In career planning, your career objective should be your guide when making important decisions. An objective is a goal or target that can be attained by one’s actions. These actions can be planned so that the path to the goal is as clear as possible.
In job interviews, it’s important to let potential employers know that you have done some career planning and come up with a solid career objective. Then you can describe your career achievements in terms of your objective. This will let employers know that you are goal and results oriented.
The term MBO refers to a program developed by Peter Drucker in 1954. The acronym stands for Management by Objectives. The program consists of some simple yet powerful methods for identifying objectives and attaining them.
There are 5 MBO methods which can be applied to career planning.
Be Specific in your Career Planning
Your career objective should be SPECIFIC. In order to devise a career plan, having a single objective makes it more likely that you will come up with a successful plan. With a single, specific objective you will be able to define a single course of action. You can then put all your focus on this specific objective.
Make Your Objectives Measurable in Your Career Planning
Your career objective should be MEASURABLE. Having a measurable objective means that you can judge that the objective has been attained. This is why it’s not a good idea to have an objective that’s not tangible. The objective should not be stated in general terms. In your career planning, use clear and specific language when defining a career objective.
Think About Whether Your Career Planning Is Really Attainable
Your career objective should be ATTAINABLE. In order to be taken seriously by prospective employers, career objectives should be realistic and attainable. Define your objective in terms of a time frame and make sure that the time frame is realistic. For your own motivation, having a realistic career objective will keep you from feeling discouraged and unsuccessful.
Make Sure Your Career Planning is Result-Oriented
Your career objective should be RESULT-ORIENTED. A career objective should be clearly defined and focused on an end result. This will make the plan to reach the goal more straightforward. When doing career planning, ask yourself if your career objective will be beneficial to yourself and others. Will you know for sure when you have succeeded and attained your objective?
Make it Time-Bound for Your Career Planning
Your career objective should be TIME BOUND. The career objective should have a time limit. This is crucial for creating a plan. When the objective is attained, there will be a greater sense of accomplishment if the goal has had a deadline.
On the other hand, if you don’t set a time frame, chances are you will constantly delay in achieving your objective. This is because you think you still have time to do it another day. People who procrastinate completing things use this excuse all the time.
In summary, career planning should involve defining a career objective that is specific, realistic and can be attained within a pre-defined time frame. The objective should be meaningful and beneficial to all involved, including yourself. Using the MBO method not only in career planning but in other aspects of your employment will demonstrate that you are constantly striving to make improvements, based on a well thought out plan. This will set you apart from the crowd. The MBO method can be an all-important tool for reaching job hunting and career success. Now that you’re aware of it, don’t miss out on the opportunity to put it to good use!
