Career Development Checklist

Thinking over promotion on a career ladder, it is not necessary to create the detailed plan. You should have a vision whom you wish to become and what skills and abilities you want to learn.
1. Defining your future field of activities
ð Identify and evaluate your talents, abilities, interests, skills and values
ð Use a variety of methods to your personality, for example, brainstorm method or aptitude test s
ð Look for useful information using careers books or leaflets in the learning resources centre, libraries, careers courses, etc.
ð Join a mentoring programmes and trainings
ð Read articles about career development
ð Visit any careers fairs, higher education fairs, careers meetings to be well aware about current job proposals
ð Use personal organizer like VIP Organizer to keep your progress file always updated
2. Seeking new employment and working opportunities
Using all possible methods of employment seeking
ð Fair of vacancies
ð Employment agencies
ð Web resources: forums, job seeking sites, corporative sites, etc.
ð Mass media (newspapers, television, radio, etc.)
ð Friends and relatives
Composing the competent curriculum vitae and writing the covering letter
ð Carefully learn new vacancy requirements you pretend to
ð Highlight main functions and obligations of new vacancy
ð Start to compose CV underlining your working experience, professional skills and personal advantages, awards, achievements, etc.
ð Compose covering letter
ð Enclose reference letters, certificates and diploma
Preparing yourself carefully to pass the interview
ð Learn about the employer as much as possible
ð Think over employer's potential questions
ð Try to set priorities and future plans for 1, 3 and 5 years ahead on new position
ð Be at the employer office in time, do not be late

3. Is my current job the best choice?
ð Ask yourself these questions. If you have at least one reply "Yes", then probably you should quit your current job
ð The idea of necessity to work oppresses
ð There is no a hint on my promotion
ð My work became routine and boring
ð I quite often think of quitting
ð Since I have started to work, my self-confidence was reduced
ð My working hours hang too heavy
ð I feel the chief/colleagues do not treat me with respect
4. Promotion
ð Define whether you want to be promoted horizontally or vertically
ð Image you have been promoted. Then try to predict possible issues on new position and to find ways to solve them
ð Set short-term and long-term goals
ð Think over what salary you expect to get
ð Be always success oriented
ð Discuss promotion possibility with the management
ð Find out whether the company where you are working now has the corporate career plan
ð Always think of further study to deepen your knowledge and skills

Self-management Checklists
It's not an easy task to become an organized and self-confident person. The checklists of this section were designed for the purpose of assisting you in managing your attitude in any situations, as well as developing your personal abilities and skills.
· Getting Organized Checklist
· Checklist to discover the job you were born for
· Career Development Checklist