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Assess your current situation
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Define your long-term goal
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Break down your goal into milestones
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Identify the resources and support you need
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Review and update your plan regularly
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Here’s what else to consider
A 5-year career plan is a roadmap that helps you define your professional goals and how to achieve them. It can help you stay focused, motivated, and aligned with your values and vision. Creating a 5-year career plan is not a one-time task, but a dynamic process that requires regular review and adjustment. Here are some steps to help you create your own 5-year career plan.
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- Dominique C. Jones Chief People Officer/Fractional CHRO/start-up COO/High growth specialist/SaaS/Technology/culture builder/board member
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1 Assess your current situation
The first step is to evaluate your current skills, interests, values, and achievements. You can use various tools, such as SWOT analysis, career assessments, or feedback from others, to identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. You can also reflect on what you enjoy and what you want to change about your current role, industry, or organization.
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1. Envision your detailed successful self (position, location, earnings, emotions, feelings). Write it down or create a vision board. 2. Define goals aligned with your values and interests to create a journey that is authentically you. Take time for self- reflection and listen to how your gut reacts to different options. Write all down. 3. Keep an eye on the destination, stay flexible and open to changing circumstances, revisit your plan often and adopt. Don't try to force things because you planned them. 4. Never stop learning! We grow out of every experience if we draw lessons out of it. We grow even more with intentional learning. When you know better, you plan and do better. 5. Finding joy in the journey is the true success.
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- Dominique C. Jones Chief People Officer/Fractional CHRO/start-up COO/High growth specialist/SaaS/Technology/culture builder/board member
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We often get asked in interview “where do you see yourself in five years”, which is kind of asking about your career plan. It’s great to have a goal and to work towards that goal and the milestones along the way. But in my experience, that career plan is never a nice straight line. It’s wiggly line, full of unexpected turns and bumps, some positives and some set-backs too. So, an important aspect of your plan is planning for unexpected. Build in contingencies, flexibilities, reflections. I used to measure career success by the next most senior title I got. Somewhere along the way I realized that was not satisfying for me and that was a huge career wake up call. What I do and how I do it is way more important to me than a fancy title.
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🟢 CREANDO UN PLAN DE CARRERA.Para conseguir el éxito y cumplir tus metas, se requiere no solo trabajar mucho, ser disciplinado y tener objetivos claros, sino también elaborar un plan de vida y de carrera.La aceleración del ritmo de vida y el aumento del nivel de competencia en el mercado laboral influyen a que el éxito dependa de tu capacidad de promover todas las habilidades, innatas o adquiridas, y enfocar tus esfuerzos en una dirección correcta. Tener un plan de vida y de carrera te ayuda a definir el camino correcto y competir en el ámbito profesional. Planea tu proyecto de carrera y vidsa SI IMPORTA.@GerardoZaldua. 🌕
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- Meghna Khan 🌟 Top Career Coach in Dubai | 🎓 Psychometric Assessment Expert | 🌠Guiding Individuals to Career Zen | 🚀 Enhancing Corporate Productivity
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All critical decisions start with Self-Awareness. Psychometric assessments are a wonderful, scientific tool to get data-driven insights into your own self. I regularly use psychometric assessments with my clients before holding any conversation around the plan of action related to their career. The results provide a concrete, tangible base to work upwards from. It is critical to identify the core elements of your personality, what makes you tick, what puts you off, what excites you among many other traits that make us who we are as an individual.I also recommend taking psychometric assessments to figure out the latest career priorities as they are ever changing and sometimes difficult to put a finger on.
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See AlsoHow to Write a 5 Year Plan You'll Stick to (With Examples)20 Smart Answers: "Where Do You See Yourself in 5 Years?"101 Best 5-Year Goals Examples for 2024How to Set Goals as an Actor | StageMilkInsightful
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- Deidra Smith Talent Scout Expert
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Creating a 5-year career plan involves self-reflection, identifying goals, gathering feedback, mapping out your plan, and regularly updating it. This process helps align your career trajectory with your aspirations, skills, and opportunities.
