The Importance of Career Management towards Achieving a Successful Career
February 8, 2010 by admin
Filed under Career Management
Choosing your own career can be quite difficult, since there are so many alternatives to choose from. The term career covers all the types of employment from as simple as being an office clerk to a professional market analyst. Whatever field may you divulge in, as long as you are earning money for a living out of it, then it is considered as your career.
Career management deals about making appropriate choices together with strategic and structured planning of an individual’s own professional career. It is a very important concept that an aspiring professional must know in order for him or her to step up into the corporate ladder and attain a successful career. Personal fulfillment, a homeostatic balance between life and work, and achievement of one’s personal goals as well as the goals of the organization are just some of the expected outcomes that an effective career management can do for a young professional like you.
The whole process of career management starts with establishing an outcome goal or an objective. This must follow the principle of SMART, that is, it must be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-bounded. This phase of career management could be a bit hard to neophytes most especially with the one’s that lacks deep understanding about career management and opportunities as well as the lack of self-awareness or not being fully aware of one’s own abilities and skills. The whole process of career management uses the basis of establishing the outcome goal and objective immaterial of its nature, whether it is specific or general.
The time-boundaries for the attainment of the established goals will have a huge impact on how they are formulated. There must be an establishment of short-term goals, intermediate goals, and long-term goals. Short-term goals are achieved over a much shorter period of time in comparison to intermediate goals and long-term goals. Short-term goals are attained usually not exceeding than two years. Its scope is far more limited, and it is very specific due to its time frame of attainment, which is very short. Out of the three goals, it is the easiest to establish and formulate. On the other hand, intermediate goals are longer to achieve than short-term goals. These goals are usually attainable not exceeding than five years. It is a bit less specific than that of short-term goals and tends to be more open and more flexible to change. The uncertainty of what lies ahead in the future is taken into account when formulating one’s intermediate goals so it must be able to adjust to any changes and adapt in a positive manner. Last on the list are long-term goals. These goals are achieved for more than five years and may extend up to more than ten years. Because of the nature of its purpose, long-term goals are the most flexible out of the three goals. Aside from that, it is also the most difficult to formulate because it needs an enormous amount of critical thinking and wise strategic planning for it to become a success. This type of goals is also constantly adjusting since it is the longest to attain among the three goals. Scarcity of knowledge with regards to raw talents, potentials, and abilities, and the lack of intuitive knowledge gained through experience are the major downfalls which make the achievement of long-term goals far more difficult. However, as one gain more experience and knowledge about the whole process of career management, he or she will have an increase chance of making his or her long-term goals a success.
Making critical choices and decisions in your career are then the next focus of career management. An individual needs to assess the situation and analyze carefully in order for him to arrive at the best possible decision. You also have to manage your organizational career aside from your own personal career. Personal goals and organizational goals must both be met to achieve job fulfillment. An individual must learn how to cope with the organizational environment and work effectively and efficiently towards achieving objectives. Then, you have to take the driver’s seat and control your own personal development. Always keep an eye on your established goals and go hard in reaching for them. Continue to improve as a person and as a professional. In this manner, you shall achieve professional growth as you steadily move yourself up to the corporate ladder and become part of the elites in the organization.
Therefore, the importance of career management will shape the kind of professional you will become in the future. You must learn how to effectively plan your own career for you to make it on the top.
