Careering your way through life –
do you plan it or just let it happen?
Kevin Oxley
Lisa Hollands
Career Path
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Can you plan your career?
Or does it just happen?
How can you plan?
Things will change.
Your initiative will determine the outcome to
these important questions.
• Conscious planning is the first step.
What is a career path?
“A career path is rarely a path at all. A more interesting
life is usual a more crooked, winding path of missteps,
luck and vigorous work. It is almost always a clumsy
balance between the things you try to make happen
and the things that happen to you.”
Tom Freston
Are Careers Linear In Nature?
Not in our experience – most of the time it seems like a
journey through a maze….
Career Path – Your Choices
• Seek promotion internal or external
• Actively consider a change of career within your
organisation
• Actively consider a change of job or career
outside your organisation
• Actively wait and see what happens
What is important to me and my
career path?
• What are your career
objectives?
Exercise
• What do you need to do to get
there?
• What are the barriers?
Factors Driving Your Career Path
• What elements of your current
job motivate you?
Exercise
• What are your most important
strengths and skills?
• What skills and talents do you
need to develop to achieve your
career goals?
Career Path – Your Choices
Career goals should take into account your
aspirations for your whole life. Some of the
key issues that need to be considered are
work–life balance, lifestyle and work
environment.
Choices and options will change.
Career Path – Motivation
Exercise
• Having a clear picture of what
motivates you
• Think about the issues which
make work more enjoyable
• Make some notes and place
them in order of preference
1-10
Career Path – Taking Action
• The Right Support
•
A manager, a colleague, a professional
network, a mentor, work shadowing or a
combination of these.
•
Research the options that might appeal to
you. Know where you would like to go,
decide on the steps that will help take you
there.
• Commitment
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A realistic plan must start with
determination that you are prepared to
invest your energy and time into your
path.
• Effective Influencing
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There is no point in being a star unless
your light is noticed
• Careful Planning
Career Path – Taking Action
Exercise
Mapping your current
work relationship network
Career Path – Taking Action
Mapping your current work relationship network
HOD
Department
Manager
Me
Finance
Line
Manager
Career Path – Challenges
• Are you getting the best out of your appraisal meeting?
• How can you influence your department or work place to provide
resources that will to enable you to fulfill your training needs?
• What is your responsibility as regards training others in your areas of
expertise?
• If you are convinced about the benefits of Career management and
planning, how do you propose to seek out allies for the cause?
• How can I became more involved in projects that are going on outside
of my department or work environment?
Career Path – Development Options
Course Based
• Computer based training
• Attend a workshop
• Study for a professional qualification
Self-Study
• Guided reading i.e. reading a suggested materials on a particular topic
• Test your abilities in an unfamiliar setting
• Research a technique that interest you e.g. assertiveness, creative
problem solving, critical incident analysis
• Explore the internet
Career Path – Development Options
External Activities
• Investigate voluntary work that may provide new responsibilities and skills
• Be active in a professional body
• Attend conference
• Network with external colleagues and a relevant professional body
• Job shadow in another work area/organisation
• Look for opportunities to train people in your specialist skills
Career Path – Development Options
On the Job
• Initiate a work based project that utilises new skills and responsibilities.
Discuss this with your line manager
• Be a mentor
• Find a mentor
• Chair a meeting or group
• Collaborate with a colleague on a work problem
• Provide help to a work colleague
• Analyse how different people interact with customers and/or manage
their staff
Career Path – Development Options
On the Job
• Act up in a post that has become temporarily vacant
• Deputise for your manager
• Work with colleagues in role play to prepare for activities
• Organise a team event, briefing or workshop
• Lead a training course
• Be a representative on a board or committee
• Keep a CPD log
Career Path – Development Options
On the Job
• Problem solve with your work group
• Join a working group
• Undertake a secondment or “job swap”
• “Shadow” a person in another function
• Supervise a work experience student
• Visit another organisations or department to find out how and what they
are doing.
Careering your way through life –
do you plan it or just let it happen?
Over to you