Are You Managing Your Career?

At some point in your life you were probably informed of the necessity of career planning. It may have been during or after high school and post-secondary education, or at some point in time when you were looking for a new job, but chances are you were told of the value of managing your career choices. To refresh your memory, career management is simply the life-long process of investing resources to achieve your career goals. 

However, like many goals which require long term planning, we have a tendency to forget or set aside the time needed to manage our career. Then one day we wake up and wonder how and why we got to where we are. 

Successfully managing your career is similar to any other investment, it requires discipline and consistency to yield good returns. Managing your career not only allows you to reach goals you’ve set for yourself, but also allows you to keep up to date in your profession, be prepared for adjustments in your responsibilities in your current role and be ready for changes in your job security. 

Getting back into managing your career is easy and can be done in 3 simple steps:

1. Evaluate where you are. Is this where you intended to be in your life at this point? Have you developed the skills, knowledge and values you thought you would? What skills do you currently want to develop?

2. Continue developing your network. Are you cultivating your personal and professional relationships? These relationships often go beyond specific industries and communities and ultimately are the best source for future opportunities in life.

3. Commit to learn throughout your life. Are there opportunities to grow in line with your career vision? Do you want a promotion? To volunteer more? Gain a new certification?

Remember that career management is a continual process and to achieve the results you desire is a result of constant reflection alongside short and long term planning.