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Iowa Museum Association Career Center and Job Board

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Iowa Museum Association Career Center and Job Board

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https://www.iowamuseums.org/Public/Public/Career_Center

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Association of Midwest Museums Career Center

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Association of Midwest Museums Career Center

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https://bit.ly/ammjobs

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The Alliance provides you with resources to help you with your career.
Career Transition
Gain tips for transitioning in and out of jobs gracefully.
Cover Letters & Resumes
Gain practical advice on crafting your most important job search tool and pick up helpful hints on crafting a persuasive cover letter that grabs the attention of hiring managers.
Gaining Experience & Professional Education
Build your job skills with these practical tips and explore resources to help you make decisions about your continuing education.
Interviews
Learn how to prepare for and ace the interview.
Mentoring
Explore why mentoring matters to both the mentee and the mentor.

Find out more about museum work, including job postings and career advice.
Salary Negotiation
Learn more about the art of negotiating and explore the first comprehensive salary study conducted for the field.
Networking & Personal Branding
Gain tips on expanding your network of professional relationships and pick up quick tips for career branding success.

AAM Members get exclusive access to premium digital content including:

Featured articles from Museum Magazine

Access to more than 1,500 resource listings from the Resource Center

Tools, reports, and templates for equipping your work in museums

Your current membership level does not allow you to access this content.

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The Alliance provides you with resources to help you with your career. Career Transition Gain tips for transitioning in and out of jobs gracefully. Cover Letters & Resumes Gain practical advice on crafting your most important job search tool and pick up helpful hints on crafting a persuasive cover letter that grabs the attention of hiring managers.

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https://www.facebook.com/WIUMuseumStudies/

https://www.instagram.com/wiulovesmuseumstudies/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/drheidilung/

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Museum Studies - Western Illinois University

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For many, a city break or weekend away isn't complete without a trip to at least one museum. These cultural sanctuaries surround visitors with beautiful art, fascinating history or mind-bending technology, so it is perhaps no wonder that taking up a position in one of these institutions is seen as a great opportunity.

From an entry level role in the coffee shop right up to chair of the board, being part of a respected and highly regarded institution can be incredibly rewarding. But working in the museum environment is certainly not a walk in the park, and the challenges that staff can face (particularly in the upper echelons) are quite unique.

Let's take a closer look at the responsibilities and requirements of life in the museum workforce.

How do you get a job in a museum?

First and foremost, saying that you work in a museum doesn't really give much away about your line of work. After all, there are a broad range of positions within even a small museum or gallery. From curators to designers, archivists to tour guides, HR teams to marketing managers, the skills and disciplines on show are diverse, to say the least.

The museum sector is also highly competitive. So, what can be done to stand out from the crowd?

Experience is key. Certain positions may require less sector-specific experience than others, such as administrative or fundraising roles, but generally museums want to know that you have developed valuable knowledge and skills over time, combined with an appreciation for the unique demands of museum work. A passion for the subject matter is also essential - perhaps more so than in other sectors. While in some industries it's possible to simply say, a job's a job, museum employees have a clear duty towards arts and culture and everyone within the institution's workforce is a custodian to some degree.

For those looking to find employment within museums, making time to stay up to date on current developments in the industry and attending events, workshop or conferences can be crucial to gaining an advantage over other candidates.

What else?

Head of Human Resources at the British Museum, David Wraight, says that "in curatorial areas, we would expect evidence of qualifications and some activity in that field."

He goes on to describe how experience can mean many things when it comes to applying for a museum role, such as "having participated in an excavation or having their first research papers published."

How are roles changing

While traditional roles still exist, there has been an influx of new employment opportunities in museum over the last two decades. The most notable of which come in the form of digital roles. Social media managers, website developers, IT teams and data analysts can all now be found either within in-house teams or as subcontractors to museums.

As museums are driven to innovate and stay relevant, they must look for new skills and expertise to meet the evolving demands of their audience. This can mean bringing in team members from outside the museum community; but it can also require long-standing staff to up-skill and add new strings to their bows.

