is that they do not consider the sort of lifestyle that satisfies their needs, leading to dissatisfaction in their work lives. When it comes to choosing a career, the following considerations are important:

• Willingness to travel
• Preference of indoor or outdoor work
• Preference of solo or team work
• Work hours required
• Educational requirements
• Type of contract
• Flexibility of the role
• Compensation and benefits
• Content of the work
• Opportunities for advancement

Preparation

Once you have determined the field that is right for you, you need to prepare to apply. Generally this will require:

• Resume
• Referees
• Written references and recommendations
• School certificates
• Skill certificates, degrees and awards

It’s important to find roles which you match the minimum standards of and to be able to provide documentation to prove it.

Building a fantastic resume

A resume is typically the first point of contact in a job search. Professional resumes are well written, neatly formatted and only include relevant content. The most successful applicants typically tailor their resume for each position they are applying for, emphasising the skills that are most important for that role and highlighting past experience. A good resume includes:

• Name
• Contact details
• Short bio
• Past employment (including responsibilities and achievements in those roles)
• Education (including any special awards and achievements)
• Skills and proficiencies
• Photo (optional)