The Essentials of a Successful Long-Term Career Strategy

When you’re looking for a job, it’s important to balance what you need now and your long-term career strategy. It’s easy to fall prey to short-term thinking.

Remember, your career path extends far beyond your next job—your strategy should too. Most people will have at least twelve different jobs over the course of their careers. So, instead of thinking only in terms of your next job, think about the next chapter of your full career.

Your career future: What do you want?

When you ask a child what she wants to be when she grows up, she’ll give you a simple answer, such as “I want to be a doctor.” For a kid, that’s a great answer! But when you’re an adult, “I want to be a doctor” is far too vague. A family doctor or a surgeon? What will you specialize in? Will you join a major hospital network or start your own practice?

This is the first step in planning your long-term career path: Asking yourself what you want, in detail. A career is so much more than just a title or a paycheck, and it can bring you far greater rewards when you approach it with intention.

This means taking some time to really think about your dream career path and what you want from it. Here are a few considerations to get you started. As you consider each of these elements, be as specific as you can. Your criteria may change over time, but the more detail you can list now, the better.

Your Work Environment

Think about the physical space where you want to conduct your work. Do you want a corner office in a downtown high-rise? Do you want to be on your feet in a laboratory setting all day? Do you want to work from home?

Your Colleagues

We spend many, many hours with colleagues over the course of our lives, so it’s worth thinking about who we want these people to be. Do you want to be the manager of a large team? Do you want to work closely with two or three other people on every project? Do you want to work alone?

Your Influence

There are different types of career influence to think about. How much power do you want within your organization? Do you want to be a C-suite leader? Do you want to contribute to high-level decisions without having to manage direct reports?

Also, think about your desired influence outside your organization. Many career paths are virtually invisible to the public eye, existing entirely behind the scenes. Others are highly public and even heavily scrutinized by the media. Which do you want? Do you want to see your name in the Wall Street Journal? Do you want industry accolades? Do you want to remain anonymous?

Your Income

The truth is, your financial reality is often heavily impacted by your career choices, so it’s important to think about them together. How much money do you want to earn? Do you have early retirement plans that require a high salary? Do you want the steady paycheck of traditional employment or the flexibility—and possible uncertainty—of working for yourself?

Your impact

There are many ways to make a difference, and your career can be part of it. How will you live out your values at work? Would you want to manage a nonprofit? Do you want to be part of a research team that’s making a significant contribution to healthcare? Or, perhaps you want to join the board of a high-profile philanthropic organization?

Mapping your career path: What will you offer?

Once you have some clarity on what you want, you need to think about what your contribution will be. You’re not going to meander your way into the role of CFO at your dream company. You need a plan based on your unique skill set.

So, think of your career path as a quest. You have a mission, but you need supplies, skills, and companions to achieve it. Start by making a list of what you might need. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Education

For some career paths, a particular degree or certification may be a strong advantage—or even a requirement. Do your research and ask around. You may find that experience is more valuable than a piece of paper.

Connections and mentors

People are incredibly important to your long-term career plan. A good connection can teach you about a particular industry or role, introduce you to the right person at your dream company, and help you grow. Informational interviews, networking lunches, and other meet-ups can give you a significant advantage.

To do so effectively, use a tool like Career Club ONE to keep track of your connections. You can create profiles for each person, keep notes about conversations you’ve had, and set reminders to follow up, so those relationships stay strong. Career Club ONE works just like a customer relationship management (CRM) database, so you can harness the power of sales principles to get the career you want.

Experience

Think beyond the vague job posting format of “five years of public relations experience.” What skills do you want to hone? For example, if you want to manage an art gallery, you need more than an art history degree. You need to understand sales, inventory, client management, accounting, and more. And plot a career path that will expose you to those skills on your way to your dream role. If you want to start a business, work for a start-up for a few years. Consider the immersive opportunities that will help you grow.

This is another area where a tool like Career Club ONE can help you chart your course. Career Club ONE is integrated with a robust database of companies that have secured capital and are actively growing. You can easily identify and target companies that match the criteria you’re looking for, such as a specific industry, a chance to learn a new skill, flexible working arrangements, a connection to a cause you care about, and more. The result is a directed, focused approach to your next steps.

A sports metaphor: Don’t just be a position player. Be an athlete.

In the world of sports, a position player is someone who performs well in one role—and that’s it. A pitcher who can’t hit, a goalie who can’t score, a sprinter who could never finish a marathon. No matter what kind of professional you are, you need to be more flexible than this so you don’t get pigeonholed into specific roles.

Just as you need to hone specific proficiencies, you need to think about your general professional skills. Agility, creativity, curiosity, and strategic thinking are incredibly valuable in virtually any job and can give you a much greater professional range. Start pushing yourself now to develop these skills, and make sure your career strategy includes opportunities to master them.

With the right skills, a clear plan, and a powerful tool for managing your relationships, you can pursue your career dreams—short and long term—with greater confidence.