Career

Expert advice: how to plan your career

Even if you can't plan your career to the letter, you can still think about where you want to go and what a good job is in your situation. Then you'll be able to seize opportunities when they arise.

Do you enjoy your work? Then now is the time to think about how to move forward. Because when you are on top, you have the energy to consider your vision for the future.

You may also find yourself in a situation where you've landed in a job that wasn't quite right for you, or you're just entering the labour market. In this case, the platform burns a little more underneath you to clarify which direction you want to go in, but the considerations are the same. We've put together some advice for you on how to approach career planning.

What is a good job to you?

A good way to learn more about your career is to stop every two years and take a look at the situation you find yourself in. This can help you realise what you're good at and what energises you at work, because that's where the good job lies.

Start by making two lists of your tasks: the ones you're good at and the ones you're not so good at. Then think about whether the tasks on the two lists motivate you.

Once you've done that, you can sort the tasks into four categories:

  • The ones you don't know how to do and don't want to do
  • Tasks that you are good at, but are boring
  • Tasks that you are both good at and find exciting
  • And last but not least, there are tasks that you currently struggle with, but are challenging and exciting.

With this list, you can identify what a good job looks like from your point of view and then act on it. You can either use the personal development review to move there in your current workplace, or start looking for the workplace and job that matches your desires.

Read more about the personal development review

Four steps to develop your career

  1. List of tasks
    Make a list of the tasks you do and have done in your current job. Look at the list and divide it into two: The tasks you would like to have more of and the tasks you would prefer to spend less time on. The first part will typically be dominated by the tasks you are good at and that give you energy. These are the tasks that drive you and are likely to be the ones that take you further in your career.

  2. Expand the list with new competences
    Then expand the list with tasks you don't have much experience with, but which are high on your list of things you'd like to try. These are typically tasks that will give you new skills.

  3. Define a strategy
    Now you've drawn a picture of what your next job might look like. You now need to set out a strategy for how you will create the change you want: What types of positions are right for you? What concrete steps do you need to take to get more tasks that develop and energise you? How can you reduce the number of uninspiring routine tasks? Do you need to change jobs or can you get on where you are? Who can help you achieve your goals?

  4. Make a specific action plan
    Finally, make a specific action plan where you write down what you will do tomorrow, next month and next year. Make the plan detailed. It can easily be the small steps that make the biggest difference.

Move up, on, or to safety

Even if you're happy in your job, it's good to think about what the job will look like in two years' time. Many people think that a classic career is about moving up, getting more responsibility and maybe getting a management position. But it doesn't have to be that way.

You can also move horizontally and get ahead by getting professional challenges and exciting tasks. Others plan careers to get out and gain more autonomy and independence, while still others think about getting job security. Security from redundancy rounds or security in a permanent job rather than more unstable forms of employment.

Find the right balance in your career

Finally, there are those who want to develop their careers to find a balance between work, family and leisure.

It's a huge challenge that the stage in life where many people think about a career for the first time is also where they start a family and buy a house in the suburbs. Where young parents want to stay at home with their children, but also know that it is bad for their careers.

Many people experience pressure from all kinds of sources: themselves, employers, colleagues, partners, children, day-care centres and friends.

Here, you may need to find a job that can be combined with everything else you want in life. For others, balance is about the meaning and value of the job — choosing a job not because of what they are trained to do or what it pays, but because they can be proud of their workplace.