Cultivating a Successful Career Plan

No one is more responsible for your career than you.  You have to take ownership of your career path, but it can feel like an incredibly daunting task to know where or how to get started on your next career move.  On this episode of The Digital Enterprise Society podcast, Thom Singer is taking over the mic for another career-centered conversation. He is joined by Mark Herschberg, the author of The Career Toolkit, Essential Skills for Success That No One Taught You. Additionally, Mark is a CTO, an instructor at MIT, and a speaker.  Together they discuss the importance of taking ownership of your career path, how to find the next right move your career, and how to develop the skills that every employer is looking for in their next employee.    On today’s podcast, you will learn:   Developing critical career skills  No one is taught the essential soft skills that employers are looking for, so it is necessary to develop them on your own.  A career plan can help you recognize and achieve your target goals.  Recognizing what you don’t know can help you get started.    4 steps to develop your career plan First, identify where you want to be at a specific endpoint.  Second, clearly define the elements of the job or goal you are working to achieve.  Next, ask other people for information about any required skills.  After determining what long term skills you need, backtrack to identify the intermediate skills that will get you there.    What if you don’t know what you want? Understand that there is so much more to any job than what you might think it is. Ask as many people as you can about the ins and outs of a position.  Pinpoint the elements of work that excite you, and then look for jobs that fit your preferences.  Consider looking outside your industry to learn more about job opportunities.  Reach out to those who have already done the work in an industry and allow them to help you along your way.    Overcoming common career plan pitfalls   The plan does not have to be set in stone- prepare to adjust as needed.    Regular check-ins will help you stay on track. Set a recurring six month reminder in your phone to “think about my career”.  Value small changes- they can have a major impact over the long term.    Engaging others in creating their career plan Don’t discount your peers and other people who can also benefit from this exercise.  You don’t have to only look to those that are further along in their careers for advice.  Develop mastermind groups to share ideas with like-minded people.  Encourage groups within your company, but don’t stop there.  Don’t wait for the experts to come around- you can learn from your peers now.  Managers need to help their team focus on career planning regardless of whether it’s within the company or not.    Continue the conversation with us within the Digital Enterprise Society Community at DigitalEnterpriseSociety.org.   Digital Download: Virtual Round-Table Series