Career Development Plan Instructions
1
The goal of this activity is to develop your vi
sion for your career over the next few years.
Where do you want to be five years from now?
Step 1: Your Target Vision
Outcome: List your career goals.
Vision
– How do you envision your career path over the next one, three, five, and ten years?
Do not limit yourself to your current career
. There may be other leadership or career goals you
want to achieve such as starting your ow
n company, helping to create a new non-profit
organization, or getting into politics. This vision will help you to decide where you want to
invest your time and energy so that you will achieve the results you want.
Imagine it is five years into the future
and you are thinking back on your career
accomplishments over the last five years.
What are they besides having a degree from
Capella?
?
. If you do not set your target, you will
not know where you are going, or when and
if you get there!
Step 2: Required Competency List
Outcome: List the required competencies for each goal. See table 1, column B for an
example.
In order to accomplish your five year vision, what are the skills, abilities, and knowledge a
person in this position would need? This list makes up the required set of competencies a
successful person in this career would possess. You may need to do some research to find
out what the necessary skills and competencies are for each goal.
Note: for those of you who are interested in a Human Resources-related career, the two
optional readings for this week will provide some useful information.
Step 3: Analysis of Current Competencies
Outcome: Assessment of your current abilities. See table 1, columns C & D for an example.
Take a look at the list of competencies and assess your current ability on each competency: is
it fully developed or does it need further devel
opment? You may be surprised to find you have
some fully developed competencies at this time. This plan is to assist you in your own
development, so make sure you are honest and rea
listic both in terms of your evaluation of
your current skills and in terms of how mu
ch you will be able to accomplish each year.
Remember, you have a personal life, too! Keeping these things in mind will result in an
inventory of the competencies in which are already proficient as well as a list of those
competencies which need further development
i.e. your strengths and weaknesses.
The result is your gap analysis. The gap is the di
fference between your future vision or your
target and where you are now.
Step 4: Create an Action Plan
Outcome: Action Plan
From this gap analysis, you create your action plan to ensure you will reach your target in the
time-frame you have set. For this action plan, y
ou write your short term 1-2 year and long term
3-5 years goals. In describing how these goals
will be achieved, you will create an action plan.
Career Development Plan Instructions
2
Create a reasonable timeline for accomplishing the goals in your action plan; they certainly will
not all be accomplished by the end of this year! Determine the action steps in your plan, how
you will achieve them, and by when.
Address the following questions:
•
How are you going to close the gap to ensure you acquire the necessary skills, abilities
and knowledge?
•
What specific actions will you have to take to make it happen?
•
What kinds of training, education, and other experiences are necessary?
•
Do you need a master’s degree? When would you be able to begin the program, and
how long will it take to complete?
•
What will you have to do to acquire the under-developed skills and abilities which are
needed to achieve your goals?
Consider opportunities available at work. Here are a few ideas; keep in mind, not all of them
will be applicable or possible for you:
•
Ask your supervisor for coaching regarding a specific area.
•
Ask your supervisor for specific assignments in the areas of interest.
•
Ask for a transfer to a different department.
•
Volunteer for special assignments, taskforces, or committees.
•
Attend the training opportunities which are offered at work.
•
Find a mentor.
•
Become a mentor.
•
Network with others in your organization.
Consider opportunities available outside of work:
•
Training courses/seminars.
•
Adult education classes.
•
Other kinds of experiences which might
assist you through management or committee
experience such as joining your HOA, the PTA, or a non-profit organization.
•
Volunteer to coach a team.
•
Join a professional organization.
•
Network with others in your field/in the area in which you want to progress.
o
How about going on some informational interviews in companies you like and
with people who would be able to give you information about the kind of work
you are interested in?
o
At the end of the interview, don’t forget to ask for the names of a couple of
other people who would also be willing to talk to you.
Here are a couple of additional things to consider:
•
Remember that your goals should be SM
ART: specific, measureable, achievable,
realistic, and timed or timely.
•
Be realistic, in terms of
what
you can achieve and
by when
especially while you’re
studying at Capella. There is often not much
time for anything else besides family.
•
How will you know you are reaching your target?
•
What is your timeline and how will you m
onitor, measure, and evaluate your progress?

