Here at the St. We prioritize professional development here at Louis Fed. Leaders encourage staff to look for opportunities across the Bank that advance their professional development. Nevertheless, each of us as individuals is ultimately responsible for managing our own careers, regardless of where we work.
Career Management
What to consider in career management
There are four things to think about before you begin managing your career:
Professional goals
Professional goals are the first consideration in career management. Your professional goals may include things like the type of work you ultimately want to do, recognition you want to receive, or any awards you want to win. The size of a professional goal depends on the timeline.
Work/life balance
Work-life balance is a key component of career management. People who manage their careers well want to land in a position where they can strike a healthy balance between their time spent at work and at home. Everyone strikes this balance differently because some people prefer to work more than others. You should consider the level of balance you desire in your own life as you manage your career.
Personal fulfillment
Jobs are significantly more enjoyable if you feel personally fulfilled by them. Consequently, if you are managing your career effectively, you are doing so in a way that positions you for personal fulfillment. You should think about the kind of work that would make you happy and give you a sense of purpose.
Financial security
Financial security is the final aspect of career management to take into account. Your objectives should place you in a position of financial security. Consider your expenses both now and in the future. Using this information, you can choose a career path that will guarantee your financial security. For instance, you might decide to take a part-time job to pay for the degree needed for the career you want.
What is career management?
The active process of devoting time and resources to the advancement of your career is known as career management. An individual who is in charge of their career is aware of what they want, where they are lacking, and what they must do to reach their objectives. They then take actions in their daily lives to advance these objectives.
Successfully managing a career involves embracing several philosophies. They are:
Self-awareness
Career management starts by first conducting a self-analysis. Finding your interests, your passions, your strengths, and the environments you enjoy working in are all part of this process. Reflecting on what you want from work and life, as well as what you don’t want, is necessary for self-awareness.
Career planning
The process of creating a path to assist you in achieving your future goals is called career planning. Writing down your goals and the steps you must take to achieve them comes first. When planning your career, you consider your options in light of your preferences and strengths. Since your situation and preferences may change over time, the goal of career planning is not to provide you with a rigid schedule to adhere to. Instead, career planning provides structure to your career management by giving you a road map to follow.
Constant learning
The development of a learning habit is a key component of career management. One must constantly work to acquire new skills related to their objectives if they want to advance in their careers. Seminars, online courses, books, and even coworkers can serve as learning resources. Your career plan should specify the knowledge and skills you’ll need to advance in your field. After that, scheduling the time to learn these new skills is all that is required.
Networking
Relationships are key in career management. The right connections can not only help you land the jobs you want, but they can also give you more details about those jobs. The most effective career management tactics emphasize making new connections and keeping those that already exist. This is accomplished by participating in conferences, using social media, and contacting people you have in common with.
Tips for Career Management
Here are some suggestions you can use to make the process of managing your career better:
Get feedback from a manager and others
Speaking with others about your career plan is a great way to assess its viability. Plan a meeting with your manager and solicit their opinion. They might suggest certifications you ought to obtain, ways for you to advance in your present position, or contacts you ought to make. Look for someone else with experience if you don’t already have a manager in the field you want to work in. Receiving input on your career management plan is a good way to discover concepts you may not have thought of.
Regularly update your plan
As time goes on, the situation around you may change. For instance, you might decide to pursue a different career path, or you might encounter a setback that pushes back your schedule. This is why it’s crucial to update your career management plan on a regular basis. Every few months, you should review it to determine your progress, decide which of your goals to keep, and determine the next steps.
Have your plan in writing
If you put your career management strategy in writing, it is simpler to have specific actions in the plan. Clarity regarding your goals is provided by writing it down or typing it up. You can then edit or move things around as needed.
Keep your plan where you can see it
Once you’ve written down your strategy, you should post it somewhere you can see it. You could print it out and keep it at your desk, for instance. Alternately, you could create a shortcut to it on your desktop. Seeing your plan every day aids in maintaining focus and serves as a reminder when changes need to be made.
Talk to others who have achieved your goal for insight
Ask someone who has accomplished a goal you want to achieve about it if you know them. Asking them how they obtained their job title or a more modest question, such as how the certification exam went, might accomplish this Hearing first-hand accounts helps you refine your plan better.
Remember your long-term goals
Keep your long-term goals in mind. There may be times when you are having a difficult time in your career and there doesn’t seem to be any hope of improvement. This is why it’s crucial to have each step in the direction of your long-term goal laid out. This will enable you to view this struggle as merely a first step on the road to something greater.
FAQ
What is career management meaning?
Career management is a lifelong process of allocating resources to reach your long-term professional objectives. You can adapt to the shifting requirements of our rapidly changing economy through this ongoing process.
Why is career management so important?
Career management gives a company the chance to match employee aspirations with present and future business requirements, increasing the likelihood that the workforce will be eager, prepared, and capable of taking on the roles that the company needs them to play.
What are the basics of career management?
- Self-exploration and assessment.
- Career research.
- Exploration and experimentation.
- Decision-making and career selection.
- Final planning and action.
- Job search and acceptance.
What are career management skills?
Career management skills are “the skills, knowledge and self-awareness to develop aspirational career aims and the confidence to take actions in one’s life time and again as career opportunities arise and as work and learning options change,” according to Building the Curriculum 4.