In particular, the role of a curator continues to expand and change. Beyond being an expert and preparing exhibitions for public viewing, the curator's role is also increasingly about improving accessibility, creating new narratives and blending the physical world with the virtual one.

In an Art Insights whitepaper entitled "Who is the 21st century curator?" it's suggested that curators must now "evolve from being keepers of objects and specialist knowledge towards this broader hybrid". But as a word of caution it is stated that curators "need to be mindful of what may be lost in the process".

Similarly, the challenges that face museums today require senior manager to approach their work differently from the way they did 15 years ago - particularly in light of funding changes over that time. For example, financial pressures require institutions to diversify, turn their premises into function spaces, reach out to the community and invest in new equipment to appeal to a new generation of "content consumers".

As budgets tighten and the need to find additional revenue streams becomes more urgent, museums may choose to look out side the industry to bring in commercial expertise and senior managers who have a track record in squeezing profit out of every pore of an organisation.

But it is safe to say that museum directors, managers and curators will always come from a variety of career backgrounds. Take, for instance, the contrast between Tate Britain's Alex Farqueharson - a curator and art critic of many years' experience - with the current director of the V&A, Tristram Hunt, who took up his role having left his post as MP for Stoke-on-Trent Central.

Why work in a museum?

The wonderful thing about museums is that there are a variety of exciting roles available. Perhaps the main appeal of working in a museum is the opportunity to spend the working day surrounded by what one loves, whether that's art, history or science. Working in a museum can, according to Head of the Department of Museum Studies at Leicester University Dr Richard Sandell, help to build "both theoretical knowledge and other skills such as critical thinking and creativity."

Most museum roles allow staff to engage with collections in a variety of ways. Archivists spend their days documenting and managing vast collections of pictures, films, documents, maps and books on any number of subjects. Exhibition designers use artefacts to tell a story or communicate a particular message, by interpreting them creatively. And even admissions/bookings officers can share their passion for a collection with hundreds of people every day by recommending exhibits.

This excitement is something shared by assistant curator of community history with Colchester and Ipswich Museum Service, Cat Newley, who talks about the "variety" of working in a museum, and the sheer range of tasks available.

Travel is another key benefit. Many of the larger museums have working relationships with other major international institutions, which allows their staff to share their ideas and experience with colleagues in different countries.

No two days working in a museum are the same, so adaptability is key, as is a love of the subject, and a willingness to learn more. It's safe to say that getting a museum job requires hard work, but the result of those efforts is an exciting, rewarding and stimulating career for life.
Interested in working in the museum sector. Keep up to date with the latest employment opportunities in the sector with our Museum Jobs section.

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How to get a job in a museum? Here's what you need to know - MuseumNext

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For many, a city break or weekend away isn't complete without a trip to at least one museum. These cultural sanctuaries surround visitors with beautiful art, fascinating history or mind-bending technology, so it is perhaps no wonder that taking up a position in one of these institutions is seen as a great opportunity.

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Greg Stevens

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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GREG STEVENS

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

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Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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VIDEO: (Re)Discover your Strengths, Skills, and Passions

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VIDEO: (Re)Discover your Strengths, Skills, and Passions

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GREG STEVENS

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Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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GREG STEVENS

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom Rooms is the original software-based conference room solution used around the world in board, conference, huddle, and training rooms, as well as executive offices and classrooms. Founded in 2011, Zoom helps businesses and organizations bring their teams together in a frictionless environment to get more done.

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The Gender Equity in Museums Movement (GEMM) is a coalition of individuals and organizations committed to raising awareness, affecting change, and championing transparency about gender equity in the museum workplace.

Work to End Sexual Harassment in the Museum Workplace:

The Gender Equity in Museums Movement recently launched a platform for individuals and representatives from the museum field to be progressive agents of change by pledging to take an active role to end sexual harassment in the museum workplace.

