Define your goals and make a plan with a career map
To set out on a new career path right out of college can be an intimidating task! With career planning, you can break down your ambitions, skills, goals and more to get all your thoughts out front and center, and take action. Create your career map with these tips and key Post-it® Products.
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Career mapping is a great way to determine where you want to go, and what you need to do to get there — and visualizing that bigger picture is the key to achieving your goals and getting a better handle on your career options. With Post-it® Products, you’ll be able to organize your thoughts, set your goals, and pursue your dream job!
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1. Mapmaking 101
Get your map started with a Post-it® Super Sticky Big Note 11 in. x 11 in. The large size of the note is a great canvas for visualizing information and thinking out loud about the big picture. Draw three rows on the note with the following headings: Past Jobs/Roles, Skills, and Goals/Dream Jobs. Think big and broad! Right now you want to let your mind wander freely and write down as much as you can in each row.
Next, stick the big note to your wall, step back and start identifying the goals and jobs that are most important to you by circling them.
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2. Create actions toward specific goals
Now grab a pad of Post-it® Super Sticky Notes 2 in. x 2 in. and begin jotting down actionable steps you might take toward building new skills, pursuing internships, or other actions that might lead to achieving your larger goal. Because the notes are super sticky, you can put each task up on the big note and re-arrange as needed if you have a new thought, or want to write down a new skill or goal. Do this for each of the most important goals you’ve circled.
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3. Identifying resources
Now that you’ve got a map taking shape with lists of action steps that help break down your bigger dreams, you can start identifying the mentors, professionals, classes, or other resources you’ll need to seek out in order to help you achieve each action. Write down each resource on a Post-it® Arrow Flag, and stick each flag next to its associated action step. Stepping back from your map, you’ll see how the arrow flags easily highlight your newly concrete to-dos. As you begin planning how to contact or explore these resources, you can remove and re-stick each Post-it® Arrow Flag in your planner or calendar on the appropriate date. Now you’re in a position to begin taking the smaller steps you need to go after the new career opportunities you’ve laid out.
Exploring your career might be out of college is an exciting time — and creating a career map will help get you energized to take concrete action and move forward. With these simple guidelines for making your own career map using Post-it® Products, the power of writing things down — and keeping ideas front and center — will help turn your career dreams into reality. Follow the steps and you’ll be on your way to a new career in no time:
1. Start your map on a Post-it® Super Sticky Big Note
2. Create actions toward specific goals
3. Identify resources and make to-dos
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