Career Building Checklist: Career-Building Checklist

Bonus Chapter: Career- Building Checklist

Successful professional careers are built by careful planning from the very beginning, developing good work ha its, developing short-term and long-term strategies, sheer hard work, and, to some extent, luck. Career building, in some aspects, is akin to Wheel of Fortune; it has a luck component and also has a strategy of jeopardy component. One technique that may help you to be successful is to look at the final career you would like to have and plan backward and plan accordingly. As an example, suppo e that you are an entry-level engineer in a Fortune

100 company, and you wish to target the job of chief technology officer (CTO) or chief executive officer (CEO) of the company. Now that you

Find out what job-related educational background is typically required for attaining the level. For example, if one needs a MBA degree with finance, figure out how you could achieve the degree. It could be that you earn the degree part time while working, or alternatively, you could quit the job and earn the degree full time.

45 Dhiren N. Shah, Ph.D.

You may want to do this after working for a period of three or four years.

2. Find out what type of experience is typically required for attaining the level and plan out how to get that experience. Higher-level jobs typically require varied experience. For example, research and development may require experience in technology transfer, production and quality control, commercial development, marketing, finance, and so forth. In most cases, it may not be feasible to acquire this type of varied experience. One can, however, get the varied experience by participating in several teams.

3. Build your interpersonal skills early in your career; this is the most critical skill you will need as you move up. Remember that you will be working with people above you, b low you, and with you. Take some excellent courses in the area of team building.

4. To move up in an organization, one needs to be a qualitative leader, an out-of-the-box thinker, a motivator, a delegator, and the most- importantly- a- h rd-

Be an excellent verbal and written communicator. Communication is vital for moving ahead in the organization. E-mails are a blessing; however, they can create problems if they are not properly handled. In any kind of communication, be courteous, firm, clear, and concise. Never use rough language—it seldom helps careers.

46 You’re Not Fired as a Result of Mergers, Acquisitions & Reorganizations

8. Always take care of the associates who report to you. Remember that people who report to you are your jewels and assets. Nurture them and help them grow. It is good for both you and them. Sometimes you may come across an associate who may not support you and may even work against you. Try to win them as much as you can, and if it does not work, try to push them out to another department.

9. If you are an entry-level employee, learn from your superior about what to do to move up in the ranks. You can learn what to do and what not to do.

10. Keep track of your career advancement by regularly checking where you are in comparison with your goals. If there are significant gaps, find ways to fill up the gaps by having development plans. Make appropriate adjustments, such as taking additional courses and training, changing departments, or even changing