The First Step
What do you feel is the first most important step in personal career management? Why?
You need to look internally at yourself. You can't really go too much further if you don't know what you want to do or where you want to go.
I agree. It is very important to determine what is really important to you and what will make you happy. Often times I believe that some people tend to make decisions without really knowing what they really want.
Felicia,
I apologize for the delayed response, I'm in the middle of moving.
Great thought here & so right. Too often, esp with career management, people make decisions based on money or what others want for them. Rather than making decisions based on what they want as you said.
Ryan
Charles,
I apologize for the delayed response, I've been in the process of moving.
I completely agree with your statement. I often have coached individuals who were in the midst of some sort of training or advanced degree program. When I asked why, their response was that it seemed like the next thing to do, rather than because that's what they wanted to do. Great point.
Ryan
I agree with these comments for i feel that i perform at my maximum potential when i obtain self gratification from my work. knowing yourself and setting reachable goals is much more rewarding than a pay cheque.I enjoy going to work.
Absolutely Darlene! Many employers have been shocked by more recent studies that show overall workers are more interested in meaningful work than in higher pay (assuming the level of pay is already sufficient).
My question I like to ask of myself is: could I do this for the rest of my life with or without more money?
Ryan
Rest assured we would like more money.....but as of right now i feel i could do this for the rest of my life and be very content.When you way out the pros and cons ...........the benefits are has follows: financially my husband and i are comfortable. I get to enjoy my children...work close to home...and continue growing within the company i now work for. I have continuous support from my faculty and truley get to make a differnce each day. the ski is the limit.
You have to get to know yourself 100 percent then when you know yourself you will be able to know what direction you should take in your life
Is knowing who you are and knowing what you want
I believe the first step is taking a audit of your strenghts as well as weakness . If you are clear on this, then you can assess career ideas with your skills and strengths in mind.
Yes, & I would add to that you areas of interest & desired future state. When you can combine this picture of your ideal future with a strong assessment of your strengths & skills you have a powerful combination.
Ryan
Recognizing what you are good at and enjoying doing. This can come from a variety of tasks or interactions with clients and colleagues. For example, an Accountant may be good at Accounting but not really like it after a while. On the other hand, that person may enjoy being a Quickbooks trainer/instructor and be really good at it because he/she is a good Accountant.
I think that identifying and aligning ones skills and work values is the foundation to moving ahead with career development. As the course points out, actively knowing how one is postioned in their current or potential position can potentially lead to opportunities. Any time an employee can clarify and define anything (strategy, work expectation etc...)in the workplace - career advancement included - they can work to forward their position.
Carl,
Great point. I think the key thing is to not let anyone or anything constrain you in a narrow definition of what you can/can't do. As you pointed out a person may have gone into accounting because they loved numbers or working with programs & they love training. Others might say they have to be an accountant, but we must never let others dictate for us. Own your career.
Ryan
Absolutely. The key for anyone looking to advance & further develop within their career is to have your head up & be looking around. Look around to see what else you can potentially do, to see what other opportunities are out there & also your head up to see how your current role fits in with the big picture.
Ryan
The first step is writing down a list of things you enjoy doing that could relate to a career. Then list values that are important to you, such as time on the job vs family time, salary, advancement, etc. Then determine which ones fit in line with those values and which ones you have the necessary skills to do the job.
The first step in managing your career is getting to know yourself. Often times it helps to ask others what they think your skills and values are since it is often hard to recognize your own. My greatest challenge is finding the time to even think about what advancements and career opportunities are out there with my current workload. I feel I need to take the time to decide what career path within the company is of interest to me and try to learn as much as I can about other employees jobs.
Rick,
Great point about thinking about values that are important to you when looking at career planning. If we don't take the time to think about these, we may find that dream career has become a nightmare.
Ryan
As others have mentioned, I, too, believe that the most important step in personal career management is knowing yourself. I teach a Senior Portfolio Class and my typical first day assignment is to have the students write their own obituary. They struggle with the formalities in the beginning and once they get over the initial shock of 'Why is this assignment important?' I am able to help them 'see' things (possibly alternative career paths within their field of study) that can tie together their field of study and their passions, if different. Many will write about the awards they'd like to have received and it will open discussion about what it would take to receive that honor. Some of the students decide that maybe their personality type is not that type and we discuss alternatives. There is a great book "Do What You Are" that helps many people look into careers that are suitable for their personality types. I wish I would have read / had personality tests when I was in high school - I might have saved some money by not changing majors! :)
