The Career-Life Planning Process

Because work will consume a large part of your life, planning your career is obviously important. Yet some people give more thought to planning weekend activities than they do to systematically planning their careers. Planning your career means an investment of time and effort. The career planning process involves:

1. Gathering and organizing information about yourself and the world of work
   
   
2. Establishing your immediate and long-term career objectives
   
   
   
   
3. Achieving those objectives through effective job hunting.
   

The three steps of the career-life planning process form an inter-dependent cycle. Each step is closely related to the others. In the cycle, the best place to begin is with you. Progress in any of the three steps will enable you to strengthen your understanding of the other steps. For ex ample, when you begin contacting potential employers in the job-hunting step, you will obtain information that will allow you to further clarify your career goals and sharpen your focus.

Where are you in your career planning job search?

The following checklist is designed to help you determine where you might need help in your career planning and job search activities. The way you answer the questions may yield some important clues for you about your effectiveness in these activities.

Answer each question "yes" or "no," tally your responses and com pare your total score to the general guidelines given at the end of the survey.

1. What you know about yourself (self-analysis/assessment)
   
   
2. Can you clearly state what you have gained or want to gain from your education?
   
   
3. Can you explain why you chose (or are thinking about choosing) your major?
   
   
4. Can you name the work activities you do well and most enjoy? How about non-work activities?
   
   
5. Can you list at least five marketable skills and abilities you possess?
   
   
6. For each of your most important job-related experiences, can you list:
   
   
   • Five responsibilities you had?
     
     
   • Five things you learned?
     
     
   • Several contributions you made or things you accomplished?
     
     
7. Can you describe your greatest strength? Your greatest weakness?
   
   
8. Have you clearly defined your geographical preferences and limitations?
   
   
9. Have you determined the salary range you will consider?
   

What You Know About the World of Work

• Can you name at least three fields of employment in which you are interested?
  
  
• Do you know the type of organization for which you would like to work?
  
  
• Can you describe the characteristics of the work environment in which you feel you would be happiest and most productive?
  
  
• Can you name at least five types of employers that might hire a person with your background?
  
  
• Can you name at least five position titles that might be impropriate to your interests and abilities?
  
  
• Do you know at least four or five resources to help you find answers to questions 11,12, and 13 above?
  
  
• Can you name at least four sources of information that could help you discover potential employers in a particular geo graphic area?
  
  
• Have you recently talked to at least three people who are employed in your field of interest with the purpose of learning more about what they do?
  

Goal Setting

• Can you clearly and confidently state your career goals?
  
  
• Can you distinguish your more immediate job objectives from your long-range career goals?
  

Job Hunting

• Can you name at least five employers whom you plan to contact regarding employment in the near future?
  
  
• Are you familiar with the organizational structures, services, programs, or products of the employers whom you are planning to contact?
  
  
• Can you clearly state why you are interested in working for each employer whom you contact?
  
  
• Have you prepared a resume with which you are satisfied? Have you asked anyone to critique your resume?
  
  
• Do you know the questions employers are likely to ask you in an interview?
  
  
• Have you used any of the following methods to prepare for interviews?
  
  
  1. Interview workshops?
     
     
  2. Role-playing with a Mend or relative?
     
     
  3. Role-playing by yourself in front of a mirror?
     
     
• Do you know ways of developing job leads other than advertised listings?
  
  
• Have you consulted the schedule of employers who conduct on-campus recruiting visits to determine the organizations with which you might interview?
  

Don't be discouraged if you scored low on this "test." Most college students score very low on these questions. Read on and you will no doubt dramatically improve your score.

Self-Assessment

Any career planning or effective job hunting should begin with self- assessment. Many individuals find such analysis difficult or believe it to be fruitless, and therefore are prone to avoid it. "Don't bother me with the details, just tell me where the jobs are" is not an untypical response.

Avoiding this step can be a mistake, however, since it serves as the base from which you work. Take time to reflect upon what you can contribute as well as what you want out of work and a career. If you don't know who you are, you cannot market yourself effectively. There will be six questions we will address in this unit that will help you to shape a tentative career objective.

The rest of the career planning process will go much more smoothly for you if you make an honest effort to answer these questions. The questions are:

What do you have to offer in terms of the areas of knowledge, abilities, skills, and interests developed through your education and life/ work experience (including volunteer, internship, part-time, and summer work and classroom projects, hobbies, and extracurricular activities)

• What do you want to accomplish through your work?
  
  
• What are the characteristics of your preferred work environment?
  
  
• What are your preferred geographical locations?
  
  
• What is your desired starting salary? What kind of advancement and salary progression would you like to see?
  
  
• What relationships do you want between your work life and your personal life?
  

These are questions that may not be easy to answer but yet are important to think about Throughout the remainder of this chapter, suggestions and activities will be offered that can be of assistance in obtaining answers to these questions and helping you to establish a tentative career objective. Later you will be evaluating this objective against the practicalities and possibilities of appropriate opportunities in the world of work.