The pledge includes a commitment to practice zero tolerance for discrimination, harassment, and sexual violence, refrain from sexist and disrespectful language, act as an educational ambassador on issues surrounding sexism and consent in the museum field. The pledge is a resource for the museum world to identify individuals committed to ending sexual harassment in the workplace.

GEMM believes it is important to sign the pledge because "We believe everyone on the gender spectrum is a strong and valuable resource for museums and heritage institutions; we all need to play our role in making society a better place, to no longer play the quiet bystander."

New: Sexual Harassment & Gender Discrimination Resources

March 31, 2020: All Women's Equal Pay Day

© 2017 - 2020 Gender Equity in Museums Movement

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The Gender Equity in Museums Movement (GEMM) is a coalition of individuals and organizations committed to raising awareness, affecting change, and championing transparency about gender equity in the museum workplace.

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It wasn't working for my client, Miranda. She'd gotten her degree and was doing well in her role at a Big Four accounting firm, but something was missing.

Sure, she could keep going, receive generous compensation, and continue to advance. But deep down inside, no fireworks were going off; she couldn't see herself on this path for the long term.

But like so many other employees who feel stuck, she didn't know how to make a career pivot. On one hand, she wanted to reach for the stars, but on the other, she knew that she had limited experience in a specific industry and needed to be realistic about what she could pursue. Ultimately, she wanted to land a financial leadership role in the healthcare industry.

What Miranda learned is that if you want to change something; for example, chart a new path, ditch a boring job, or pivot in your career, you've got to start by setting a goal.

By working toward a goal, you end up getting much more than your desired outcome. Setting and achieving meaningful career goals provides three essential career nutrients: increased job satisfaction, higher self-esteem, and improved quality of your life.

But how do you form a right-size goal that's ambitious, but doesn't overwhelm you? Here are a few tips to help you truly understand how to achieve goals.

You Need Clarity

Studies show you're more likely to succeed when your career goals are specific. So, start by peering into the future and creating a vision for your ideal self and career. What would that look like in one, three, or five years?

Ask yourself: What's your job like? What kind of skills and responsibilities do you have? Who is your employer, and what is your job like? What are you totally awesome at? What kind of team do you work with?

When you clearly visualize your desired outcome, you begin to see the possibility of achieving it-and you can start taking steps to build your plan.

Miranda wanted a role at a regional healthcare organization, where she would oversee financial planning and reporting as part of a dynamic, progressive team-one with a culture that valued and respected its employees. And she wanted that position by June of 2017.

It Has to Challenge You-But With a Realistic Outcome

If you're in your second year of public accounting, and your goal is to become CFO of Apple by the end of next year, you have your head in the clouds. Although you may know the basics of accounting, you have a long road ahead of you before you'll be the CFO of one of the world's largest companies. Just sayin'.

Miranda realized that for her desired outcome to actually be realistic, she'd need to acquire more knowledge and additional skills. So she did the research, spoke with people in similar jobs, and realized that by taking a few additional courses and volunteering as the part-time CFO of a small nonprofit, she could start acquiring the skills and knowledge to achieve her goal. And that made it imminently more realistic.

You Must Be Committed

I've heard so many people say, "I hate my job and need to make a change." But they take zero action to make that change happen. They'll give you a hundred reasons why they don't go after that change, but you can boil them down to one: They simply aren't committed to that goal.

If you believe your goal is important and attainable, you stand a much higher chance of succeeding.

Miranda committed to her goal by adopting a mindset that set her up for success-she saw herself achieving her goal. She was clear in her desired outcome, and perhaps most importantly, she was willing to share her goal with others, which held her accountable to making progress along the way.

You get commitment only when you are convinced that the goal is important to you and that it's attainable.

Feedback Is Essential

Miranda identified a couple of key mentors and coaches to share her goals with and committed to providing them with regular updates.

To make sure she could provide a significant update every time she spoke with these mentors, she broke her ultimate goal into more bite sized action steps, which required shorter timeframes. For example, she set a goal to have one conversation per week with someone working in her desired industry and role. From those informational interviews, she identified potential target employers and what it takes to succeed in that role.

