Crafting Your Career Development Plan

A career development plan is the blueprint for your professional journey. This blog will give you a blueprint for success and suggest resources in your area to help you launch a successful career.

One simple strategy that can guide your journey is the SMART framework. It is a structured approach to achieving goals that involves setting short-term and long-term objectives and outlining the steps required to reach your destination.

SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound. We’ll apply this framework to a career development strategy. Let’s break it down:

Specific: Start by being crystal clear about your goals. Avoid vague objectives like “I want to advance in my career.” Instead, define precisely what you want to achieve, such as “I aim to become a senior marketing manager specializing in digital marketing.”

Measurable: Your goals should be measurable so that you can see a clear advancement in your effort over time. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to track your progress. For example, if your goal is to improve your digital marketing skills, measure it by getting certifications, learning a new skill, or improving a specific metric at work that shows your marketing prowess.

Achievable: Your goals need to be realistic. Assess whether you have the necessary resources, time, and abilities to achieve them. If your goal is to “become a Marketing Director at Google”, but you don’t have experience in the field, your goal may be too ambitious – for now. Try setting a more achievable goal, such as becoming a digital marketing specialist within a year. Or gaining a certain number of digital certifications within a year.

Relevant: Your goals should align with your career aspirations and your skills. “I want to be my own boss” is a relevant goal if you plan to start your own business, but make sure that goal aligns with the rest of your career plans. Be realistic and consider goals that are achievable within the given timeline. This leads us to the use of time management in the next category.

Time-bound: Set deadlines for your goals. This is a great way to help you stay on track. For instance, “I will earn a digital marketing certification within the next 12 months” is clear, specific, and gives you a time frame to complete your goal. Have a plan of action and a timeline for completion so that you stay motivated and productive.

To track your progress, it’s useful to establish milestones along the way. This allows you to celebrate your successes and identify areas for improvement. Break down large goals into smaller milestones that you can track, measure, and readjust as needed.

One more tip…

One of the often-underestimated facets of career development is the role of starter jobs in career development. While these jobs may not offer high salaries, they can serve as invaluable stepping stones to greater career achievements:

Skill Development: A starter job can provide you with the opportunity to gain new skills and experience, which you can draw on in the long run. They serve as a training ground for building competence and confidence.

Networking: Entry-level jobs often require you to work closely with colleagues and superiors. Building strong relationships with those you interact with can lead to unexpected future opportunities.

Industry Knowledge: Starter jobs provide a valuable opportunity to gain insights into the industry, company culture, and market trends. This knowledge is instrumental in making informed career decisions.

An E&ES Career Coach has access to hundreds of job listings in your area – any of which could be a golden opportunity for you to start a new career or make a strategic career change.

Visit a Career Center Near You

In Chicago, you can visit an American Job Center (AJC) for valuable resources and career guidance. The E&ES American Job Centers in Chicago offer career-related support services that are free to you and the business owners who partner with us.

AJCs also partner with educational institutions, non-profit organizations, or government agencies and offer a wide array of services. At an E&ES AJC, you can get career assessments, workshops, help with resume and interview preparation, and strategies for job searching.