Career planning is a lifelong process. It involves a series of decisions repeated over time as your priorities and opportunities change.
| D | Decision making and planning | Setting goals and making decisions |
| O | Opportunity awareness | Exploring available occupations and industries |
| T | Transition learning | Taking action and applying for jobs |
| S | Self awareness | Learning about your skills, values, interests and personal style |
Although called DOTS, the steps are done in the following order:
To develop self awareness, consider the following questions. Your answers could come from your experiences in education, employment, voluntary and community activities, hobbies, sport and recreation.
| Skills | What do you do well? |
| Values | Where does work fit in your life? What lifestyle do you want? |
| Interests | What do you enjoy? What past roles, experiences and interests have you enjoyed? |
| Personal style | What are your strengths and qualities (for instance, loyalty, commitment, desire to learn)? |
You need relevant and accurate information, and you need to assess it well.
1. Be clear about what you need to know
Develop a list of questions. Consider:
Relate these back to your answers to the self awareness questions.
2. Find relevant, credible information
Use a range of sources including:
Assess the credibility of the information by thinking about the:
3. Consider the information you have collected
What do you think about the information you have collected? What are the key points? Can you see any clear or strong opportunities here?
To apply for a job you will need to know about writing cover letters and resumes, addressing selection criteria, networking and interviews.
Make a decision
Consider your options carefully. You could prioritise or come up with a shortlist. From there, your decision could be based on one or more of these:
Remember, some risk and compromise will be involved in your decision. No one decision can meet all your needs for the rest of your career.
Develop an action plan
Develop a set of goals. They need to be specific and manageable. Break them into short and long-term goals.
Short-term goals are quick, simple activities to get you started. They could include:
Long-term goals are your ultimate career goals - to become a business consultant, a research scientist or a journalist, for instance.
Act on the plan
Start now - do not wait until you finish your course. Use a systematic approach.
Review your plan over time
Over time, things may change. Your interests and values may change. Your chosen field or industry may change.
Most people will go through the career planning and review cycle many times in their lives.
You can make an appointment with a careers education consultant if you need help developing your career plan.