Career Planning

Step 1: Self Assessment
Explore your abilities, strengths and how to overcome your weaknesses to find the career path that’s just right for you.

Step 2: Exploring Your Options
Get tips on job shadowing, volunteering and informational interviews.

Step 3: Decision Making
Learn about decision making styles and setting goals that work for you.

Step 4: Preparing for the Job Search
Read advice on cover letters, resumes, interviewing, speech, vocabulary and appearance.

Step 5: Looking for a Job
Educate yourself about job search strategies, salary negotiations and relocation.

Step 6: Career Management
Discover the secrets to on-the-job happiness and career satisfaction.

Step 7: Long term planning and goal setting.
Find new ways to make your career payoff in ways you never thought possible.

by Charles W. McConnell

If someone helps you in your career search, be sure to formally thank them. If you receive assistance from someone and fail to extend your sincere thanks, you might unintentionally damage your relationship.

However, “thanks for career help” poses unique issues for serious career seekers. Often, key people contacted in your search campaign are new to you or have limited experience with you and your social skills. Mutual friends who introduce contacts to you will expect you to observe the necessary “thank you” ritual. A referral interview may not call for another face-to-face meeting in the near future, so your thanks must be put in writing. I can hear the protests. Oh no! More writing!

Live with it! And learn to love it! The written “thank you” letter is one of your best allies in a proactive career search. Here are ten ways to ensure that your written thanks to any search “helper” works hard for the process and honors established cultural standards.

1. Send your letter within 48 hours of the initial contact. Any later, and you will have missed the opportunity to maximize the impact of your letter. A prompt letter conveys that you have a good sense of business protocol, timeliness, and an active, professional search process. If the helper is inclined to recommend your candidacy to another, your timely response will indicate that you will repeat that considerate behavior and not be an embarrassment.

2. Tailor your thanks to the recipient. As in all writing, it helps to relate to the reader. “Thank you,” “Thanks for your help,” “I sincerely appreciate your assistance,” “Your help is greatly appreciated” are all acceptable. Use your own words, but be sincere.

3. Brevity is nearly as important as timeliness. Don’t “wow” the recipient with your verbal skills, and don’t try to repeat your meeting or interview. Keep your word count under 150 and make the paragraphs short, sentence structure simple, and format easy to read.

4. Focus on content. Remind the helper of why you met, what you gained from the meeting, next steps you are taking from recommendations in your meeting, and how the input has given you positive direction. Avoid hyperbole and superlatives.

5. If the helper agreed to take an additional step on your behalf, confirm it in your letter. Avoid the presumptive close: if offers of an introduction or additional assistance were not made, do not fabricate them. Be careful not to ask for additional help unless you are certain that door was opened to you.

6. Express recognition that the helper’s time spent with you represented valuable minutes freed from a full schedule. Time out of a busy day is worthy of thanks, even if the help offered does not contribute to your immediate job search.

7. Following a positive meeting, assume that the helper is interested in the outcome of his or her suggestions. It is acceptable and considerate to promise a status follow-up as you move through the action steps discussed together. But, once you promise that, you must follow through.

8. Encourage the helper to call or email you if additional suggestions come to mind. Make it as easy and painless as possible to contact you by giving your email, pager, home phone, or fax numbers.

9. The only thing worse than not sending a thank you note is to send one with the helper’s name, title, or organization misspelled or other spelling errors. Spelling, proper grammar, and correct use of language may seem like minor points, but they are not. If use of the English language is not one of your strengths, use a friendly proofreader — and thank them, too.

10. “Thanks, thanks, a thousand thanks” is too dramatic, but a thank you reprise in closing is acceptable. “Thanks again for all that you have contributed to strengthening my career search … my campaign … my sense of important next steps … my referral network … and/or introducing me to Mr. John Philcox.” Then, once you have reread your note, make certain it sounds like you.

