Career Management and Decision Making

Many people seem to think of career decision making as a one-time event that happens when we're in our late teens or early twenties and need to decide on a specific job or a college major.  However, we believe it's more helpful to think of career decision making as a life-long process.  The model we use includes four distinct and active phases which are:

     1.  Self Assessment
     2.  Reality Testing
     3.  Implementation
     4.  Career Management

Although these phases flow from one to the next, it can be helpful to circle back again and again and reassess ourselves as we move through our lives.

Taking a systematic and active approach to career decision making can help us increase our control over the direction of our careers as well as the pace at which we move through the decision making process.  Further, an active and organized approach can also reduce our level of stress and lead to more effective and satisfying career decisions. 

Phase 1:  Self Assessment

How well do you know yourself?  This phase of career decision making asks us to focus internally and discover what interests, skills, experience, values, and personality characteristics we bring to our careers.  Although much of this information can be discovered through a structured interview, sometimes it can be helpful to use assessment tools and inventories.  For instance, some of the tools we typically use are the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), the Myers-Brigg's Type Indicator (MBTI), and the Strong Interest Inventory (SII), just to name a few.  These tests can be particularly useful as we think about ourselves in comparison to others, revealing ways we may be similar as well as ways in which we are unique.  While some of our personality characteristics are quite stable over the life span, other aspects such as our interests, experience and sometimes values can be fluid, changing and evolving as we move through our life stages.  For example, when we are young and uncoupled we may value the opportunity to travel in our work while later in life when partnered or with children work travel can be a drawback from creating the stability we want for ourselves and our family.  Most of us will find it important to reassess ourselves as we contemplate career changes and decisions. 
 
Phase 2:  Reality Testing

The reality testing phase builds on our self-knowledge.  This phase focuses externally out into the world to explore whether or not the job we believe we want exists and how likely it might be for us to realize the career of our dreams.  This phase focuses on gathering information on employment trends, occupations, companies, and education or experience requirements.  This information can facilitate decision making , allowing us to assess our options and to explore varied career alternatives.  Activities might include occupational and organizational research, informational interviewing, and consideration of continuing education benefits or requirements.  

Phase 3:  Implementation

The implementation phase follows involving searching for, applying to, and landing a specific job.  During this phase we focus our energy on preparing a resume, searching for job opportunities, applying and interviewing for positions, networking and sustaining support, as well as evaluating and negotiating job offers. 

Phase 4:  Career Management

Finally, the career management phase involves developing our understanding of job cycles, specific organizational cultures, managing varied work issues, maintaining a life balance or exploring professional development options and opportunities.  Significant life changes such as having children, getting married or separated, transitioning to retirement, or the need for relocation may all contribute to the importance of re-evaluating our career decision making.  

Although this is just a brief description of one career decision making model, we hope this information is helpful to you in thinking about your own career decisions and aspirations.  To schedule an individual appointment for career consultation call us at 612-926-8149 today.