Working life seems like a long journey that everyone has to go through. Not surprised if many people change careers from one job to another. However, this process of changing careers won’t run smoothly if people do not have proper career planning.

Career planning is a process that examines a person’s potential and abilities in order to make career decisions (Corey & Corey 2006). This plan will definitely impact your goals in the future.

Planning a career path may begin at any age, but the sooner the better. So, what are the steps in career planning? Check all the details here.
## Career Planning Definition
What is career planning? A career plan is a strategy made by a person or a company to enhance a person’s career or position based on their skills.

However, some of them believe that their current employment is just the consequence of “fate. Indeed, nothing can ensure future success, but career preparation may assist individuals in achieving it.
## The Advantages of Career Planning
According to Martono (2007), there are 6 advantages of having a career plan.
1. Can promote potential employees 2. Reduce employee turnover and focus on individual careers 3. Collect employees’ information so that they can achieve their career plan 4. Give support to employees so that they can grow and develop in order to attain their professional objectives 5. Help a company to filter employees that meet the development standards 6. The plan can also assist team members to prepare themselves for new positions

## Career Planning Steps
You may have gone through the following steps without realizing it in the very first beginning, there are also some steps that you may have done at once. Here are the steps:

### 1. Assess and Explore yourself
First of all, you need to find out your talent and interests by doing self-assessment and exploration. Determine what needs to be assessed in yourself such as: list your interests, determine the work environment you dream of, what academics you like the most and the areas you master, and so on.

### See also: <u>[What is Self Development and How to Do It? Here are Some Tips](http://108.137.157.234/en/blog/self-development/)</u>

### 2. Do Career Research
Once you have determined your interests, the next step is to do some career research. List all positions related to talent and research the position such as looking for information about job descriptions, salary ranges, and others. From that data, try to narrow down the position that you think is most relevant

### 3. Doing experiments
After the choices are narrowed, the next step is to experiment and bring it to practice. If you’re unsure and just want to test your skills, you can try applying for an internship, volunteer, or part-time program in that field first.

### 4. Do Selection
If you have had the opportunity in a certain position, the next step is to select a position that you think fits your values. Weigh the advantages and disadvantages of each position such as: is the work-life balance achieved, the pros and cons of the position, the opportunities for self-development, and whether the salary fits your range. Consider it carefully!

### 5. Job hunting
After considering all the important aspects beforehand, you will now be more prepared to enter the working life. Find information about job vacancies that suit you and assess all the requirements. Do you feel that you have fulfilled and deserved to fill the position or still need some improvements? With this assessment, you can easily create a cover letter to apply for the position.
## Career Planning Factors
External and internal factors both have an impact on the career plan. These two elements have a large influence on how individuals see things, especially their careers.
### External Factors
External factors that influence a person’s career plan include the parents’ income, occupation, and their education, the sort of labor expected by the parents, environment and its norms.
### Internal Factors
Internal influences are elements within the individual itself that impact the career plan, such as:

**Intellect Level**
Everyone possesses a unique level of intelligence. People with high levels of intellect may recognize themselves and their capacity to attain their objectives more rapidly.

**Interest**
One’s tastes cannot be generalized, but a person’s interest might lead him to anything they desire.

**Talent**
A person must be aware of their talents as well. Talents and interests are interdependent, especially when it comes to career progression.

Although these two things are not the only factors that can impact a person’s career plan, talents and interests might help a person attain career objectives more rapidly.

**Personality and Attitude**
When deciding on a job choice, keep your personality and attitude in mind.

**Principles or Values**
A person’s personal value, of course, impacts his job choices and objectives.

**Hobby**
A hobby is something or activity that we love or enjoy. It is common for someone to pick a position or profession that corresponds to his hobbies.

**Career Life Stage**
A person’s prior job experiences will, of course, impact his or her perception on his/her future career that suits them best.

**Career Fundamentals**
Everyone has a different educational background and employment history that also motivates them in different ways. Leadership, professional skills, security requirements, creativity, autonomy, and independence are some of the motives they have for their jobs.

That is all about career planning that you need to know. It may be inferred that planning your career path properly can assist you to achieve your life objectives. So, have you done one? If not, follow the steps above to guide you in having a successful career plan.

### See also: <u>[What is General Affairs? Definition and Responsibilities](http://108.137.157.234/en/blog/what-is-general-affairs/)</u>