You’ve imagined your dream job, where you hope to be five maybe even three years from now. You have the why: why you want to pivot and pursue a different career. And you have the what: what type of work you want to position your career towards. But it still feels out-of-reach, like a dream. 

So you’re probably wondering how you’re going to move from your current job to your dream career?

People often think through where they hope to be years from now, but rarely think through what they need to do in the next 3 months to make those dreams a reality. This is the how. How do you progress past where you are to where you want to be? To make major moves in your career, to really shake things up and build authority, requires strategy. It means putting a plan into place to provide direction, promote clarity, and push commitment. 

So what is a Short-Term Career Plan? It’s a document detailing your goals for the next 3-6 months, along with the actions needed to achieve them. To start, you need to identify:

Knowledge You Want to Acquire 

Information is constantly evolving so you must remain a life-long learner to keep up. If you are seeking a promotion, you can leverage your current industry knowledge to help with the transition. However, it’s still important to tend to any new areas of responsibility that will accompany the new role. If you are changing careers, there may be more of a gap here between what you know and what you need to know. Leave no gaps. Do online research, take webinars, or complete certifications. 

Break down the process of acquiring your new knowledge so it doesn’t become overwhelming. Where will you start first with your plan, what’s the first month’s goal? 

Skills You Want to Develop 

Although connected to knowledge, skills are a bit different. This is knowing how to put your knowledge into practice. Clear communication and decisiveness are two examples. Clear communication is the difference between relaying information and conveying an idea clearly and concisely. Decisiveness is the difference between weighing options and taking action to do what’s required. 

Developing skills takes practice, and will most likely push you outside your comfort zone. Start small, then throughout your 3-6 month plan, add progressively larger tasks that will help you fine-tune your skill even more. 

Experience You Want to Gain

The experience puts your skills and knowledge into practice. It’s easy to get stuck here and think, how do I get experience without having the job? Well, there are a few ways: join a professional organization, start a personal project, request new tasks at your current job, ask a colleague for help, and seek a mentor. 

Gaining experience is not only an investment in yourself but a demonstration of how well you understand the new role. Plan out the steps you will take to gain experience on your 3-6 month plan. 

Be honest with yourself. There are no right or wrong answers here. But be sure to dive deep; you only limit yourself by being general in your desires. Spill the details on how you are going to make these goals become actions because actions become reality.

Need assistance crafting your short-term career plan? Check out our career strategy sessions.