8 Coaching questions to create a career development plan

Whether you are an entrepreneur, a manager or an ambitious professional; you will want to get the most possible from your career. To do this you need to have a career development plan.  A career development plan sets out what you aim to achieve and your plan to achieve it. It outlines the knowledge, skills and attitudes you will need, along with the resources you will use. Many people are unhappy in their jobs because they have no idea where they stand or what direction their career is going in. A career development plan allows you to overcome this confusion by taking responsibility for your career. You know what you want to achieve and what you have to do to get there. You can identify the daily actions you need to take in order to realise your vision. You build your time management practices and your scheduling around these actions. Creating a career development plan takes some effort but the right coaching questions can make it a lot easier for you.

 Creating a career development plan

​The following coaching questions will help you to create your career development plan:

1. What do you want to achieve with your career?

​Clarity of vision is essential for any major goal. Your career is no different. The clearer you become about the career you wish to have, the easier it is to create that career. Just as you wouldn’t set out on holiday without knowing your destination; you cannot create your ideal career without knowing what the end result is. Take some time to get specific on this issue. It will save you more time in the long term.

2. How much time are you prepared to spend on your career?

​This may seem a strange question but your career is unlikely to be the only important area of your life. There are many important areas of life e.g. family, which will need your attention. You need to be able to balance each of the areas of your life. To avoid conflict, it is best to be realistic, from the start, about the amount of time you can commit to career development. You can then plan your activities accordingly.

3. What skills do you need to develop?

​Identify the skills you will require to perform successfully in the career you wish to create. Then make an inventory of the skills you currently possess. Compare the two lists, and highlight the skills you are currently lacking. You will need to make plans to develop these skills.

 4. What resources will you need?

​Whatever career you wish to pursue, there will be resources you require in order to perform the role. These may include a car, computer equipment, marketing materials etc. If you are in doubt as to what resources are required, contact somebody who is working in the same or a similar role and ask them. Most people are happy to oblige.

5. Where can you get support or advice?

​In the internet era there is an abundance of support or advice available for people who want to progress their career. No matter what issue you have, it is unlikely that you are the first person to have this issue. You may have friends, family or colleagues who can help. You may hire a coach to help you, or you may use the internet to find people who have discussed the issue. Develop a list of trusted learning resources which you can turn to whenever you need advice or support. It will help to keep the bad times to a minimum while maximising the good times.

6. What type of person do you need to be?

There was a time when personality did not matter in your career. As long as you could successfully carry out the functions of your job, your employer, or customer was happy. Those days are gone now. There are very few careers where your personality does not show. You need to determine the kind of person you need to be if you wish to perform successfully in your ideal career. Consider your values, your beliefs and your attitudes. Identify ways you can bring these into your work.

There is one more thing you need to consider. If the career you are aiming for conflicts with your values and beliefs, you may want to consider whether it is the right career for you.

7. How will you know you are ready to move forward?

Moving forward with your career might require one step or, more likely, it may require many steps. To be successful at each step you will need to have progressed to a certain point. You need to be able to recognise when you have reached that point. When deciding this you may consider:

Having a clear idea of where you need to be to make the step forward allows you to identify and seize the opportunity as soon as it presents itself.

8. What is your motivation?

It can take a long time to get where you want to go. There will be good times and bad. Your ability to stay focused and motivated is what will keep you on track. Understanding your motivation is essential. It gets you up on a cold winter’s morning and helps you bounce back when you experience a setback.  Many people fail to create the career they desire because their motivation is not strong enough. The stronger your motivation; the greater your chance of success.​

​Conclusion

​If you fail to take charge of your career, it is all too easy to end up in a meaningless, dead-end job which serves no purpose other than to pay your bills. As your career consumes so much of your life, it has a massive impact on both your happiness and your health. Being stuck in a job you don’t like is a recipe for stress and unhappiness. You owe it to yourself to get more from your career. That is where a career development plan comes in. A career development plan allows you to take charge of your career. You create a vision of the career that you desire and a career development plan will drive you forward towards realising that vision. Use the coaching questions, above, to create your career development plan and, when you implement that plan, you will soon see the career progression you are striving for.