Tell us about your career goals?

When most people begin to think about career planning, the tendency is to focus on promotion and advancement. While moving up is certainly one career option, it is not the only one. You may, in fact, be able to meet your career objectives by moving in a number of different directions.

There are a number of possible career moves you could work towards. All of them present options for career and personal development.

Some possible career moves are: - UP - ACROSS - DOWN - ENRICHING

• OUT

- SKILL BUILDING/PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

Now consider these in detail:

UP: To a more senior level in the organization

ACROSS: Laterally to acquire new skills; to incease your exposure to other areas of the organization; to obtain your perspective on your career

DOWN: To start a new career; to try something different; to acquire new skills and experiences, which can lead to future career mobility

ENRICHING: Making your job more challenging and stimulating by increasing your involvement in some areas, delegating tasks in others; changing how you perform your job; participating in a task force or committee; taking on a new assignment

OUT: To a more appropriate position in another organization; to set up your own business

SKILL BUILDING/PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT: Developing new skills or abilities; acquiring new knowledge by participating in development assignments, a training course, or further education; changing yourself in some way, for example, developing a hobby; changing how you relate to people.

To get yourself out of the UP ONLY trap, list possible career goals for each of the six options:

UP

ACROSS

DOWN

ENRICHING

OUT

SKILL BUILDING/PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT

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I define my career goals by 5 steps:

1. Examine your true career dreams.

2. Outline the skill sets that you have.

3. Determine the experience you have and what you have based on your past work.

4. Research the minimum qualifications it takes to have your career goal.

5. Start working to meet those minimum requirements.