Career Plan:
Here is a Career Plan I have developed.
Be Self-Aware:
What actions can you take to really understand your interests, values, skills, personality and strengths?
Throughout my career, I have learnt that is it important to understand your personality, skills, values, strengths and weaknesses. It is through this understanding that I am able to reflect on my core values and what principles are a priority to me.
To gain a deeper understanding of my personality, skills, values, strengths and weaknesses, methods of self-reflection was used. These methods included the MBTI test, a self-report questionnaire. The results of this test showed that my MBTI type is an Advocator (INFJ) and that my personality can be described as introvert, intuitive, feeling and judging. According to my personality type, jobs that are best suited to me are human resources and psychologist. Although these jobs are greatly different to my desired career path of being a financial planner, there are certain skills that are shared between these jobs, such as compassion, ethical decision-making, problem-solving and continuous learning. There are also similarities in the work environment, with these jobs typically being located in an office. Therefore, I believe that my personality type does suit my desired career.
Explore Your Options:
What do you need to research to be clear about your options? What could you do to learn more about career options in your areas of interest?
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In order to effectively research my career options, research into the required skills for my planned career, qualifications, growth potential and the work environment was conducted. My first point of research was researching industry trends, potential salaries and the viability of different career paths. My second point of research was look at current job vacancies for my desired field as to grasp an understanding of the skill set and experience employers are looking for. From my research, I can conclude that employers are looking for people with a couple years of experience within the industry at least, regardless of its status being an entry-level job or not.
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The key to learning more about my career options in the financial planning industry is by using networking sites like LinkedIn to become a member of industry specific associations can allow me to gain a deeper understanding of my options and make an informed decision about my career.
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Gain Experience and Insight:
What actions could you take to help you learn more about your industry or find opportunities to develop your skills or find work experience opportunities?
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As a student at Griffith University, many resources are available for me to use, such as the Griffith career services. The career services offer assistance for resume reviews and advice on opportunities that may help with the development of my skills or work experiences.
​Additionally, using social networking platforms, such as LinkedIn, can help me connect with industry professionals in my field who may have advice on how to deepen my industry knowledge or methods to gain work experience. Furthermore, participating in industry-specific groups on LinkedIn can provide access to networking opportunities that can assist with my skill development.
In addition to this, attending web seminars and participating in online courses can allow me to stay updated on industry trends and developments and therefore, will enable me to learn more about my industry and the potential work experience opportunities.
Evidence your skills (knowledge, skills and attributes):
What action can you take to find out more about what skills you might need to develop in your future career? How might you document/record these?
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By using networking websites like LinkedIn, researching the recommended skills to have for my career path via viewing professionals' profiles and completing a skills audit using the resources supplied by Griffith, I have been able to recognize and record the skills that I may need to develop for my future career in financial planning and have been able to determine what industry professionals are looking for.
From my research, specific and attainable goals have been developed. By using my skill audit as a tool of self-reflection, areas of improvement are highlighted. From there, these areas can be broken down into smaller tasks, making skill development more manageable and attainable. Additionally, by requesting reviews through my supervisor, I have received personal feedback in which skills I can refine and how this can be implemented into a professional setting.
List three things you could do to start building your professional networks.
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To begin building my professional networks, my LinkedIn profile was developed, allowing me to network with industry-specific groups and gain a deeper understanding of the industry. LinkedIn has become an essential tool for me to explore my professional branding and develop my professional image to align with the expectations of my chosen career path.
An additional method for expanding my professional network involves attending workshops, developing connections with industry professionals possessing similar interests and expertise. Such gatherings often serve as opportunities for potential career possibilities to emerge. Moreover, workshops afford valuable opportunities for developing relationships with industry professionals who can offer guidance and constructive feedback.
​Another approach could be completing internships or work experience. By completing these opportunities, prospects of being exposed to industry professionals and building your professional reputation are provided.
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