Career Development Plan Instructions
1
The goal of this activity is to develop your vi
sion for your career over the next few years.
Where do you want to be five years from now?
Step 1: Your Target Vision
Outcome: List your career goals.
Vision
– How do you envision your career path over the next one, three, five, and ten years?
Do not limit yourself to your current career
. There may be other leadership or career goals you
want to achieve such as starting your ow
n company, helping to create a new non-profit
organization, or getting into politics. This vision will help you to decide where you want to
invest your time and energy so that you will achieve the results you want.
Imagine it is five years into the future
and you are thinking back on your career
accomplishments over the last five years.
What are they besides having a degree from
Capella?
?
. If you do not set your target, you will
not know where you are going, or when and
if you get there!
Step 2: Required Competency List
Outcome: List the required competencies for each goal. See table 1, column B for an
example.
In order to accomplish your five year vision, what are the skills, abilities, and knowledge a
person in this position would need? This list makes up the required set of competencies a
successful person in this career would possess. You may need to do some research to find
out what the necessary skills and competencies are for each goal.
Note: for those of you who are interested in a Human Resources-related career, the two
optional readings for this week will provide some useful information.
Step 3: Analysis of Current Competencies
Outcome: Assessment of your current abilities. See table 1, columns C & D for an example.
Take a look at the list of competencies and assess your current ability on each competency: is
it fully developed or does it need further devel
opment? You may be surprised to find you have
some fully developed competencies at this time. This plan is to assist you in your own
development, so make sure you are honest and rea
listic both in terms of your evaluation of
your current skills and in terms of how mu
ch you will be able to accomplish each year.
Remember, you have a personal life, too! Keeping these things in mind will result in an
inventory of the competencies in which are already proficient as well as a list of those
competencies which need further development
i.e. your strengths and weaknesses.
The result is your gap analysis. The gap is the di
fference between your future vision or your
target and where you are now.
Step 4: Create an Action Plan
Outcome: Action Plan
From this gap analysis, you create your action plan to ensure you will reach your target in the
time-frame you have set. For this action plan, y
ou write your short term 1-2 year and long term
3-5 years goals. In describing how these goals
will be achieved, you will create an action plan.
Career Development Plan Instructions
2
Create a reasonable timeline for accomplishing the goals in your action plan; they certainly will
not all be accomplished by the end of this year! Determine the action steps in your plan, how
you will achieve them, and by when.
Address the following questions:
•
How are you going to close the gap to ensure you acquire the necessary skills, abilities
and knowledge?
•
What specific actions will you have to take to make it happen?
•
What kinds of training, education, and other experiences are necessary?
•
Do you need a master’s degree? When would you be able to begin the program, and
how long will it take to complete?
•
What will you have to do to acquire the under-developed skills and abilities which are
needed to achieve your goals?
Consider opportunities available at work. Here are a few ideas; keep in mind, not all of them
will be applicable or possible for you:
•
Ask your supervisor for coaching regarding a specific area.
•
Ask your supervisor for specific assignments in the areas of interest.
•
Ask for a transfer to a different department.
•
Volunteer for special assignments, taskforces, or committees.
•
Attend the training opportunities which are offered at work.
•
Find a mentor.
•
Become a mentor.
•
Network with others in your organization.
Consider opportunities available outside of work:
•
Training courses/seminars.
•
Adult education classes.
•
Other kinds of experiences which might
assist you through management or committee
experience such as joining your HOA, the PTA, or a non-profit organization.
•
Volunteer to coach a team.
•
Join a professional organization.
•
Network with others in your field/in the area in which you want to progress.
o
How about going on some informational interviews in companies you like and
with people who would be able to give you information about the kind of work
you are interested in?
o
At the end of the interview, don’t forget to ask for the names of a couple of
other people who would also be willing to talk to you.
Here are a couple of additional things to consider:
•
Remember that your goals should be SM
ART: specific, measureable, achievable,
realistic, and timed or timely.
•
Be realistic, in terms of
what
you can achieve and
by when
especially while you’re
studying at Capella. There is often not much
time for anything else besides family.
•
How will you know you are reaching your target?
•
What is your timeline and how will you m
onitor, measure, and evaluate your progress?