![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/identifi-global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CareerPlan.jpg\")
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\n\tWhether you\u2019re a recent graduate about to start your career, an experienced professional stuck in a rut, or in a job that you love but just want a bit of clarity on where you\u2019re headed in life, building a well-thought-out career plan is the number-one place to start.<\/p>\n
\n\tA career plan encourages you to identify what careers are out there, what your skills are and how you\u2019re going to get there (i.e. any professional certifications you might need or skills to work on). <\/p>\n
\n\tOnce the plan is built, you\u2019ll then have something actionable that you can put into place, as well as something to measure your progress against to ensure you\u2019re hitting your goals. <\/p>\n
\n\tSo, want to get that promotion of your dreams in five years\u2019 time? Here\u2019s where to start.<\/p>\n
\n\tHere are five steps to creating a solid career plan.<\/p>\n
\n\tThe best place to start is by looking inwards.<\/span><\/p>\n \n\tSet aside time to really reflect on what makes you happy, what your values are, what you want to achieve in life, and which type of career can best support that. <\/p>\n \n\tHere are some key questions to think about:<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tWhat are my strengths?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\t\tWhat\u2019s important to me? <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\t\tWhat do I like to do?<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\t\tWhat makes me happy? <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\t\tWhat do I want to get out of a career? <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\t\tWhat do I want my life to look like in five, ten and twenty years? <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \n\tNext, make a list of your qualifications and hard skills. These should include university degrees, professional certifications, and more technical skills like coding, bookkeeping or project management. <\/p>\n \n\tSeeing these written down in front of you, do any particular types of career jump out at you? And, if so, do these align with your values, what you like to do and what you want to get out of your career? <\/p>\n \n\t\t“Qualifications and hard skills aren\u2019t particularly transferable.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \n\tQualifications and hard skills aren\u2019t particularly transferable. So, if you\u2019ve actually realised that they don\u2019t really relate to the career or lifestyle you want, don\u2019t get too bogged down by them. Focus more on your soft skills instead.<\/p>\n \n\tSoft skills are transferable skills that reply to all jobs as a whole, rather than one specific type of role. For example, soft skills can include things like communication, teamwork, strategic thinking, problem-solving, leadership and adaptability. <\/p>\n \n\tOnce you\u2019ve got all of the above written out in front of you (what you want to get out of your career, what you\u2019re qualified to do and what soft skills you have) some career paths might immediately jump out at you. <\/span><\/p>\n \n\tIf not, don\u2019t worry. Try to use this information to come up with a list of industries or types of career that match your values, lifestyle, strengths and passions. <\/p>\n \n\t \n\tIf you\u2019re struggling for inspiration, it\u2019s worth taking a look at which jobs and skills are most in-demand right now. The current <\/span>UK skills shortage report<\/a> finds that despite over 32 million people in the UK being employed, many professions continue to face massive shortages. <\/p>\n \n\tFor example, the most in-demand jobs in London are in the financial sector, secondary teaching and software. Think about whether you can provide value to these high-demand sectors.<\/p>\n \n\tNow you\u2019ve decided on a specific career, it\u2019s all about setting goals to get you on that path and where you want to be. <\/span><\/p>\n \n\tThoroughly research what you need to achieve to get you on to that path. For example, you might need a specific qualification or degree, or you might need experience in a specific role or industry.<\/p>\n \n\tThe best way to set goals is by using the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely) system. <\/p>\n \n\tLet\u2019s put this into practice by using the career path of a secondary school teacher as an example:<\/p>\n \n\t\t\tS \u2013 Specific \u2013 You need to do a part-time teacher training course in the evening.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\t\tM \u2013 Measurable \u2013 You attain the qualification. <\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\t\tA \u2013 Attainable \u2013 Yes, if you dedicate 15 hours a week to your studies.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\t\tR \u2013 Realistic \u2013 Yes, providing you continue working your 9-5 job for financial support.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n \n\t\t\tT \u2013 Timely \u2013 The qualification required will take around two years to complete.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n \n\tOnce you\u2019ve set your SMART goals, share them with someone you trust. This will give you a sense of accountability and will make you feel more obliged to see them through.<\/p>\n \n\tYou\u2019re <\/span>42% more likely<\/a> to achieve your goals if you\u2019ve written them down. <\/p>\n \n\tOnce you\u2019ve set out your SMART goals, incorporate these into a full, written career plan. <\/p>\n \n\tBy writing out your career plan, you\u2019ll have a clear view of your narrative and timeline, and give yourself something more tangible to work from and look back at as you go. <\/p>\n \n\tWhether you save it on your desktop, print it out and keep it in a file on your desk, or even hand write it out, make sure you have a copy of your plan somewhere that you can refer back to. And <\/span>do regularly refer back to it to check in on your progress.<\/p>\n \n\tThings change. People change. Circumstances change. And that\u2019s ok. <\/span><\/p>\n \n\tIn three years\u2019 time, you might find that a plan you wrote out three years prior is no longer achievable or might not align with what you actually want to do. <\/p>\n \n\tYou might hit an unexpected bump in the road and have to delay achieving some of your goals until further down the line. <\/p>\n \n\t\t“A career plan should never be set in stone.”<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n \n\tYou might even do <\/span>better <\/em>than you expect and achieve that promotion way earlier than you thought you would, meaning you need to bring some of your goals forward or even create new ones.<\/p>\n \n\tThe key here is to be flexible and open to change. <\/p>\n \n\tA career plan should never be set in stone. It\u2019s a live document that you should continuously go back to and update to suit new developments and circumstances.<\/p>\n \n\tTrying to map out your career path can feel like an overwhelming task. But it doesn\u2019t have to.<\/span><\/p>\n \n\tOur recruitment specialists and career experts are on hand to help you figure out what your strengths and skills are and map out your path to your ideal career. <\/p>\n \n\tWhat\u2019s more, they can take it one step further and actually identify specific roles and companies where you\u2019d be a great fit. <\/p>\n \n\tGet in touch to start your journey. <\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n \n\t <\/p>\n \n\tImages via Pixabay<\/a> and Unsplash<\/a><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \n\t <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Whether you\u2019re a recent graduate about to start your career, an experienced professional stuck in a rut, or in a job that you love but just want a bit of clarity on where you\u2019re headed in life, building a well-thought-out career plan is the number-one place to start. A career plan encourages you to identify… Read More »Career Advice 101: How to Create a Solid Career Plan<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15015,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[38],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15014","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-management"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15014","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15014"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15014\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media\/15015"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15014"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15014"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.identifiglobal.com\/af-api\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15014"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\n
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\n\t2. Decide on a career path <\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn-01.cms-eu-v2i.applyflow.com\/identifi-global\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/12\/CareerPath.jpg\")
<\/p>\n\n\t3. Research and think SMART<\/h2>\n
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\n\t4. <\/span>Write out your career plan<\/h2>\n
\n\t5. Continuously review your plan<\/h2>\n
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\n\tLet us help<\/h2>\n