A career plan includes assessing the steps to reach your goal, the time required for next steps, and long and short term goals.
Achieving career plan objectives involves investigating training and education programs, developing a job search strategy and preparing for interviews.
Follow these steps to help you find, plan and pursue a career that is right for you.
Step 1: Assess Yourself and Your Needs
Step 2: Research Potential Careers
- Identify Occupations that Match Your Skills: Understand what skills are required for a given occupation. Learn what training and skills you need for a particular job using the Explore Job Information tool. It also may help you to recognize skills that transfer between occupations.
- Consider Your Education and Training Needs: When you have identified your career interests and financial needs, you may discover that you need more education and training. Learn about education and training programs offered in the Illinois. View the Education and Training Programs page. Search "programs" for program overviews, admission requirements, classes you should take before entering the program.
Step 3: Develop a Career Plan/Objective
- Once you have discovered which career you want and what it will take to reach that goal, you will want to brainstorm a few goals. Use the S.M.A.R.T. Goal method to help you determine your goals. S.M.A.R.T. goals are:
- Use a Career Plan Worksheet to help you outline your plan.
- Use a calendar to help you organize your short-term goals, long-term goals and determining a time frame for completing them.
- Short-Term Goals are goals you plan to complete in 1 to 3 months, or so. Examples:
- Applying for financial aid
- Calculating monthly budget
- Creating a resume
- Long-Term Goals are goals you plan to complete in 6+ months. Examples:
- Career change
- Complete a training program
Create a Portfolio. A portfolio is a handy place to keep important information that you will need as you develop a resume, look for a job, and fill out job applications. Below is a list of information to include with your portfolio:
- Personal Information: Include the following information:
- Proof of current address
- Most current contact information (including email address)
- List of previous addresses, military discharge papers
- Social Security Number
.
Open and print this helpful Work Sheet to assist you in organizing the information above:
- Work Experience: Include the following information:
- Names and addresses of previous and present employers
- Awards and recognitions for your work performance
- Specific job skills that you have acquired
- Names and contact information of references from your previous or present employment.
Be ready to discuss them with your potential employer.
- Education: Include schools attended, dates attended, major subjects studied, and any certificates, licenses, or degrees awarded. Potential employers may also require a copy of your transcripts
.
- Additional Information: Include the following:
- Your interests and hobbies
- Volunteer experience
- Your educational or professional goals and plans for achieving them
- Past Resumes and copies of Job Descriptions Applied for: This information will help when you develop or update your new resume when applying for a new job
Create a folder for each job search. Include the following items:
- Name of the organization
- Address and contact numbers of the organization
- Research information about the organization (what they do, how large the organization is, their mission and vision, etc.)
- Job openings applied for
- Name, title, and contact information of the person the application is going to
- A record (to include dates and times) of all phone conversations, submission of your cover letter, resume, and job application, interview schedules, name and title of the interviewer, and follow up thank you letter.
Open and print this helpful Job Search Record to assist you in organizing your job searches. This record should be retained in your Personal Portfolio under copies of past resumes and job applications:
Staying organized will pay off by reducing the stress of developing your resume, and helping you to remain positive and determined while filling out job applications, and answering questions during your job interview.