S1 Ep11: Career Planning: What It Is and How To Go About It

Careers can span over 40 years of our lives so it is important to
consider it in terms of our wider life satisfaction. In this
episode, DCU Careers Advisor, Elaine Daly joins
presenter Siobhán Murphy to examine this
big topic. Critically, Siobhán and Elaine discuss that we do not
need to plan out 40 years of working life, but by chunking it
down into 10-15 year blocks can be a more manageable approach.
Career management approaches are explored to explain how you can
manage career planning on a rolling basis.  





0:06 - 1.27  


Introduction to Career Planning


Siobhán outlines Career Planning and that it is a big topic. She
introduces Elaine Daly, Careers Advisor in DCU and explains that
the focus for today’s episode is to examine the topic broadly and
encourage listeners to consider working on their career plan one
step at time.





1.27 - 4:52


How do you go about Career Planning


Elaine explains the core steps in Career Planning - self
awareness and understanding you values, knowing your options,
making decisions, taking action and making time for reflection.
Siobhán highlights that while it is too difficult to plan for
your entire career, you can chunk it down and use this stepped
approach again again throughout your career.





4:52 - 7:30


Going Deeper on knowing yourself


Taking time to understand your values, interests and hobbies is
vital, as well as understanding your personality and what is
important to you in your wider life. Important to consider what
is a good fit for you. What are your skills and what are your
strengths. Looking at opportunities that are compatible with
these characteristics leading to greater levels of job
satisfaction.





7:30 - 10:30


The role of motivation in Career Planning


Siobhán and Elaine discuss money and the role of money as a
motivating factor. The discussion highlights the importance of it
but that for most people there are other important factors such
as their own values, meaningful work, a sense of purpose and work
life balance should also be considered.  Do you want to work
indoors, outdoors, office or not, remote working and so on.





10:30 - 12:37


Why we include hobbies and interests in Career
Planning


Hobbies and interests are important aspects of life satisfaction.
Siobhán and Elaine discuss how our careers can facilitate our
hobbies and interests - or not, as the case might be. The
importance of not looking for perfection but a reasonable
compromise between what we want to do within our work and outside
of our work.





12:37 - 23:14


What are Strengths?


Elaine explains how strengths are those activities that we are
good at, energised by doing and critically, not draining. Elaine
brings us through an example and Siobhán adds to the discussion
with ways to identify your strengths. Working to your strengths,
both at an individual level and a team level.  Acknowledging
that it is not always possible to always do things in your career
that are playing to your strengths, but looking for ways to tip
it in your direction.  This section broadens into a wider
discussion regarding how to look at the bigger picture when you
find yourself not working to your strengths.





23:14 - 39:06


What are Skills and how to manage the gaps?
 


Elaine provides a definition of skills and explains how to
identify them, within technical and soft skills. Siobhán and
Elaine discuss how to identify the skills employers are looking
for, the role of informational interviewing and consulting a
careers advisor to identify which are the critical skills, and
what are the skills gaps that need to be filled - either with a
micro-credential or by simply learn on the job. How working on
self-awareness can help you to align yourself and your skills for
the career you want to pursue.



36: 06 - 40:45


The role of planned happenstance in career
planning


We cannot plan for everything. There are always challenges, the
current Covid pandemic, recessions over your lifespan or moving
country. Being prepared and knowing to take opportunities that
will open up doors you could not even plan for. By doing this
self awareness piece, you will develop the know-how and
confidence to take the risk. Openness, flexibility and managing
the changes is the key piece





40:45 - 43:36


Back to knowing yourself - we can’t talk enough about
it


Note when you are resisting doing this important work. Are you
more interested in doing the ‘busy’ work? Challenge yourself to
mind map it, start it and add to it as you reflect. Self
awareness really helps us understand our options more fully





43:36 - 49:15


Nothing is off the table


Be mindful that sometimes we don’t feel confident in ourselves
when looking at our career plan. Take it step by step, document
your skills, your strengths, your interests and so on. Consider
some visualisation - what will you be doing in 5 years
time?  Dare to dream. Nothing is off the table at the
planning stage. Everything is relevant. Then look at the options.
You build confidence in yourself by knowing your own story and
this will align you to opportunities that are in keeping with
your direction and a good fit for employers.





49:15 -51:27


Another look at your hobbies and interests


Take the opportunity to explore hobbies and interests as a core
career, as sideline - or remaining as a hobby or an interest. It
is important to consider how hobbies and interests are situated
in your life. We all can do a lot of things - the trick is
finding out do you want to do it?





51:58 - 54:27


Top Tips


Siobhán and Elaine close off with their top tips.  Elaine
suggests working on informing yourself about yourself and your
options. Doing this before you make your career decision can
really help and build your confidence.  Siobhán wants
listeners to believe that they are ‘worth it’ and spending this
time on your career plan is time well spent.