Career Strategy for the Competitive Edge. It’s been my tagline since I began my coaching business twenty years ago. What’s amazing is how relevant it remains. A career strategy is essential.
Everyone wants the plum assignments, the next level of responsibility, increased compensation and title. Many people fall short, cheat themselves of the wins, because they don’t have a plan, a strategy. Too much is left in the hands of others — their boss, human capital professionals and unfortunately, their co-workers.
Elements of a Sound Career Strategy
Here are some of the essentials:
Long-term and short-term career goals. These are not performance goals such as hitting a certain number or establishing a new program. Instead they are goals about what you want for you. It could be rising to a certain level in a year and then three years. Maybe you’re a sole contributor who wants, and needs, to manage a team to advance and feel complete. Are you anticipating you will be bored with your current role in the not too distant future? What’s your dream job and what would be a next step to get there? It also could include more radical visions — you want to live abroad, switch from the buy side to the sell side (or your professional equivalent), leave the professional for greener pastures.
Timing? It depends where you are in your career and sometimes how old you are. For more junior people two to three years out can seem (and might be) too far off. If, on the other hand, you are mid-career, a five-year plan might seem more useful.
An easy and effective tool to help you get your brain focusing on a career strategy is something I have written about before — the grape cluster. It’s a simple exercise that forces you to articulate your thoughts and aspirations, and maybe access ideas you have not brought forward. I use it with many of my executive coaching clients. To learn the how to of the grape cluster, go to “Coaching Yourself to Your Career Goals and Life Dreams.”
Another essential career strategy element:
Your networking strategy. I can hear you saying, “a plan!?!” Yes, a plan, a strategy. One that has you scheduled to connect with the people you need to know or stay in touch with. I’m a big advocate of some form of networking group, be it in your field or just a general type. The commitment you make for weekly or monthly meetings reaps immeasurable benefits, not only work related but personal.
Most people do not tap their alumni benefits. Even if you attended schools in distant lands or years ago, there still are people looking to connect and available to help. I’ve found school connections to be one of the least used and most valuable resources, especially when it comes to job search.
A networking career strategy has goals and objectives. The objectives often note the number of meetings either face-to-face or virtually. It considers, one-on-ones, small group gatherings, formal meetings, and conferences. You want to hold yourself to participating in so many per week, month, and year as is reasonable.
Using LinkedIn as a networking device is essential to any career strategy. It continues to be the easiest and most effective way of reaching and communicating with a vast number of people. It’s also an excellent forum for pitching your brand.
Another, and surely not the last, career strategy element would be:
Advancing your expertise. There isn’t a career or job out there that doesn’t demand continued learning. Lifetime learning is an important contributor to brain health. Falling behind on your skills is a recipe for disaster. Further learning may be an aspect of what you do, or it might be an area that is new to your field. Everyone needs to continuously enhance their technology skills. There are many avenues to get you there.
Most organizations have education benefits. Few people take advantage of them. You are throwing money away. With so much training online, the excuse that you can’t leave the office sounds evasive. Blogs and podcasts, particularly if you follow thought leaders, are quick and easy ways to regularly stimulate and educate.
Whether you do these things yourself or enter a more formal program, staying current is essential. Keep in mind — if you don’t book it, you won’t do it.
Setting goals and objectives, creating a networking plan, and advancing your expertise through learning are but a few areas to address your career strategy. Getting started is half the battle.
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