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2 Define your long-term goal
The next step is to define your long-term goal, or where you want to be in five years. This should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). For example, you might want to become a senior manager in your field, switch to a different industry, or start your own business. Your long-term goal should align with your values, vision, and purpose.
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- Yugantar Gupta IIM A | CA | CS | Author, Study Smart | The Corporate Institute
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Let's face it - nobody knows their 5 year plan. It's mostly a silly interview question that I have no clue why interviewers still ask. Like do you really expect an honest answer for this one?Having said that, it's good to have a sense of direction. Do you want to grow in employment? Do you want to start a business? Do you want to get more career success or spend time with family after 5 years?Having your priorities straight is more important than having a fully structured 5 year plan
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In addition to define path or goalin the next 5 years, I would encourage to outline all the potential paths or roles we can possibly have. This help you to continue to assess your career aspiration against your life situation, business dynamic and other uncovered changes. Long term goal need to best serve your career aspiration that might be changed overtime.
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No próximo passo desse emocionante caminho, é crucial definir um objetivo de longo prazo, delineando onde você deseja estar em cinco anos. Este objetivo deve ser SMART: específico, mensurável, realizável, relevante e limitado no tempo. Seja aspirando a se tornar um gerente sênior em sua área, explorar um setor diferente ou iniciar seu próprio negócio, a clareza dessa visão é vital. Certifique-se de que seu objetivo de longo prazo esteja alinhado não apenas com suas ambições profissionais, mas também com seus valores, visão de futuro e propósito, criando assim um guia sólido para sua jornada profissional.
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3 Break down your goal into milestones
The third step is to break down your long-term goal into smaller, more manageable milestones. These are the steps that you need to take to reach your goal, such as gaining new skills, acquiring certifications, networking, or applying for jobs. You can use a timeline or a Gantt chart to visualize your milestones and track your progress. You should also assign deadlines and indicators of success for each milestone.
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No terceiro passo dessa empolgante jornada, é hora de transformar seu objetivo de longo prazo em conquistas menores e gerenciáveis. Esses são os passos concretos que você precisa dar para atingir seu grande objetivo, seja adquirindo novas habilidades, obtendo certificações, ampliando sua rede de contatos ou se candidatando a empregos estratégicos. Visualizar esses marcos pode ser facilitado por uma linha do tempo ou um gráfico de Gantt, oferecendo uma representação clara do seu percurso. Lembre-se de atribuir prazos realistas e indicadores de sucesso para cada etapa, proporcionando uma estrutura sólida para monitorar e celebrar seu progresso ao longo do caminho.
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4 Identify the resources and support you need
The fourth step is to identify the resources and support you need to achieve your milestones and goal. These can include financial, educational, professional, or personal resources, such as scholarships, courses, mentors, coaches, or family members. You should also research the requirements, challenges, and opportunities in your desired field or industry, and seek advice from people who have achieved similar goals.
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- Alicia Dueñas Morillo Innovación social y empleo | Formación y acompañamiento de grupos|Orientación laboral.
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Un plan de acción operativo requiere abordarlo como un proceso con distintas etapas, todas importantes y necesarias, que requieren tiempo. Durante este proceso será de gran utilidad una fase de indagación y exploración para descubrir los recursos que te ayuden a alcanzar tu objetivo. Aquí, puede servirte un Mapeo de recursos, con diferentes categorías para organizarlos y después poder utilizarlos según necesidad. Suerte!
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Agora, no quarto passo desta jornada única, é crucial identificar os recursos e o suporte necessários para alcançar seus marcos e metas. Esses recursos podem abranger diversas áreas, como financeira, educacional, profissional ou pessoal, envolvendo elementos como bolsas de estudo, cursos especializados, mentoria, coaching ou o apoio fundamental da família. Além disso, pesquisar os requisitos, desafios e oportunidades específicas em seu campo desejado é essencial. Buscar conselhos valiosos de indivíduos que já conquistaram metas semelhantes também pode proporcionar insights valiosos, enriquecendo sua jornada rumo ao sucesso profissional.
