Career Planning for now and the future

If like me, you MAY have a little bit more time on your hands at the moment. When you started 2020, your career plans may have included a new job, new start, new organisation or a new sector. I know for a lot of people it feels like all of this has been pulled from under you; we are in a new time with the landscape changing every day.

However, I fear if we tell ourselves that we won’t have career opportunities, the only thing we will see are brick walls. We don’t want our life to become a self-fulfilling prophecy.

I trying to be realistically positive about this time in my life – I am getting comfort from the very fact we are all in this together, globally. Bar the toilet roll hoarders, the sense of community, support and innovation is boosting my faith in human nature.

With all this mind, I want to give you a few tips on how you can use this time to really focus on your personal development.

1.      Reflect

You will be learning so much about yourself during this time. Your resilience, adaptability, innovative and your communication skills will all be used to their fullest. Make sure you pay attention to how your behaviour and skills are playing out. When all this passes, and it will, it will show you what you are capable of. And, this is the recruiter coming out of me now, it’s great evidence for interviews. Who knows, “How did you manage during the COVID-19 crisis” may become an interview question. Apologies if that seems crass, but I have a feeling it may appear in the future!

2.      Read

You all know how much I love a personal development book. Start reading or listening to the ones that you have had in your to-read pile for a while. Non-fiction, however, isn’t the only thing that can educate and inspire.  Reading other people’s experiences through biographies and perspectives through fiction can open us up to new things.

3.      Realism

For those that are job searching, don’t assume that there are no jobs available. There are certain industries that will be still looking; what we all have to do in times like this is to make decisions against our personal circumstances and needs. You can use this time to polish your CV, learn a new skill (Open learn from The Open University has lots of free courses!), expand your network on LinkedIn, finish off those qualifications or certificates that have been hanging around.

4.      Respond

Creating a career to enjoy takes action – even when things are more stable it can be hard to take action. But you need to. React to what is happening rather than what may happen. Look at what we know and take an educated and risk assessed guess with everything else. If you have found that there have been gaps in your skills or experience, what can you do now to fill them? Maybe start a blog if you want to show your writing experience, or build a website if you wanted to show your tech. If you are part of the THOUSANDS of people that are working with and for your community through volunteering at the moment, remember that and make sure you highlight this in the future.

How are you supporting your career at the moment?

Clara Wilcox is a straight-talking, practical and experienced coach helping clients navigate the tricky waters of returning to work, career changes and professional development. The Balance Collective has social mission, focused on improving the lives of parents, by working together to build inner confidence and promote a healthy work/life balance.