CAREER DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES

5 Reasons You Need to Take Control of Your Career

1. We spend too long at work to be unhappy

2. You can't fully plan your career but you can influence how it evolves

3. No-one else is going to manage your career for you

4. Career success means different things to different people

5. Managing your career is not all about changing organisations

CAREER MANAGEMENT - AS EASY AS ABC

• A-Ambition. What are you looking for?
• B-Business. What does your organisation need?
• C-Connection. How can you realise your ambitions and help your organisation get what it needs?

"You can't just sit there and wait for people to give you that golden dream. You've got to get out there and make it happen for yourself."

Diana Ross

10 Tips for Taking Control of Your Career

1. Be clear on what's important to you in terms of your career

THINGS TO GET CLEAR ABOUT

• Skills
• Preferences
• Values
• Enjoyable activities
• Interests
• Career drivers

2. Develop a picture of future success

HOW WOULD YOU KNOW THINGS WERE A SUCCESS?

• Activities?
• Responsibilities?
• Deliverables?
• Location? Geographies?
• Who with? Who for?

3. Recognise the progress you've already made in your career

ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS

• On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 is your Future Success, where would you put things today?
• How come you're there and not lower? What's going well?
• What's helped you get to where you are today?

4. Focus on the steps you can take in the short-term

5. Continually develop the knowledge, skills and resources you need

6. Do your homework

THINGS TO RESEARCH

• What skills do you need to develop?
• What experience do you need to get?
• What relationships do you need to develop?
• What knowledge do you need to gain?
• What behaviours and achievements do you need to demonstrate?
• Who else has made the kind of progress you'd like to make?

7. Identify the key people you need to influence

8. Raise your profile in your organisation by making the best and most visible impact you can

9. Find mentors to support you

10. Build your network and develop relationships

GOOD LUCK!