Develop a Career Plan

Some people get stuck in rest stops on the superhighway of life. Bored, unchallenged, and underutilized, they wonder how they'll make it through another year at the same dreary job. If this sounds like you, are you taking advantage of past, present, and future opportunities to maximize your potential and increase your rewards?

Every businessperson knows that time is money, so it's important to make good use of yours in building a career. You need to be proactive in polishing and marketing your current and potential skills. Take this quick survey to see if you are mining past experience, current efforts, and future goals to earn rich dividends. (Check all that apply.)

Past:

_____1. I keep in touch with former colleagues and mentors.

_____2. I keep samples of past projects or earlier work as performance indicators.

_____3. I follow the career moves and successes of former coworkers to network.

_____4. I build on past training by taking advantage of follow-up offers for seminars, workshops, or classes.

_____5. I reflect on past mistakes and develop strategies to avoid repeating them.

Present:

_____6. I keep a log of current projects and an estimate of how my job time is spent.

_____7. I pursue professional development opportunities several times a year.

_____8. I offer my company periodic proposals to enhance personal or company productivity.

_____9. I look for opportunities to increase my usefulness to the company.

_____10. I make set higher personal performance standards each year and try to meet them.

Future:

_____11. I plan to develop or revise an existing personal mission statement.

_____12. I have developed a reasonable five-year career plan.

_____13. I am exploring prudent ways of saving and investing money for my future.

_____14. I am acquiring experience that will help me climb to the next level at my job.

_____15. I have a contingency plan (and savings) in case I lose my present job.

If you checked fewer than two items in each section (or fewer than six overall), consider implementing these suggestions to make the most of opportunities to enhance your marketability and protect your future. For example, look up a former mentor and send a note to let that person know how you are doing now. If you have gained new skills since then, he or she may be able to connect you to opportunities that you may not be aware of.
Start looking for professional development opportunities at your workplace. Attend free or low-cost training seminars, classes, or sessions that can improve existing skills or help you build new ones. Your employment status becomes more valuable as you widen and expand your range of abilities.
Make a short-term and long-term written plan of your personal and professional goals. These may include actively looking for another job, buying a home, or working part-time to save money toward college tuition if you plan on returning for a graduate degree that will make you more marketable.
Use this assessment to take stock of your potential and find ways of developing it. You could be further along in your career path by this time next year if you start planning now.