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Why Career Mapping is a Key Strategy for Evaluating Your Next Role

Why Career Mapping is a Key Strategy for Evaluating Your Next Role

At Reneris, we speak with highly skilled candidates on a regular basis who are seeking to make a career change. Our goal is to help them find the next rewarding role that not only makes use of their qualifications and skills but one that is also meaningful to them. We guide them to be intentional and strategic when thinking about their next career move. Many are just ready to make a job change, while others, know where they want to be in five to ten years but aren’t sure how to get there. In the quickly evolving employment market, it is beneficial for anyone who is seeking to make a change to think about their mid- to long-term career goals and to map out a plan to achieve them. 

Career mapping is a strategic technique that can assist you in planning and visualizing your career progression. Mapping out your career goals, identifying the abilities and proficiency needed to reach them, and crafting a plan to close any gaps, can help you move in the right direction. Career mapping is a tool that can help you identify the skills you need and the roles that can assist you in closing the gap. This exercise allows you to identify roles that will give you the experience you need to get you closer to your ultimate career goals one step at a time. 

What Career Mapping Can Do For You 

  1. Help you set clear career goals: It is challenging to choose your direction in life without specific goals. 
  2. Help you identify your strengths and weaknesses: A successful profession depends on your ability to recognize your strengths and weaknesses.
  3. Help you develop new skills: After determining the abilities required to meet your professional objectives, you can design a plan to gain or enhance those skills.
  4. Assist your career progression: You can determine the positions and experiences that will help you get closer to your long-term professional objectives. 
  5. Help you to better assess your performance: By outlining your professional objectives and the measures required to reach them, you can assess your performance and make any necessary corrections.   

Why You Should Use Career Mapping 

  1. To develop a rewarding career: Having a clear plan to reach your ultimate career goals will help ensure that you are headed in the right direction, even if you make some side steps along the way to build the skills you need. 
  2. To remain current in your industry: You can remain ahead of the curve by determining the knowledge and expertise you need to have to be competitive in your next role. 
  3. To raise your earning potential: You can demand a higher salary by acquiring the in-demand experiences and skills needed to stay relevant in your sector. 
  4. To make wise professional decisions: By making sure you are always heading in the proper direction, you will still be able to make necessary adjustments to your career plan along the way. 

        Career Mapping in Practice 

      1. Make a list of 5 – 10 respected leaders in your field: and examine the career paths each has taken to reach their current role, one that you would characterize as “an awesome leadership position” – one that you would love to see yourself in when you are at the top of your career (or at least on your way there). Are there any patterns or observations you can gain from this exercise that will give you some new ideas as you contemplate your next step? Perhaps there are roles and organizations you may want to explore further that you have not considered yet.   
      1. Six-degrees outreach: Identify 6 mentors you have had throughout your work. These could be supervisors, other leaders in organizations where you have worked, professors, colleagues who looked out for you when you were new, thought leaders in your space, and peers who have gone on to do interesting work. Make a plan to reach out to them and let them know you are at a crossroads and that you want to be thoughtful about the next step in your career. Ask them to share some insight into choices they made in their careers – where they might have made intentional and strategic decisions about the next roles they took. Invite them to share where they could see you taking your career based on their perceptions of your strengths and ability to make an impact. These insights from professionals you respect for their choices and insights can help guide you as you map out the next steps in your career.

      In summary, career mapping is an exercise that may help you discover important information about your professional trajectory and allow you to determine if you are headed in the right direction. This approach will, at the very least, assist you in identifying where you may need to make adjustments that will put you on a more intentional path to achieving your career goals. Remember that long-term professional success and fulfillment depend on you taking the time to assess your progress and make wise decisions. 

      Reneris is a specialized executive search and management consulting firm that provides professional services to clients seeking a high-caliber consultative partner. We have successfully placed candidates in leadership positions in the Real Estate (Hospitality, Multi-Family Housing, Senior Living) and Non-Profit sectors.

      Please contact us to learn how Reneris can help you attract executive-level talent for your leadership team.

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