Guidebook

Section 14: Q&As for the Young Professional (YP) and the Coach

YP: Questions to Ask Your Coach

• Why should I have a career plan or a 5-year plan? Isn’t the future too uncertain to plan that far out?
• When should I consider completing more education to grow my career?
• When should I consider a lateral career move and how might that later help me to advance in my career? When could that be a bad decision?
• Should I expect to move to another state or city to advance my career, or could I negotiate to stay in one city if that is important to my family?

Coach: Questions to Ask Your YP

• What would you like to achieve personally, financially and for your family in the first 5 years of your career?
• How do you think your career plans relate to and help you achieve your personal goals?
• What are you planning to do (or you would commit to doing) to continually develop your professional skills? How do you think you could you use this added development to negotiate a pay raise or a promotion?
• What do you think will change in your career field in the next 5 years? What will you co to prepare and be ready for these changes?

If you are not sure of your career path, any job will put you on a road to somewhere.

On the other hand; if you have a passion and a strong desire that provides focus for your career path, documenting a set of progressive career goals that build upon one another will help guide you toward the pinnacle of your chosen profession.

Mapping these career goals to an industry correlated timeline will help you stay on track and ensure your interim goals are attainable in an anticipated and timely fashion. These sequential goals linked to a timeline constitute a career plan tailored by you that will maximize your career potential and help you move along your chosen career path.

There will be bumps and potholes along your path. To overcome these shortfalls, remember to incorporate flexibility into your career plan as you may incur paths that split as you work to attain each goal.

Develop your career plan here.

Learn more about how to communicate your value here.

Learn more about continuing education here.

Learn how to succeed in your new job here.

Learn all about growing in your current position, planning a career shift, and lateral shifts here.

As a hard-working employee, it is easy to overlook the importance of understanding your company’s salary scales and pay grades (position levels) within your career field. Take time to perform your homework, and learn the duties and requirements for each position level as well as salary ranges for each level. Consider these tips:

• Evaluate your current position for continuing development opportunity
• Meet with HR to confirm your salary status, and to ensure your expectations are consistent with the company as well as with national averages.
• Insure your company does not have restrictive salary limitations or career advancement ceilings below your target objectives.
• Learn the duties and requirements for the more senior positions levels.
• Continue to develop your expertise consistent with these requirements.
• Adjust your career plan and timeline as needed
• Monitor other job opportunities for advancement in your chosen field
• Keep abreast of available job opportunities by monitoring your company’s employment site on-line.
• Discuss your potential interest in these opportunities with your supervisor and obtain his/her permission to further investigate these open job positions
• Discuss interesting opportunities with both Human Resources (HR) as well as the hiring managers
• If you decide to bid on an open opportunity, keep your current supervisor informed of your action.  Remember, most companies require a hiring manager to make sure he has your current supervisor’s permission before meeting with you

Learn what to do when you're not making enough money here.

As you monitor job opportunities you may find the need to change employers or reconsider your career passion as it may change with experience over time

• Changing jobs too often may target you as a job hopper
• Three to five years is acceptable as an average.  Remember, job descriptions normally specify experience level (in years of experience)

Most companies require hiring managers to assess the performance of employees at least annually. Annual reviews are generally formal in nature and result in a formal document submitted to HR and included in your personnel file. Take advantage of this feedback opportunity by meeting informally with your supervisor quarterly to obtain his/her counsel as well as to resolve any negative feedback. Meeting quarterly will prevent potential surprises in your supervisor’s assessment of your performance. Consider these tips:

• Keep track of your accomplishments and make sure that they are incorporated into your weekly/monthly activity reports and your annual performance reviews
  • Remember, the incorporation of your accomplishments, continuing education, and acquisition of new skill sets is a logical and professional way to become your own champion
  • As your accomplishments grow and your worth to the company increases, your supervisor and department managers will join the ranks of those who champion your cause
• Keep positive during your annual performance review and express your appreciation to your supervisor and his/her support and instruction for improvement
• Incorporate both positive and negative feedback into your daily job performance
• Meet with employer quarterly to obtain feedback through scheduled and informal performance reviews to assess your efforts to improve performance
• Don’t make assumptions.  Keep your communications open, candid, and current

The current economic market is competitive. That’s why it’s a good idea to consistently set career goals, whether you’ve been in your job for 2 years or 20. By setting and reaching personal career goals you increase your value to both your current employer and potential future employers.

Here are some questions to ask yourself as you start brainstorming areas for growth:

• How do I want to grow in my job and in my career throughout the next year?
• What are my strengths and weaknesses? (Perhaps you can refer to a performance review.)
• What contributions and talents do I have that could benefit my team but aren’t being utilized?
• How can I be more efficient?
• How can I improve my interactions with co-workers?
• How can I improve my customer relations?
• Is there a new skill or certification I would like to obtain?
• Is there a project I would like to lead or be a part of?

Once you have identified one or two goals for the next year, write them down or tell someone such as a supervisor or mentor. If a supervisor is aware of your improvement goals, they can be an invaluable resource in receiving new projects and taking advantage of internal professional development opportunities.

When you have reached your goals, don’t forget to record your accomplishments by updating your résumé. It’s important to always have an up-to-date résumé and it feels good to track the progress you’ve made.

In every business, employees are challenged with the task of managing the expectations and/or demands of difficult supervisors. Using patience, long suffering, and business sense, you can find ways to win the day in these trying circumstances. Consider the following tips:

• Maintain a positive and supportive open line of communications with your supervisor.
• Document your supervisor’s expectations and/or demands.
• Obtain your supervisor’s acknowledgement regarding your capture of his/her instruction.
• Provide written reports to your supervisor as you complete/comply with his/her instruction either as formal reports or emails which will suffice in most instances.
• If you find these demands exceed reason, request a meeting with your supervisor, express your concerns, obtain your supervisor’s feedback, and document the results.
• Remember, the more you can accomplish one-on-one with your supervisor, the better the results as well as a more positive continuing relationship.
• If these demands continue, you may consider involving HR.
• If these demands still continue, you may want to involve the next level of leadership in your management line as you work in a positive (rather than negative) manner to resolve issues

• View this site to evaluate if a career change is the right move for you.

Learn more about how to advance in your company here.

Learn more about Maximize Your Career Potential with These 7 Steps here.

Learn more about How to Be Flexible in the Workplace here.

Learn more about Self-Assessment: 5 Tips for Writing Your Performance Evaluation here.

Learn more about How to Work for a Boss Who Has Unrealistic Expectations here.