As an employee, you only want to get better and better at what you do. This is because the fulfillment of your dreams and your career success basically depend on how you improve as an individual and an employee.

1. Cosmic Coaching Centre
Corporate & Individual Career Solutions for Mid-Level Professionals & Executives
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2. nothing guaranteed in life. We all should take risks
and be ready to face whatever the outcome is. As long
as we do what needs to be done at the highest level
possible, satisfaction will be ours regardless of the
results.
You are still not certain about what you want. As
any life coach would put it, you need to listen to the
voice from within. It is not enough that you spend so
Once you feel the need for a change in your life, you much of your time trying to fulfill other people’s
then have this strong expectations. Explore all the possibilities, meet
urge to make these different kinds of people, travel several places, and
changes and face even do volunteering activities. Through these, you
whatever outcome comes will have an idea of where you will be happy.
with it. But then again, Remember that it is important that what you are
this just can’t be that doing is in line with your values and what can make
easy, thanks to all the you happy.
common obstacles along the way. This is what may
also happen if you are thinking of changing careers.
For those who are thinking of becoming self
employed, you need to be ready to face the many
challenges that should come to you. But one thing
that may surprise you also is the fact that aside from
the external obstacles you would be facing, the more
difficult ones to overcome are those within you.
You don’t think you are ready. If being self
employed wasn’t part of the career paths that you Creating a career action plan is vital to developing a
created earlier in your life, you would naturally feel clear and strong vision for one’s future, at least
hesitant to make a change. This is particularly true professionally speaking.
for those who have had some sort of achievement in Using this plan, you will
their careers. Plus, if you don’t have a degree in the find it easier to figure out
industry you are entering, feeling less confident is what steps you should
understandable. take to ensure that your
vision will come into
What you can do is learn gradually. Take some time reality. Don’t worry if
to learn something about the career you are about to you still cannot consider yourself a success in any
start. Ask those who have the knowledge and way. The truth is that this form of planning for your
experience related to this field. There are some short career is aimed at guiding you whether you are still
courses or training programs that you may get also looking for your first job, or you have decided to have
that will equip you with the basic skills you need. a career change.
The outcomes are so uncertain. You will be OBJECTIVE
wondering if you’ve made the right decision or not.
This need for security is innate to all of us. But at A career action plan should enable you to determine
some point, you have to accept the fact that there is how you are going to achieve all your goals and
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3. objectives in your career. What this type of planning
will do is help you in assessing your priorities and
interests so that you will not have a hard time
focusing on the vital parts of your own career. Also,
you will never have to share your career action plans
with anyone, not even your future employers. It is
you who need to see it as often as possible, so that
you can keep track of your progress. It is also
through this plan of yours that you will be able to
identify your career pathways.
Learning how to control and manage your own
FEATURES career is a must. This
means that you should be
There is no specific or special way you should create
able to identify what your
your career action plan. It actually may have just a
core values are, your
couple of short paragraphs, or you may also go as
personal interests, and
much as writing a few pages. What’s important is that
what skills you have so that
it covers all of the factors and aspects related to your
you may determine also
pursuit of your goals in your career.
what career opportunities
Basically, a career action plan would include: specific can excite you the most.
action steps plus a probable timetable for
When it comes to the skills every worker has to
accomplishing the goals; factors and aspects in your
possess, there are several different types actually. As
own life that you think will either support or go
you go on with your career, you will acquire a variety
against your career goals; the likely hurdles you will
of skills through the training and experiences you
face and need to overcome; and the names of people
acquire. Thus, before you start looking for the most
who you believe will be able to assist and guide you
appropriate career and job to fit you, it is
towards the achievement of such goals.
recommended that you undergo some free career
BENEFITS assessments just to make sure you know what skills
you can apply in a certain job.
There are so many good reasons you would want to
devise a career action plan and act according to it. Identifying Your Best Skills
First of all, this kind of planning will help you define a
As you try to explore the opportunities offered by
very clear and structured strategy that you can use
various companies, you should first know what exact
whether you are in the stage of career transition or
skills are required. In order to assess which areas you
you are simply aiming for advancement in your
are really good at or which skills are your strongest,
career. Whatever it is, this plan will help you move
you may try:
and take the necessary steps towards a very
rewarding career. • using various career assessment tools online,
doing some assessment exercises, etc.
• asking your colleagues, family and friends
about what they think you are really good at.
• Seeking assistance from a career coach.
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4. What Transferable Skills Do You Have? depend on how you improve as an individual and an
employee. Thus, you have to constantly search for
Identifying your transferable skills is just as ways you may further
important as knowing your best skills. Your and acquire more skills.
transferable skills are valuable in any kind of job or Through performance
industry. By knowing about it, you can broaden your reviews, you get to know
selection of the possible work opportunities where which areas you still
you may put such skills into use. need to improve on. But
What to Keep in Mind about Skills how are you going to
handle a difficult or
1. Your skills will be the basis of employers in negative performance review?
determining whether you can do the job well or not.
You must be really good at a particular area. But Performance reviews are dreaded by most of us.
remember that having multiple skills in just the same Nevertheless, they could also a rewarding experience
area will not automatically make you more desirable. if they are conducted on a regular basis. This way,
even managers or supervisors will have an easier
2. You should not hesitate to vary your skills. With time dealing with assessment reports.
determination, you can definitely enhance your
present skills and even acquire new skill sets. All you Tips for Making Performance Reviews a Valuable
need is experience and enough practice. Process
3. Don’t be afraid to discover that you have 1. Talk to your manager and ask if he or she could
weaknesses. We all have our own weaknesses and give you a list of what your objectives should be,
there is nothing we can do about this fact. What we which are directly connected to specific corporate
can do instead is try to address such weaknesses and goals. Then take a look at the objectives and connect
try to turn them into strengths. them to certain tasks that you will be the one to
perform. You should then turn this list into a
4. There are skills that you don’t need to have. To spreadsheet so that it will be easier for you to
acquire new skills, you will need to invest. So before prioritize tasks. This is another way of career
you spend any amount of money to join any advancement targeting.
mentoring programs perhaps, be sure that it is
worth your time, energy, and money. 2. Ideally, you would want to regularly meet with
your manager to have an objectives review. But to do
this, you must keep the spreadsheet up-to-date. If
possible, you would also want to schedule a weekly
meeting in which you may talk about all the
workplace issues that need the attention of the
management.
3. After every meeting, be sure to incorporate all the
discussed details into your spreadsheet. Don’t forget
to give you manager a copy of the revised
spreadsheet.
4. When it is time for your own performance review,
As an employee, you only want to get better and ask your manager how things are going. Give him or
better at what you do. This is because the fulfillment her a sign that you don’t mind them being direct to
of your dreams and your career success basically
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5. the point. If not everything you hear is good, keep
your composure and continue to listen. Then calmly
ask your manager what steps you should take to fix
and improve things.
5. Always consider everything an opportunity to
learn. Even as an employee, you should not stop
learning. Your workplace may have skills training or
continuing education programs that you can actively
join. Never take criticisms against your boss. You
need to know where you perform poorly so that you
could turn things around in no time. This is one basic
ingredient of career advancement.
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