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How can I make long-term career plans when my dream career, or when the circumstances that I was executing my dream career out of, have disappeared or changed beyond recognition? e.g. I now have children.  I have moved out of town.  I no longer want to spend so long away from home (circle as applicable).

·         Should I opt for short-term goals that may lead to more career success or reach for longer-term goals?

If you develop CAREER RESILIENCE it is possible to do both.

So, how do you develop Career Resilience?

1.       Develop a high level of Self Awareness

• What skills have you mastered so far – what are you good at?
• Which skills will you develop over the short-term -  what could you be good at?
• What are your personality strengths and weaknesses?
• Seek out FLOW - the point it doesn’t feel like work when you do it,     what interests you most?

This is where having a mentor, past manager or enlisting a career development professional can really help.

2.       Keep abreast of the Opportunities – Use the best information available - Build and Maintain a Strong Network

Used effectively today’s social media platforms make it easy to remain prepared through deliberately building a strong personal network – and keeping that network strong, healthy and evolving.

Through being in touch with like minded professionals, and by building useful relationships, it becomes much easier to remain aware of changing trends in your area.

3.       Transition Management - Planning for and Embracing Change

Change is the only constant!  We are told that 1 in 5 jobs in 2020 weren’t even heard of in 2000.

The best plan?  Embrace change – and incorporate it into your evolving career strategy.  Its more about the PLANNING than the PLAN.   Focus on developing a Growth Mindset. “The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset.” (Carol Dweck)  How you engage with experience will influence how you learn from it.  It means you can constantly revisit your goals and objectives.

Remember that a goal without milestones to measure progress and a timeframe for achieving the overall objective isn’t really a goal at all – it is an idea; maybe even wishful thinking.

Short-term, where do you want your career to head… and how much time you will you need to get there? What can you do within your current situation that will help you reach an important milestone? What does success for this stage of your career look like? Once again, ask yourself the hard questions… and the answers will become increasingly clear.

We need to embrace change and stay nimble. Prepare a path with the best information you have available to you now.  Who knows?  You may find yourself looking back and saying “I know a way… follow me.”

You ARE resilient; it doesn’t matter if you fail, what matters far more is how you deal with failure.  How you get up is a lot more important than how you fall.  The faster you recover and get back on your feet and go productively on your way, the better it will be.

Remember, it’s not about doing what you love or loving what you do. It’s about getting clarity on your career and lifestyle goals, and then figuring out what you need to do to bring them to life.

How do you start to solve this career puzzle?  

Talent and Career hold regular workshops where we talk about finding the right career direction in terms of hours, work place and remuneration as well as considering what makes work motivating and fulfilling.  You will have the chance to carry out practical exercises to help you indentify your strengths and values.

We shall be hosting a workshop at the Mums Enterprise Roadshow, so come along and see how we can help you - register for your free ticket here

FIND OUT MORE  ABOUT TALENT & CAREER IN THEIR EXHIBITOR LISTING HERE

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