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5 Review and update your plan regularly
The fifth step is to review and update your plan regularly, at least once a year. This will help you monitor your progress, celebrate your achievements, and adjust your plan if needed. You should also be flexible and adaptable to changing circumstances, such as new opportunities, setbacks, or feedback. You should also keep learning and growing, and seek feedback from others to improve your performance and skills.
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Chegamos ao quinto passo, uma etapa dinâmica e vital para o sucesso contínuo. Regularmente, pelo menos uma vez por ano, revise e atualize seu plano, permitindo monitorar seu progresso, celebrar conquistas e ajustar direções, se necessário. Mantenha-se flexível diante das circunstâncias em evolução, esteja aberto a novas oportunidades e resiliente diante de desafios inesperados. O aprendizado constante é fundamental; continue a buscar conhecimento e crescimento. Além disso, não subestime o poder do feedback; solicite insights valiosos de outros para aprimorar suas habilidades e desempenho. Esteja sempre disposto a evoluir, garantindo que seu plano de carreira seja tão dinâmico quanto sua jornada.
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- Britt-Mari Sykes PhD, CDP Career Counsellor and Strategist | Founder | Career Development Practitioner | Career Maintenance | | Existential Practice | Author | The Experience of Work and Career
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Developing a career life - which includes personal goals and aspirations, staying flexible, and integrating inevitable change - requires regular, intentional maintenance.Some examples:Maintenance to monitor our growth and development. Maintenance to re-evaluate our skills, expertise, goals, and the meaning work holds for us at different stages of our career lives. Maintenance for perspective. Maintenance to stay attuned to possibilities and/or create possibilities. Maintenance to build stability. Maintenance to also be flexible and adaptable in managing or orchestrating changes to our goals or career paths when necessary. Maintenance for personal well-being, monitoring our motivation, our engagement, and managing stress and/or burnout.
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6 Here’s what else to consider
This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?
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Another dimension to add to this 5 point plan is to incorporate futures thinking. What is happening in your industry or in other industries that is a new behavior, technology or service? If it were to be scaled up in five years, how would that impact what you want to do or plan to be? Pay attention now and see how the things you are noticing become more ubiquitous in 5 or 10 years from now. How can you prepare for that possible future?
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- Ina Marie Strand Torgersen Head of People in Oda 🚀
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Keep your eyes open for alternative paths to your end goal. If you get too focused on your milestones and goals, you might miss opportunities that can help you build your career and take you in the right direction.
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A Career plan should begin by flagging the last mile goal that we aspire for. Clarity of the destination serves as a great compass for our journey as our journeys are unique. This may begin with an introspective exercise about what we really want for ourselves in our life. What drives us and defines our success- material or beyond (your IKIGAI)Defining the timeline to achieve the same helps keep us on track. If the dream seems daunting, it looks doable when broken into smaller realistic short term goals, each a stepping stone to the larger Vision. This helps creat a roadmap in backward integration to Now then working on needed skill acquisition, building industry connects, taking up relevant roles, evolving and regular evaluations.
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It is one thing to have a 5 year career plan, its another thing to be flexible and adjust or course correct along the way.Mike Tyson famously said, "everybody has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth." In other words, it's one thing to have a plan, its another to adjust and adapt when life punches you in the face.The business landscape is dynamic, so should your career plan. So to prepare for a 5 year plan, but be open to adapting your plan based on changes in your industry, personal circumstances, or unexpected opportunities that may arise.
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It is one thing to have a 5 year career plan, its another thing to be flexible and adjust or course correct along the way.Mike Tyson famously said, "everybody has a plan, until they get punched in the mouth." In other words, it's one thing to have a plan, its another to adjust and adapt when life punches you in the face.The business landscape is dynamic, so should your career plan. So prepare for a 5 year plan, but be open to adapting your plan based on changes in your industry, personal circumstances, or unexpected opportunities that may arise.
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