Career Development Plan

Name: _____________________ Date: ___________

This career development plan is meant to be a dynamic tool for professional goal setting that the student and advisor/mentor can use during targeted advising sessions.

Completion of this plan will follow a 4-step process. Each step will address specific career related questions:

1. What skills do you already possess? (Where are you now?)2. What do you want for your career? (Where do you want to go?)3. How might you get there? (What steps do you need to take to get there?)4. Who can help? (What resources might I use?)

You can complete it at your leisure, print and save a copy for your personal use.

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1. Where are you now?This process starts with taking a good look at where you are currently at. What are your skills, talents and interests? What are your values – do you like to lead, work with people or alone with data or text? Do you like working face to face with people or prefer independent work? Do you like to work inside or outside? Do you like working to deadlines? Which teams do you like working on, quiet or loud, small or large?

Answering the questions below will assist you in determining your starting point.

Question Notes.Where am I now in regards tomy career?What is my view of currentsituation?What have been my experiences

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to date?

What do I enjoy most?

What skills do I have from past and current work or educational experiences?What do I think my strengths/assets are? (Skills, knowledge, talents, and interests)?What are some things people ask me to help with?What do I do well?

What appeals to me?

What are my values? (work/life)

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Do I like to lead, work with people as a team or work alone (with data or text)?Do I like working face to face with people or in the background?How do I feel when I think about my ideal job (excited, motivated, fear)?Is there anything getting in my way of achieving what I want?

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Where do you want to go?

What you'll do next is:

Consider your career goals Explore your career options.

Develop concise written statements related to your goals and add them to the table below.

Knowing where you want to go makes the next steps in determining your future career move much easier. Think in terms of your ideal long-term dream job as well as your post-graduation short-term ideal position.

Question NotesWhat does my ideal job looklike?

If I could do any job in the world what might it be and why?

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Question NotesWhat are my goals (short/longterm)?

What energizes me?

Where do I want to be (in 1 yr, in 5 yrs)

Are there any specificchallenges I want to face?

Why is this important to me?

What do I want to see/get/do more of?

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Question NotesWhat do I want to see/get/do less of?

What is my preferred balance between work and my personal life?

Who else does this affect?

What normally gets in the wayof achieving my goals?

What kind of work environmentsuits me best?

Do I feel I have a calling inlife?

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Question Notes

2. How might I get there?By answering questions 1 & 2, you should now have a clearer idea of what you want & where you want to go. The next step is figuring out how you might get there. What do you need todo? Below are some questions you may consider in deciding what resources may be useful.

Question NotesHow can I prepare myself, andmy environment to achieve my goals?What resources and tools/resources do I need?

What steps do I need to take to get from where I am now towhere I want to be?

What new skills, knowledge doI need to possess?

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Question Notes

What new skills do I want to learn?

What existing skills do I need to develop?

How can I commit to achievingmy goals?

What barriers do I need to remove to make this happen?

How will I know I have been successful?

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Who can help (resources)?

Knowing who can assist you and what resources you need to achieve your career goals can greatly assist you in staying focused on your goals.

Question NotesWhat new relationships might Ibuild help me attain my careergoals?

Who do I know who can support me attain my career goals?

Who have I lost touch with who might be able to support me in my career goals?

What role can my friends and family take in encouraging me to stay focused?

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What role can my supervisors play in supporting my career aspirations?

What communities of practice currently exist that I can tap into?

Setting Goals

Now that you have a clearer picture of where you are now and where you want to go ,it is now time to set some goals for yourself and create your Career Development Plan – goal summary.

When deciding on your career development goals it is imperative that you set yourself up for success. Using the SMART goal setting process is a good way to achieve this. SMART

Specific (so you know exactly what you are trying to achieve)

Measurable (so you know when you have achieved it!)

Action-oriented (so you can DO something about it!)

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Realistic (so it IS achievable) and

Time-Bound (has a deadline)

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Focusing on the Outcome:

1. What is it that you REALLY want to achieve? … 2. What is the SPECIFIC OUTCOME that you are looking for? 3. How will you know you have achieved it?

Examples of SMART Goals 1. Bad SMART Goal: I want to go to college.

Good SMART GOAL: By January 1st of 2009, I will have researched three colleges and applied to two colleges that I want to attend. I will attend one of the colleges I am accepted in and register for my first course and start by August 2009. My college plan fits with my ten year career plan.

2. Bad SMART Goal: I want a raise.

Good SMART Goal: By December 1st of 2008, I will have positioned myself to ask for a raise of a minimum of 10% of my salary by cutting my department’s budget by 10% and increasing my department’s sales by 10%.

3. Bad example of a SMART goal: “I want to have a lot of money”.

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Good example of a SMART goal:

 “I want to make one million within 10 years by starting an internet marketing businessselling personal development products all over the world and by providing life coachingconsultancy and conducting live seminars.”

4. Bad example of a SMART goal: “I want to lose weight”.

Good example of a SMART goal:

 “I want to lose 20 lbs by April 15th 2009. I will perform a half hour of cardio and halfhour of strength training per day, 5 times a week and I will only eat starchycarbohydrates 3 times a week.”

5. Bad example of a SMART goal: “I want to write a book”.

Good example of a SMART goal:

“I want to write a work book on “How to add 10 years to your life” that is at least 150 pages inlength and get it completed by June 30th 2009. I will write at least 4 pages every weekdayuntil I complete the book.”

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6. Bad example of a SMART goal: “ I want to get a job in child welfare”.

Good example of a SMART goal: “I want to attain a job in the child welfare sector makingat least $38,000 per year within a mid to larger size social service or government agencywith room to advance by July 30th, 2015”.

7. Bad example of a SMART goal: “I want to get licensure”.

Good example of a SMART goal: “I want to obtain full licensure within 3 years ofgraduation by successfully securing an employment position within an agency where I willreceive adequate supervision towards licensure requirements by July 30th, 2015, passingthe licensure exam by July 30th, 2016, and completing all licensure requirements by July30th, 2018”.

Types of Social Work Goal Areas

1. Employment, short-term, intermediate, and long-term. 7. Scholarship/Writing2. Education and training 8. Practice goals

3. Licensure 9. Mentorship

4. Career advancement 10. Service related goals

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5. Teaching

6. Entrepreneurial

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Personal Career Plan – Goal SummaryOnce you have your goals in a SMART format – add them to the Personal Career Plan – Goal Summary below:

Goal Specific knowledge, skills achieved

How will I achieve the goal?

What resources do I need (people, material etc)

By when (timeline)

Success criteria – how will I know I have been successful?

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