Many people discount the importance of correspondence, especially when under the multiple pressures of a career search. But don’t fall into the trap of minimizing the importance of expressing gratitude. Thank you letters can help energize and enlarge your network of helpers who are sincerely interested in your search success. A well-crafted thank you will send positive signals about the kind of employee you will be — and that’s exactly how you want to be considered.

A Leading Cause of Stress
Call it what you want — being laid off or downsized, getting dismissed or fired, receiving your pink slip or your walking papers, losing your job hurts. Among a variety of life-altering events, such as death in the family, divorce, and serious illness, losing your job ranks among the highest in stress-causing situations.
Job loss can have a profound effect on your emotional well being. There is a typical cycle that most people experience. This cycle includes denial, anger, frustration, and eventually adaptation.
Dealing With It
As you can see, being separated from one’s job is extremely difficult. Many of us closely identify ourselves by what we do for a living. When the job is taken away, we can lose track of who we are and even why we are.
Emotional issues aside, a number of practical issues must be addressed. We must determine how long our financial resources will sustain us. We must also decide if a career change is in order. Then we must begin to plan for the future.
Taking Care of the Practical Stuff
A major issue most people must deal with is providing for themselves and their families. Finding out if one qualifies for unemployment compensation should be the first thing that is taken care of. The next thing is applying for this benefit. There are certain criteria that must be met. In the United States, your local Employment Service Center will be able to help you. The Web Site of the U.S. Department of Labor has information on unemployment compensation in the United States. This includes links to the individual sites of many states.
The next issue to deal with is health insurance. In the U.S. the majority of people who have health insurance are covered under a group plan through their employer. When a job is lost, that coverage is as well. That is why The Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act (COBRA) was passed some time ago. This law allows those separated from their jobs to purchase health insurance at a group rate for a limited time.
Moving On
Once we have come to terms with all matters emotional and practical, it is time to move on. We must decide where to go from here. First you must look at why you lost your job. Was the company downsizing? If so, is this a trend in the industry? Do you want to stay in the same field? Is a career change in order? If not, maybe this is a good time to spruce up some skills in order to make yourself more marketable.
Rather than looking at a job loss as a horrible thing, it might be better to consider the positive implications of this situation. Take the time to make some changes — switch careers or industries, learn some new skills and improve upon the ones you already have, or perhaps consider relocating. Look forward to your next opportunity. You never know what doors this turn of events may open for you.

Taking It Step-By-Step
What is Career Planning?
Career planning is a lifelong process, which includes choosing an occupation, getting a job, growing in our job, possibly changing careers, and eventually retiring. The Career Planning Site offers coverage of all these areas. This article will focus on career choice and the process one goes through in selecting an occupation. This may happen once in our lifetimes, but it is more likely to happen several times as we first define and then redefine ourselves and our goals.
Career Planning: A Four Step Process
The following chart represents the process in which one engages while moving through the process of selecting a career and entering it. One might seek the services of a career development professional to help facilitate his or her journey through this process. Whether or not you choose to work with a professional, or work through the process on your own is less important than the amount of thought and energy you put into choosing a career.

1.) Self

• Gather information about yourself (self assessment)
• Interests
• Values
• Roles
• Skills/Aptitudes
• Preferred Environments
• Developmental Needs
• Your realities

2.) Options

• Explore the occupations in which you are interested (Occupational Information)
• Research the industries in which you would like to work
• Research the Labor Market
• Get more specific information after you narrow down your options by:
• Job Shadowing
• Part time work, Internships, or volunteer opportunities
• Written Materials
• Informational Interviews

3.) Match

• During this phase of the process, you will:
• Identify possible occupations
• Evaluate these occupations
• Explore alternatives
• Choose both a short term and a long term option

4.) Action

• You will develop the steps you need to take in order to reach your goal, for example:
• Investigating sources of additional training and education, if needed
• Developing a job search strategy
• Writing your resume
• Job searching
• Gathering company information
• Composing cover letters
• Preparing for job interviews

Good Luck!