We all get caught up in the immediacy of the hunt; the urgency to pursue a specific 
opportunity or drill deep into a company that might turn out to be a great place to work. However, have you considered the need for a long-term career roadmap; a blueprint to help you manage your career? I recently ran across an interesting article from the Employment Digest blog entitled “How to Write a Career Blueprint,” which offers an interesting perspective on how long-term objectives can help guide short-term decisions:
“Our aspirations and view towards life change at different stage of our career lives. When we first graduated from college, we may look for a job that allows us to learn new things. As we proceed in our career and in life, the remuneration and the exposure would probably be the main search priority. This priority may change when we reach mid-life and it will also be different as we enter into our retirement stage. We also look for different goals out of our career when we face crisis in our lives.”
The article suggests that you first identify your career goals, starting with what you like and dislike about your job. Take stock of every aspect, including the employer, industry, the size of the company, what type of boss you like, salary, office political environment, and other factors. Make specific lists about what you like about your job, what you dislike, and what makes your job fun. Then, using those criteria, map out what it would be like to work in the perfect job.
There are specific steps suggested in the article, but the end result will help you focus your search. It will provide a litmus test that you can apply to various companies and opportunities to see if they would be a good fit for your next career move.
And the plan should not remain static. Be sure to update your strategy every few years to reflect changes in your goals and your professional likes and dislikes. Just as you can’t build a house without a blueprint, you can’t build your career without a strategy.
