Formulating a clear vision of your short- and long-term goals is a core element of a successful career. The first step in developing a strategic career plan involves asking yourself some key questions: Where do you see yourself in 5 or 10 years? What do you want from your career. What are your motivations to reach these goals? Employ the same strategic approach to your career as you do in your job.
Executive candidates can hit a roadblock with career progression and fail to reach their goals for a variety of reasons: a lack of planning, passivity (letting the ship steer you instead of steering the ship), indecision, and sometimes setting unrealistic goals (attempting to skip rungs in the career ladder). Executives sometimes become so involved in the day to day demands and short-term goals in their immediate roles in they can become short sighted and overlook the importance of strategic planning and decision-making in their careers.
Here are a few suggestions to get you started on the right path. 
Ask yourself what’s important to you in your career. What are your priorities? Compensation package, work-life balance, working within a particular industry, landing a coveted leadership role, remaining in your current geographic area? Then document your career path as if you were creating a business plan
Take Responsibility for Your Career. It’s important to think and act strategically when planning a career path. Identify your strengths and weaknesses, and target areas for growth. Detail the steps needed to move up each rung of the ladder, e.g. specific experience in a functional area, graduate degree, certification? As much as possible, make decisions that require your time and energies that are in line with your ultimate career goals. Be proactive rather than reactive. When invited to participate in outside activities, e.g. committees or speaking engagements, ask yourself if the commitment is in the best interest of your career.
Create Short-term Milestones to Determine Long-Term Goals. By identifying career goals for the next six months, the next year, and the next three years, projecting where you’ll be a decade from now will be easier. Attaching deadlines for these goals will help you set realistic expectations to achieve them.
Embrace change and avoid stagnation. Continue to expand your experience and knowledge base either internally by accepting new roles, or taking the step of transitioning to a new employer. Be willing to step out of your comfort zone to enhance your value-added offerings as an executive candidate.
Partner with a high-caliber executive resume writing service such as Executive Resumes Atlanta to assist you in identifying immediate and long-term career goals. We employ a comprehensive, collaborative information-mining process which focuses on career accomplishments, unique selling skills and preferences. This process can be very self-illuminating; we frequently ask clients questions they’ve not previously asked themselves, and can provide a new perspective of their achievements and value in a competitive market.
Contact Executive Resumes Atlanta today to book a consult and begin our three-step process designed to create high-impact executive career marketing documents that help you reach your career goals!
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