A survey conducted by Ernst & Young in May/June 2022 shows what is important when it comes to careers. Of the more than 2,000 students in Germany, more than 50% said that internships and work experience can be important drivers of their own career. They also consider making contacts to be important. But one thing must not fall by the wayside in today's world: a healthy work-life balance. The digital transformation in working life makes self-management all the more important. More and more companies are offering their employees the opportunity of a flexible working time model. It is up to the employee to consciously decide when the optimal balance between life and work exists.
Why is career planning important?
The job market is constantly changing. Career plans should therefore never be seen as too tight a corset, but should always offer the opportunity to develop freely, react flexibly and spontaneously. A good career plan serves as orientation and a common thread, i.e. it sets the main direction. But it is not restrictive and is adaptable. The central theme of career planning is to think about where you want to be professionally in the next three to five years and what steps you can take to get there. Of course, it is also possible to make a career with luck. But if you just let everything happen to you, you are waiting to be discovered or rescued by someone. If, on the other hand, you want to take your career into your own hands, you would do well to draw up a career plan. This allows you to plan your own professional development in a structured way. It also makes it possible to reschedule in the event of redundancy or health restrictions.
Before drawing up a concrete plan, you should note down the following thoughts on a piece of paper:
- What are my strengths and weaknesses?
- What do I want to achieve in my job?
- Is security or independence more important to me?
- Do I attach more importance to a high income or meaningfulness?
- What are my chances of employment and promotion in the professional fields I am considering?
- In which profession could I be happy?
In order to be able to live in balance and harmony despite a career, it is necessary to pause for a moment every now and then and listen to your body and psyche. Relaxation exercises, for example, can provide inner balance. These include pauses for thought, meditation, breathing exercises or spending time in nature.
Valuable tips for strategically planning your own career
If you know your needs, it is easier to develop strategies to satisfy them. However, these needs can change over the course of a career. It therefore makes sense to look at the individual phases of a classic career. Two key questions can be derived from these for the career plan:
1. what can I do?
2. what is important to me?
Every career path is different. But in simple terms, every academic career can be divided into four phases:
- The entry phase before graduation:
The central questions are what you expect from your career and how you can achieve this. The aim is to choose a course of study that makes sense for this.
- The build-up phase during your studies:
This is about gaining experience and developing skills in order to be able to hone your professional profile.
- The career orientation phase:
At this point, priorities are set and the work-life balance is explored.
- The identity phase:
The final stage involves identifying with the decisions made and reflecting on them.
Careers can be made in different ways. The essence of every plan is: What is important to me? Is it flexibility or financial security? Do I want a nine-to-five job or flexible working hours? Do I want more time for my family or is my career more important to me? Do I prefer to work in a team or independently? These questions should be answered before you apply for a job. And the answers to these questions also point the way when drawing up a career plan.
This is what career planning is all about
In a research section published by the Fraunhofer Institute for Industrial Engineering in 2011, two types of careers emerged: vertical and horizontal careers. Anyone who is already overwhelmed by this should definitely seek professional help with career planning. Coaching can help you find out what your current professional situation looks like and what steps you need to take to plan your career. With an activation and placement voucher from the employment agency and job center, such advice can even be 100% subsidized.
The vertical career: management career
Goal: hierarchical advancement within the company in order to take on more management responsibility. The aim is to make the leap into (strategic) management or to the top of the company.
The horizontal career: specialist career
Goal: professional excellence and a high degree of specialization. The goal of many scientists, engineers and programmers is to become one of the best in their profession at some point.
There are also other career planning options. For example, you can decide to become self-employed, work as a freelancer or project manager. Depending on your career goal, other career tips may be helpful. Motivational trainers, career coaches and HR professionals usually recommend the following tips:
- Gain experience
- Develop a flexible strategy
- network
- Set goals
- Plan deadlines
- Look for role models
- Acquire the necessary skills, for example through further training
Creating a career plan - this is how it works
There are various models to choose from when creating a career plan. The best known are the step-by-step model and the mind map. In any case, it is important to record the plan in writing.
The step-by-step plan:
- the career is planned step by step
- ideal for career starters and academics aiming for a vertical career path
- A ladder can be used to illustrate this, with each rung representing a career goal to be worked towards
The mind map model:
- offers more flexibility, as no exact career stage needs to be listed
- ideas, wishes and interests are recorded on a piece of paper and then linked together in a meaningful way
- It is important to also record relevant details such as working environments, possible positions and jobs as well as further training
No matter how well a career plan is drawn up, you need to be able to react openly and flexibly as soon as life intervenes. At certain crossroads in life, it may be necessary to adapt the old career plan or develop a completely new one.
