Career Planning - Expectations and Realizations

One of the more popular topics in recent conversations has been about careers. Now this is not a new topic. Everyone has been involved in this conversation for any number of years. However there are a lot of challenges especially now in the marketplace. For example if one looks into academia, a recent post brought to my attention brings attention to the many challenges that professionals in academia face. (NOTE: Thanks to Florine Church for bringing this up! Excellent item!)

The reality of the economy has forced quite a few changes to many organizations and consequently the career seekers. Also many organizations are still into a "cost cutting" mindset without an equal mind towards "growth opportunity". These among others create even further complications. However the most basic impact of such conditions happens to be around expectations. Generally speaking expectations tend to be both a boon and a bane to one's career in that they tend to be both not always based on reasonable experience however they do provide insight if one is careful as to how to approach a conversation.

First off a basic expectation is about length of career. There are basically 4 general categories that most professionals will fit into:

• Little to no experience. This can be college graduates, professionals pursuing new career paths, etc.
• Experienced. Typically an individual who has 3-5 years of experience in their chosen profession.
• Senior. This is an individual with considerable experience typically 6-9 years in their chosen profession.
• Leader. This is an individual with 10+ experience in their chosen profession.

This sort of expectation looks pretty basic at first glance but can yield additional insight if some time it taken to do some research especially about what organizations and professionals say about such expectations.

In my experience, the expectations break down into some generalized thought patterns when looking for individuals to fill positions:

• Little to no experience. Generally speaking companies look for bright, energetic, fresh thinking individuals. They would be able to effectively separate themselves from the perception of "needing work" to actually understanding/believing in the organization they are pursuing. Additionally such individuals are expected to have little practical understanding of the work involved but compensate with attitude and aptitude to pick it up quickly. The majority of organizations are actually very positive of new hires hoping to use them to spread by word-of-mouth the positive influence of their products and services.
• Experienced. Organizations expect these individuals to have mastered the basics, so to speak, and are capable of handling assignments with supervision. These would be the backbone of an organization, such that they are relied upon to get things done. Additionally these individuals are expected to start showing traits of leadership in their respect areas.
• Senior. These individuals are expected to have gone well beyond the basics and in fact to have repeatedly demonstrate that they can provide value to the organization in key areas based on their experience. Such individuals are routinely tapped to lead initiatives, lead personnel, and achieve goals that have some significant meaning to the organization.
• Leader. These individuals are expected to be the leaders of their areas. To help drive and explore ways to achieve significant value and assuming significant risks and rewards for doing so. Such professionals are well versed not only in the hands-on details of their chosen profession, but are capable of interacting, communicating and collaborating with others throughout the organization.

Please note that these are generalities subject to significant variations. For example a larger more established organization is certainly more inclined to see individuals with this same mindset. However, startups or smaller organizations usually do not. They see individuals who are more flexible, adaptable, and capable of doing multiple things without any real or clear definition of what to do. These individuals can think on their feet and deliver something that can be of immediate value to the organization.

However a good way to look at one's career is from a basic personal perspective that should focus on a core set of questions:

• What do you enjoy doing?
• What do you do?
• Who are you?
• What are you about?
• What are you able to do?

If one looks at these questions it can certainly help to focus your efforts at looking at opportunities only at certain organizations and how to effectively communicate your value towards them.

Often taking the time to understand what certain expectations people and organizations have, can be highly effective in addressing their concerns and addressing one's strengths for new opportunities. Additionally the realizations from such expectations can be of tremendous value in making decisions on how to plan next career moves.