Amanda,
Great idea regarding asking others their perceptions. And yes, time is probably the greatest hurdle. The best suggestion I can give in regard to this is try to network as much as possible with others in departments in which you have an interest.
Ryan
This is a great idea & reminds of an activity done during the Covey 7 Habits of Highly Effective People class. In that class you write a personal mission statement that helps you focus on what you really want to be & do. Also, Covey's principle of "begin with the end in mind" is seen here. Great.
Ryan
In order to manage your career and your future professional growth it is essential to know who you are, what you want and how are you going to get it. You must be comfortable with who you are and be able to objectively analize your strengths and weaknesses. At this point you can utilize this information to move forward.
Very true & often it's a great idea to explore the formal organizational networks that exist within your organization. In this way you can identify other areas or departments that might be of interest to you & then you can learn more about them to help develop your plan.
Ryan
I believe the first step in personal career management is knowing yourself. You have to be able to see yourself doing something and see yourself somewhere, before you can set the steps in motion to get you there. You need to know what you like, what you are good at and enjoy doing before you take the next step in career management.
Self-assessment because you want to do what interests you or motivates you. You want to have a ful-filling career and in order to do that, you must know your strengths, skills and your weaknesses.
I agree Dana. In order to be successful, you must know yourself, your strengths, your weaknesses because you would want a position that is tailored to your strengths.
I feel the most important step in personal career management is understanding your strenghts and weaknesses. If you understand your strengths and weaknesses you will know which career choice will best fit your skills. This will allow you to enjoy your career choice based on your decision.
Agreed and also a position that will cause you to develop those strengths even further & push yourself beyond your comfort zone. You want to be successful but you also want to continually improve.
Ryan
I agree & I would encourage all of us to help others in this process. I have found that some people are more naturally introspective, whereas others could use some assistance in really thinking through these areas.
Ryan
What do you feel is the first most important step in personal career management? Why?
The first and most important step in personal career management is to internalize career goals with interests, values, and skill level. Otherwise, the individual pursuit lacks motivation and direction with potentially detrimental outcomes.
Without individual interest and values there is no passion to pursue career goals because there is no importance established. Therefore, there is no decisive direction or reason to achieve those goals.
In addition, without a self-assessment, an aimless pursuit of career goals could result in a poor fit of a new position, which could be damaging to one's career. For example, skill level must be enough to have the potential to succeed as well as the desire to meet and exceed expectations.
In order to create a plan to achieve career goals, an individual must first know what is important and what they bring to the table. Once established, a plan for obtaining those goals has the greatest opportunity for success.
I feel that knowing who I am and what my strong desires and interests are is an important first step. If I am not familiar with what I truly want to do with myself and future, then I can not expand my self development or career goals.
So true Nicole. I think way too many of us do not take time to get comfortable with ourselves & what we really want to do. I also encourage you to do this periodically throughout your life. This type of activity is not a one & done event but as we change we need to be continually examining our desires, interests, etc.
Ryan
The first step for me is to find out what you are truly passionate about doing. I have known for a many years that I love working with people. I am a very good listener and I like to brainstorm to see if I can give any helpful solutions to to iformation that I hear from others or I may have some personal experience that I can give. My biggest reward in helping is knowing that I have made someone worries a little more manageable.
Nicole, I totally agree with you. Knowing yourself is the most important step. Nobody know you better than you, by knowing youself you are able to be honest with youself and feelings, you better know you likes and dislikes and I feel this is a plus in helping you in your career searches, and help you to find a position yo will be satisified in.
I agree with what you are saying Ryan about reevaluating yourself periodically. Time does bring about changes it affect's our goals and our feelings. If you are young when you feel that you know yourself just keep living that will change as you get older:-)
This a true statement Felicia, to piggyback off the statement "some people tend to make decisions without really knowing what they really want" I know for me with the position I have now, my decision was made on circumstances due to the fact of the way the economy is now, unemployment ect. I was unemployed for six months so I was at the point of just getting my foot in any door. I feel locked in this position this is not a good feeling to have. But changes are comming!
Sounds like you have a very blessed life Darlene. You are truly one of the lucky ones. I am looking to get this kind of stability in the near future.
I believe that creating goals would be the most important step. If you have developed your short term and long term goals, you can manage your career in order to achieve them. Knowing what career moves to make is never a certainty. We are at the mercy of the ever changing world but if we can steer ourselves in the general direction for each stage of our development, we can then control the finer points to achieve our earmarked goals.
Hi Carl, you are right on when it comes to knowing your strengths and weaknesses. Often we jump into the deep end of the pool and we can't even tread water, much less swim. Be prepared for the next step. Sure there will be challenges but most of us our capable of knowing if we can't lift 500lbs.
