Description

Inspiware.com Career Planning Template is a simple spreadsheet to help you plan, prepare, and create an action plan for achieving your career goals. Be proactive and get set and plan, and more importantly reach for a career that you deserve.

First things first! Let’s understand the difference between a job and a career.  A job is something you do to earn a paycheck whereas a career is a progression of increasing responsibilities and paycheck that is cumulative in its effect. A job can become a career. But a career is never just a job.  A mundane task may be motivating just enough to pay the bills while a career is something you will have some devotion and passion.

What are the elements that determine the career path and success?

career planning template - elements that determine a careerThe following elements define a career and determine progress and success:

  • Vision and Goals: What drives you and what is your north star?
  • Education: The essential knowledge and functional skills – say the attributes that contribute to your IQ (Intellectual Quotient).
  • Experience: Relevant life, job, and leadership experiences.
  • Competencies and Soft Skills: The attributes that contribute to your EQ (emotional quotient).
  • Aptitude and Attitude: As the saying goes, your attitude determines your altitude.
  • Network, Sponsors, and Supporters: It is not what you know, but who you know.

Why do I need a Career Planning Template?

Well, you don’t need a career planning template if you don’t care to have one, or you are so far ahead of the curve, a simple career mapper won’t do.  For all others, a career map and a plan template can be precious.

  • A career planning template helps you document your vision goals and practical ways of achieving them. Penning down something is a powerful way to ingrain it in your mind.
  • While theoretically, we may all know what we will need to do to succeed, thinking through specific steps and action items make it real and realizable.
  • A set of specific action items with a date adds a sense of urgency and motivation – even if the steps bear fruit way in the future.

What is in the Career Planning Template (or Career Mapping Template)?

The Career Planning Template (of you can call it a Career Map template) is a simple excel sheet that is fully customizable and usable by anyone to build a plan for their careers.

The spreadsheet is not protected and has primary templated fields for entering short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals along with what specific steps you will need to take spanning education, experiences, networking/sponsors, and competencies.

Please feel free to add, modify, or delete any of the fields in the career map template.

How do I create a Career Plan?

The career plan template is just a compass and a tool. The fundamental motivation and the appropriate information is all yours. For example, vague goals do not work. Also, not being honest about your strengths and areas of improvement will lead to a false sense of hope or a sense of gloom.  Furthermore, the goals, the action items, and the dates must conform to the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, Time-bound) principle.

It may be good to involve a trusted colleague or a current/past supervisor to help you brainstorm and fill the template.

Once you have a career plan, do not put it on the shelf and forget it. The reason to create a career map is to seek guidance from it as you traverse your work odyssey.  Use it as the GPS for your work life.

Who should use this Career Planning Template?

  • Anyone from an unemployed person to a worker seeking career transition.
  • Someone who feels stuck in a thankless job and would want something that they can aspire to and be passionate.
  • Entry level associates to mid-level executives. (For top leaders (SVP and above), Inspiware offers a different template.)

Don’t pay the full price. Please join Inspiware.com as a free member or purchase a subscription.  Members are entitled to free tools and models and/or receive substantial discounts.

Notes:

  • The Career Planning Template is a simple Excel spreadsheet with various fields and blanks for text entry.
  • The template is for generic planning only and does not guarantee any outcome.
  • You can buy membership credits to redeem this product. The credits are available at a substantial discount to the face value. Please review the Inspiware membership credit pricing plans.
  • As the Template is a digital product, we do not accept returns or give refunds.
  • This sale is subject to our general Terms of Service.