How to Transform Your Career to Achieve Success

By Christine M. Glasco

Job Vacancy, Employment Jobs, Employment

If I asked you to assess the current state of your career satisfaction, what would you answer? Are you in exactly the right job, in the very best company to support your professional growth, working with the most innovative team, reporting to a development oriented leader and receiving the right rate of pay?

If I were to ask you if you know where you would like to be in your professional career five years from now and how you will get there, what would be your answer?

If you answered affirmatively to both Question 1 and Question 2, you can stop reading this article!

If you answered affirmatively to Question 1 and answered "no" to Question 2, you are in great shape today - but you need to develop a 5 Year Career Plan to ensure that you achieve your goals.

If you answered "no" to any part of Question 1 and "yes" to Question 2, you are not in a good place in your current career but you have clarity and purpose for your future career.

If you answered "no" to both questions, you are among the millions of people who are miserable in their current job and you are not likely to achieve your career aspirations because you don't know what you want. By the way, you really need to read this article.

Finding the best current role and designing the best future roles requires you to employ a career transformation methodology. What is career transformation? Career transformation is a state of knowing and being in the right job, in the right company, at the appropriate compensation that naturally leads you to achieving your five-year career goals.

I believe that in order to make strides to achieve either your current or future career goals, you need to understand that the career transformation process is achieved by developing an effective strategy and taking six well-researched steps.

Step 1
Know What You Want. Take free online assessments, ask others to tell you your competencies, write down your strengths, identify your contributions and accomplishments, and discover the best work environment and the best type of organization for you.

Step 2
Brand Yourself. Take the time to write your brand description. Ask yourself: who am I, what do I stand for, why would an employer hire or promote me? Share your brand with others who know you and ask them how they would describe your strengths, competencies and skills? You might be surprised with the information they provide.

Step 3
Develop several iterations of your Brand Description that identifies all of your competencies and areas of expertise that supports your current role and your 5 Year Career Goals.

Step 4
Write a career transformation plan and identify the action steps you need to take to get there.

Step 5
Take the action steps. Be creative and take the appropriate action to achieve your goals and regularly reassess your progress.

Step 6
Form a Career Transformation Board of Directors. Your friends, contacts, former bosses and coworkers, fellow professional association members, etc., can provide you with a wealth of information, feedback, recommendations and support - especially if you engage them and tell them about the pros and cons of your current job and tell them your goals and your value proposition. When forming your Board of Directors, select individuals with differing skill sets, competencies and networks. One person, 5 or 10 people can become an excellent Board and provide you with insights, options, resources and access to achieve your current and future career transformation goals.

Transforming your career takes self-knowledge, strategy, action and the support of others. Following this formula will help you achieve your career goals.