FREE Career Plan Templates

When you want a good career, you work hard and plan harder. A career plan is a step-by-step process of how you want to make yourself successful. However, it isn't just a set of ideas; it is a list of practical goals that you know you can reach. Wanted help to achieve your goals? We will lend you a hand. With our career plan template, you can now choose and plan your path with your desired list of careers. Our career plan template is 100% customizable, beautifully designed yet still maintain its professionally written form. You can download our career plan template in any file format (Google Docs, MS Word, Apple Pages and PDF that supports both Mac OS and Windows) and is printable anytime and anywhere. What a steal, right? So click the Download button and our high-quality templates will be yours forever!

What Is a Career Plan?

It is the first step you take in molding your future. A career development plan is a type of list of the short- and long-term goals you want to achieve in a certain period of time. It lets you explore your interests and abilities and a big help for you to decide what course, extracurricular activities, research, or internships you want to take. By assessing your capabilities, you can fill gaps in your knowledge or skills that might hinder your dreams. It ensures that your career is going into the right path.

How to Make a Career Plan

Mostly in making a career plan, it is personalized based on your preference, but there are also few classifications of career plans you might be interested to make. You can make a health career plan or a child career plan for a predictable good future. But take note that your career plan must be clear and in an easy-to-read format. In order for you to make your own career plan, follow these certain guidelines to successfully make one.

1. Consider Career Options

Assess and examine your skills and capabilities and seek for career options that are in line with it. Review the career information sheet, search further pieces of information, and talk to professionals to give you knowledge about the career you want.

2. Know Your Priorities

It is not enough to have a checklist of your options. Take note of your general skills in a basic sheet but prioritize your top skills, values, and interests. In that way, you can excel in your chosen path. As experts say, if you love what you do, you will do well.

3. Compare and Contrast

Compare the career options in your sample checklist unto your top priorities and take note as to how well it will be synchronized. That way, you can crush out career options and narrow it to careers that are best for you.

4. Consider Other Factors

Making a career plan outline involves other factors that will also affect your career. Check the current status of your desired career. Know whether it is trendy in your specific time to achieve it or qualifications needed to enter that career. You can obtain these factors by asking family, friends, and professionals who have the knowledge to answer you. Consider the best potentials from the factors.

5. Make Your Choice

Make your choice depending on the career suitable for you. You can have unlimited possibilities of careers for as long as your situation and comfort level will survive. Wide variety of careers to choose is optional, but choosing one or two careers can help you to focus especially when you need to write a basic resume.

6. Be S.M.A.R.T

According to professionals, following the S.M.A.R.T method is your best method to do in making a simple plan.

• Specific - Be specific with your goals.
• Measurable - Include criteria to judge progress and accomplishments.
• Attainable - Your goal must have a greater possibility to achieve.
• Relevant - The goal must be relevant to you.
• Time-Bound - Commit to a specific time frame, but remember, your career is a marathon, not a sprint.

7. Create Your Career Action Plan

Be realistic about expectations in your career. List down career actions that will help you in achieving your career. After your career action plan, you can formulate your career progression plan to track down the progression of your career. Afterward, a career development plan is the best option as it is proof of your development to achieve your goals.