Imagine you are going on road trip to a place you’ve never been before. Before you can set off the first thing you need to do is plan your route. So why aren’t you applying the same approach to your professional career?
Perhaps you are just starting out, or maybe you have gone as far as you can in your current position. Building a career map can be beneficial in taking the next step in your career.
What is a career map?
A career map is a visual plan outlining where you are in your career currently and where you want to get to. It lays out in front of you the specific steps you must take to reach that final objective. It gives you peace of mind and a structure to your professional development. These steps could take two paths. They may be internal within an organisation, or they can be outside your current role.
Below is a list of easy-to-follow steps to outline how to create a career map.
Determine a starting point
Before beginning your journey, it is important to understand where you are beginning from. This does not just mean your current role. Try and assess your soft and hard skills. What are your strongest skills? What elements of your role are you most passionate about?
A less glamorous, but essential element of this exercise is, to be honest with yourself about your weaknesses. Are there any gaps in your knowledge or do you hold any bad habits?
This self-review can help you crystallize your long-term goal and give you insights into the specific steps you’ll need to take to achieve it.
Identify the destination
Identify your primary professional objective and make sure to be detailed when defining your ambitions.
“I want to advance my career in software development and earn more money” is technically a goal, but it’s far too vague.
Is your objective to move up into a managerial role with your current employer?
Do you want to transition into a more specialised area such as back-end development?
Or maybe you only want to work with Umbraco CMS based websites?
Regardless of your goal, make it specific and measurable.
Understand how to connect points together
The next step is understanding what it takes to advance from one point to another; your starting point to your final goal. Setting a goal which seems far removed from where you currently are can seem overwhelming and unattainable.
Try not to think only about moving jobs such as promotions and career moves. Think about other skills you need, soft and hard. For example, gaining additional qualifications such as Prince2 or Advanced Salesforce Administrator can all help you move along the map.
There are various ways of reaching those goals include training seminars, higher education, specific licensing and more. Each method of bridging the gap is unique to each individual and to their current position.
Create smaller objectives between the two points
You need to set small goals within the two points.
Setting smaller goals between objectives makes the process seem faster and easier. The more goals you reach, the less time it takes to reach the next level. Repeat this process as needed for every stage within a career map.
For example, if you want to transition into a managerial position, key steps might include completing a leadership training program. You also might pursue a leadership role with the local chapter of a professional association to gain additional experience to add to your CV.
Whenever you reach a milestone, take time to reflect on the achievement. Acknowledging your successes along the way helps you maintain momentum as you inch closer to your ultimate objective.
Any trip worth taking likely includes some bumps and wrong turns along the way. Don’t allow these inevitable disappointments to diminish your determination. When you run into a roadblock, regroup, and move on.
Career progress requires not only planning but also drive and discipline. Focus on the lessons learned from your setback — then put your foot right back on the pedal.
