July 2021
Ask PQ’s agony aunt Karen Young when you need expert advice. Email your dilemma to graham@pqmagazine.com, and he will pass on the best ones to Karen.
THE QUESTION
Why is it important to think about my career pathway in the long-term
– do you have any advice?
KAREN’S RESPONSE
Career planning is something that often falls by the wayside in our everyday lives, but the value of a career plan isn’t to be underestimated. Having goals in place over the short and long term will give you direction and motivation, and help you see the value in some of the everyday tasks you do.
Try segmenting your career planning into different time frames. For instance, where do you want to be in six months? Where do you see yourself in a year? And what are your long-term projections for the next two to three years?
Keep your career plans flexible enough to allow for change and opportunity, but specific enough to give yourself a good direction of where you’re going. Reflecting on your career ambitions might illuminate options that you hadn’t considered before, or make you realise changes you can make in the short term in order to set you on the path to long-term success.
Lastly, remain open-minded. The Covid-19 crisis may mean that we see surges in demand, industry shifts and emerging trends that have a sustained impact on not just finance jobs but the world at large. Maintain an awareness of areas in demand and consider how your skillset and experience could help you in the future.
• Karen Young is a director at Hays. She is passionate about helping people to find the right job, and companies to find the right person
