“I am entirely clear about my career path and know exactly what skills and experiences I need to progress in my career for now and through the next 5 years.” Can you make this declaration, or are you like most of us – living our professional lives by taking it case-by-case or project-by-project? The truth is, we should all be actively positioning ourselves to be able to make a statement like this. We should strive to plan our careers, and put ourselves in the best possible position for success and promotion.

One of the means by which we can accomplish this is creating and utilizing a career development plan. Many of you may have heard of career development plans and perhaps even created one working with the professional development staff at your employer. For those who haven’t, career development plans are a key tool to help you to focus and stay on a positive career course.

Getting started with your plan requires some initial self-assessment. Ask yourself, where do you want your career to be in the short term (1 year); medium term (2-4 years); and long term (5+ years)? Is there a specific practice area on which you want to concentrate? Are you truly motivated to reach the goals that you’ve identified? Are they a fit for you? A fit for your organization? Also, remember to make your goals SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, time-bound). You don’t want to overthink things, but you want to do your best to find a clear direction.

After the assessment exercise, the next step is to ascertain the skills that you need to reach your goals. You may need to attain additional practice area expertise or improve general lawyering skills. Resources like the attorney competencies information from a firm or speaking with the professional development staff can assist in this area. Another great tool is to look at the skillset of those who are in the positions that you want. This will provide helpful real-time information and inspire your roadmap to success. The key is to discover the difference between where you are now and where you want to be.

Next, you need to determine how you are going to go about acquiring these skills. You need to specify action items or activities designed to enhance and develop the skills that you have pinpointed. This can range from requesting specified or stretch assignments and projects; identifying your needs for money, time, support, and enhanced relationships; and receiving additional training such as CLE’s, seminars, or conferences. You might want to join relevant associations; seek to participate on committees or boards; and look for mentoring opportunities. It’s important that you don’t do this in abstract terms. You should have dates and a means to keep track. Engage in creating milestones and timelines to keep yourself accountable.

Taking control of your career development by creating a plan may be a time consuming project, but the feeling of empowerment that comes from making an investment in yourself is well worth it. “I have taken charge of my career and know where I’m headed and how I will get there.” Let’s get to work, and make this statement our #careegoals!