Career planning and management is essential to achieving success in your chosen career. Whether you are aiming to be a bookkeeper in a small business or the finance director of a multi-national corporation, you must know in which direction you are headed and what is required of you to achieve your goal. Here Emma Charnock, General Manager of Hays Hong Kong, provides information on managing and planning your career.

Career planning is your first step in career management and is a basic, yet key principle used by successful business people. Plans are formulated on a regular basis to control direction, make the best use of resources and measure progress or results.

Think of your career plan along the lines of a business plan. The key issues to cover are:
What are my long-term career objectives?
What will I want to get out of my job in the next five years or so?
Do I need to study? If so, what for?
What are my individual priorities?

These priorities and objectives may change over time and you need to check up from time to time to make sure you are on track.

Set Objectives
So, to formulate your career plan, firstly you must set your long-term goals or objectives. For example, "In ten years' time I want to be the financial controller of a large commercial organisation". To arrive at this objective, you must consider personal and professional aspirations. Aim high with whatever you set out to achieve, both personally and professionally, but be realistic as goals that are obviously unachievable can be demotivating.

Long-term Perspectives
Don't be afraid to set long-term goals. They can be altered or amended as your aspirations or values change. Indeed, it is quite likely this will be the case. Once your long-term goals are in place, it is important to establish the steps you will need to take to reach those longer-term objectives. Again, these steps may need alteration where appropriate, but will be based on such considerations as academic qualifications, professional membership, technical experience and personal development.

Right Attitude
With firm goals in place, you must obtain the right attitude. Enthusiasm is the catalyst to success. It makes your personal and professional experiences more enjoyable and satisfying. Remember, nothing great was ever accomplished without enthusiasm!

In Black & White
Remember though, career planning or goal setting will only achieve its purpose if you adhere to the principals of measuring your progress and following the path you have planned. This means it is important to write down your goals. The process of putting pen to paper allows you to keep clear focus, check your achievements and make the necessary alterations when required.

Imagine you are planning an overseas trip and the amount of time and energy you would devote to it. Your career will probably span the next thirty years of your life so start planning now.

Source : Hays Hong Kong