Why Should Professionals Keep Journals?
Why should Professionals Keep Journals?
On a daily, weekly, basis how many times do you really spend planning the development of your career? The majority of us would answer probably not much time at all. Whilst we should all spend a reasonable amount of time on a weekly basis, planning our futures, unfortunately, all too often the realities and pressures of our daily work and personal commitments keep us too preoccupied to spend time planning our long-term career development.
Are you able to identify with the above scenario? Do you have a vision for your perfect job or career? ACSEducation offers you two practical tools to help strengthen the development of your professional goals one of which is a capabilities framework with which to map your skills that we will introduce in week 2. The second is the introduction of a reflective professional journal. Our jobs, our careers and our lives would, or could, be better identified if we were to use a modified version of the written diary or journal. The Professional Environments (PE) unit offers you an open-source environment in which to develop a career journal that will help you structure and focus on specific career-related goals; designed to empower your career development or job-search. …show more content…
So, why should you consider writing a career journal?
As an ICT graduate working within an internship environment you will discover untold things about: yourself; your career field; and job-hunting - all from simply keeping a professional career journal. The use of a professional career journal allows you time to think about your current situation, brainstorm potential ideas, utilize alternatives, formulate plans, implement solutions, document successes (and failures), reflect on your accomplishments, and learn more about yourself and your career. Maintaining a journal also gives you a vehicle to express your emotions (good and bad) about your career progress. (Hansen,
2009)
What is a professional development journal ?
A professional development journal sometimes referred to as a career development journal, is a tool you can use to manage your career - your life. The possibilities for journal development are limited only by your imagination; here are some of the more common ways to use such a journal:
Analyze your present employment capabilities
Brainstorm future career goals; in 1 -2 year terms
Establish daily or weekly career-related objectives or tasks
Develop action plans to achieve your objectives and tasks
Keep track of your daily career-related achievements, progress
Make checklists to keep your progress moving forward
Discover and explore your workplace values
Write a personal mission statement
Prepare a SWOT (strengths-weakness-opportunities-threats) analysis
Record key information, such as network contacts, informational interviews, accomplishments, favorite activities, job interview results, etc.
Record in your diary your reactions to applications for job applications and career success and failures
Continuously rewrite and polish your key job correspondence material - cover letters, resumes, thank you letters, etc.
Practice job interview questions - and answers
Identify and document SFIA skills
Analyze what further education or training is necessary
Gain awareness of new or emerging ICT trends and the accompanying career opportunities
Track internships, volunteer opportunities, and other avenues of gaining valuable experience
Review key job-search trends and procedures
Write and polish resume and cover letter techniques
Research new employment opportunities
How to get started :
Starting a professional development journal is as easy as planning any goal. For your PE journal you should set a regular time of the week aside to work on your professional year journal. Using some of the suggested topics from the list above you can structure the development of your career plan. Once you have established a routine, you'll be amazed at how much stronger your journal and thus your reflections will become.
Adapted from: Hansen, R., 2009, Using a Career Journal to Further Your Career Development and Empower Your Job-Search, accessed 18/06/2010 via: http://www.quintcareers.com/career_development_journal.html
On a daily, weekly, basis how many times do you really spend planning the development of your career? The majority of us would answer probably not much time at all. Whilst we should all spend a reasonable amount of time on a weekly basis, planning our futures, unfortunately, all too often the realities and pressures of our daily work and personal commitments keep us too preoccupied to spend time planning our long-term career development.
Are you able to identify with the above scenario? Do you have a vision for your perfect job or career? ACSEducation offers you two practical tools to help strengthen the development of your professional goals one of which is a capabilities framework with which to map your skills that we will introduce in week 2. The second is the introduction of a reflective professional journal. Our jobs, our careers and our lives would, or could, be better identified if we were to use a modified version of the written diary or journal. The Professional Environments (PE) unit offers you an open-source environment in which to develop a career journal that will help you structure and focus on specific career-related goals; designed to empower your career development or job-search. …show more content…
So, why should you consider writing a career journal?
As an ICT graduate working within an internship environment you will discover untold things about: yourself; your career field; and job-hunting - all from simply keeping a professional career journal. The use of a professional career journal allows you time to think about your current situation, brainstorm potential ideas, utilize alternatives, formulate plans, implement solutions, document successes (and failures), reflect on your accomplishments, and learn more about yourself and your career. Maintaining a journal also gives you a vehicle to express your emotions (good and bad) about your career progress. (Hansen,
2009)
What is a professional development journal ?
A professional development journal sometimes referred to as a career development journal, is a tool you can use to manage your career - your life. The possibilities for journal development are limited only by your imagination; here are some of the more common ways to use such a journal:
Analyze your present employment capabilities
Brainstorm future career goals; in 1 -2 year terms
Establish daily or weekly career-related objectives or tasks
Develop action plans to achieve your objectives and tasks
Keep track of your daily career-related achievements, progress
Make checklists to keep your progress moving forward
Discover and explore your workplace values
Write a personal mission statement
Prepare a SWOT (strengths-weakness-opportunities-threats) analysis
Record key information, such as network contacts, informational interviews, accomplishments, favorite activities, job interview results, etc.
Record in your diary your reactions to applications for job applications and career success and failures
Continuously rewrite and polish your key job correspondence material - cover letters, resumes, thank you letters, etc.
Practice job interview questions - and answers
Identify and document SFIA skills
Analyze what further education or training is necessary
Gain awareness of new or emerging ICT trends and the accompanying career opportunities
Track internships, volunteer opportunities, and other avenues of gaining valuable experience
Review key job-search trends and procedures
Write and polish resume and cover letter techniques
Research new employment opportunities
How to get started :
Starting a professional development journal is as easy as planning any goal. For your PE journal you should set a regular time of the week aside to work on your professional year journal. Using some of the suggested topics from the list above you can structure the development of your career plan. Once you have established a routine, you'll be amazed at how much stronger your journal and thus your reflections will become.
Adapted from: Hansen, R., 2009, Using a Career Journal to Further Your Career Development and Empower Your Job-Search, accessed 18/06/2010 via: http://www.quintcareers.com/career_development_journal.html