Creating a Career Plan

 

When planning a job search, the first thing many people do is update their resumes. Unfortunately, they get to the heading and stop because they only know what they “used” to do and don’t know how to properly articulate everything that has happened since them. In my book, Job Search for Moms I explain how to start the process of identifying your likes, dislikes, strengths and weaknesses.

 The first big step in any job search or career change is to put away the resume. That’s easy enough. The next step is to clear your mind of everything and focus on two specific areas: you and the job.

Focus on You

Take some time to reflect and jot down your answers to these questions. Try to do this exercise yourself and then ask friends and family if they have anything to add. This not only helps you create a resume but it also prepares you to answer critical interview questions.

• What did I like about my previous jobs?
• What activities did I enjoy?
• What type of work energizes me?
• What don’t I like to do?
• If I could do anything, what could it be?
• What are my interests?
• What are my values?
• What type of personality do I have?
• What am I really good at?
• What am I really bad at?
• What skills do I have?
• What skills have I developed over the years that I use away from work? (Volunteer activities, work with the college activities, etc.)
• What are my needs in regard to salary, benefits, workload, childcare, hours? (Add all your concerns here.)

There are many great (and free) on-line tools that will allow you to assess your skills, interests and personality.

 Focus on the Job

Once you have identified your skills and interests, think about the types of jobs that may interest you.

• Take a free career assessment
• Review the jobs defined in the Occupational Outlook Guide from the Bureau of Labor and Statistics.
• Review the resources available at your public library. Ask a librarian for assistance.
• Go to the familiar job search engines such as Indeed.com and look up the various positions that may interest you. Review the wording and match your skills and interests to these.
• Draw a two column chart. On the left list the skills needed for a particular job. On the right list your accomplishments in your former job, volunteer activities or work at home positions that align to those skills. This exercise will help open up various fields and allow you to focus on creating a resume/plan to further look into those fields.

Focusing on you and focusing on the job are two huge accomplishments and once you get past these, you will be well on your way to creating a career plan.