Posted February 17th, 2015
By Kris Powers
What did you want to be when you grew up? Are you still searching for the answer? Are you where you want to be in your professional life or is something missing?
Developing a career vision statement will help bring your ideal career into focus. Unlike a career “mission statement”, which puts the focus on where you are currently; a career “vision statement” helps you to create a mental image of yourself in the career you really want – the career that will bring you fulfillment and joy. Your vision is a “picture” of what you aspire to, and what inspires you, in your work life.
The following steps, adapted from Randall S. Hansen of Quintessential Careers, will put you well on your way to creating a career vision statement that will inspire and motivate you.
1. Carve out a chunk of time. Career visioning cannot be rushed. The practice of visioning is something that may take several efforts before things begin to align and you start getting a grasp of your ideal future.
2. Review your mission statement and core values. While you can certainly create a vision for your future without reviewing these career planning tools, it helps to examine who you are now and what drives you today. [Learn more about creating a mission statement and about understanding your core values.]
3. Suspend logic and pragmatic thinking. With a career vision, anything should be possible. Turn off any negative feelings or logic filters that might block you from thinking “big” and outside of the box. Open your mind to envisioning future possibilities outside of today’s reality.
4. Try visioning exercises to help get your creative juices flowing. Think deeply about the following question(s) and answer each as authentically as you can:
- How do you define career success? Are you achieving some level of success in your current job? What type of job will help you achieve complete career success?
- What would you want to do today if all your bills were paid and you had relatively unlimited cash reserves?
- What would your career be like if you had the power to make it any way you wanted?
- What you would like your obituary to say about your career accomplishments and the types of impacts you left with the people you worked with?
- If absolutely no obstacles stood in the way of your achieving it, what would you most like to attain in your career?
- Who are the people you most admire? What is it about them or their careers that attract you to them?
- Imagine yourself in the future at a point in which you have achieved great career success. What is it that you have accomplished? What does your life look like?
- Do you feel as though you have a gift or calling? How can you share this gift or best answer the call in a way that will fulfill you?
- What's the one activity you most love? Is it part of your career? If not, how can you make it part of your career -- part of your career passion?
- Where would you like to be in your career in 5 years? In 10 years? In 15 years?
- What makes you distinctive in your current work -- and can you leverage that uniqueness to achieve a future you desire?
5. Assemble the pieces and put it all together. Write your career vision using one sentence or a concise paragraph. Consider writing a short vision statement along with a short description of how you currently see yourself accomplishing your vision. What are the steps you might need to take to reach your goal?
6. Keep your vision visible. Once you've created your career vision statement, copy it and place it in various locations. Read it and say it aloud often. Imagine yourself achieving the vision you have for your career.
7. Review your Career Vision Statement periodically. Take into account that your vision can, and most likely will, change as you move closer to it. You should periodically review your career vision statement and make any adjustments that you feel are necessary.
Ed4Career has hundreds of Career Training, Professional Development, Personal Enrichment and Behavioral Health and Human Services courses to help bring you closer to reaching your Career Vision. Visit our website today! https://Ed4Career.com/
Sources:
http://www.quintcareers.com/career_vision.html
http://hrweb.berkeley.edu/learning/career-development/goal-setting/career-plan-vision