Each time she made some progress, she shared her insights with her mentors, and they helped her make tweaks to her other action steps based on what she was learning. Having a feedback process allowed her to stay motivated, stay on track, and feel a sense of accomplishments throughout the entire process.

You Must Create the Right Conditions for Success

Successfully achieving your goal requires just two conditions: time and practice.

When Miranda set the goal to connect with one person a week, she did it for a good reason: It was a realistic goal that she knew she'd have time to accomplish. She could have said, "I'll connect with seven people each week." But given her current professional commitments, the complexity required to achieve that objective would have been overwhelming. By week two she likely would have fallen behind, become discouraged, and perhaps even given up.

To avoid burning out and quitting on unrealistic goals, create intermediate objectives that you have enough time to complete, given your real-life commitments.

Then, practice! Miranda was getting great relationship-building practice in her weekly networking meetings. She knew that would be essential for any career move she made. She was also getting great hands-on practice creating financial statements in her volunteer position. This gave her time to learn, experiment, and fail in a safe environment, while she kept moving her career plan forward.

I'm highly confident Miranda is going to achieve the career goal she set for herself. And when she does, it will be a huge win for her. Not only because she'll achieve her desired outcome, but also because she'll have built a fabulous winning experience on setting and achieving a career milestone-one step at a time.

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How to Set Realistic, Achievable Career Goals

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It wasn't working for my client, Miranda. She'd gotten her degree and was doing well in her role at a Big Four accounting firm, but something was missing. Sure, she could keep going, receive generous compensation, and continue to advance. But deep down inside, no fireworks were going off; she couldn't see herself on this path for the long term.

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Congratulations-you have a job interview coming up. You are in competition with every person being interviewed for the job, and there's no shortcut to being prepared. Here are some tips and strategies to help it go well and-fingers crossed-lead to a job offer.

1. Do Your Homework

Hopefully you've researched the company (and the person interviewing you, if possible) before the day of your interview. If you have, today is the day to do a refresher. If you haven't, set aside an hour or so to review key facts, like the company's mission and products.

The reason this is important isn't so you can randomly recite facts or figures; it's so you can give informed, relevant answers. For example:

Imagine you are interviewing at a company called Green Communications. The interviewer asks why you want to work there, and you answer that you like making connections between people, and you believe good communication skills are the key to success in almost any position.

That's a good answer. But a minimal amount of research would have told you that the company specializes in public relations and social media for environmental causes, and that the CEO started the company 4 years ago. Your answer could then highlight how important communication skills are in educating the public about the environment, and how a young company can be especially agile in today's economy by taking advantage of social media to promote causes.

Those are almost the same answer, given two different ways. But the second one tells your potential employer that you took the time and made the effort to explore the company's history and purpose.

2. Practice Out Loud

It's not necessary to role-play, though that's a great exercise. Even practicing to yourself in the car will make a difference in your delivery. The reality is that job interviews make us nervous-a person in authority is judging us in a short period of time-and our words can often get tangled. Practicing ahead of time will keep your pauses and "ums" to a minimum and give you more confidence in your answers.

3. Dress and Carry Yourself Appropriately

While you want to be comfortable, you also want to dress appropriately. In most cases, this does not mean jeans and a T-shirt. One guideline is to dress for one position higher than the one for which you are interviewing. When in doubt, wear nice slacks, a dress shirt or blouse, and a jacket. It is an outfit that can bridge most company cultures.

4. Be on Time and Be Prepared

Allow extra time for traffic, subway congestion, or other delays. Know where you are expected to park. Do a trial run during the same time of day if you're unfamiliar with the area. Take extra resumes (in a portfolio or folder), a notepad, and pens. Bring a comb or hairbrush to adjust your hair in the restroom before the interview. If you wear contacts, take contact solution. If you have allergies or a cough, bring tissues and cough drops.

5. If You're Nervous, Say So

Interviewers understand that you may be nervous. They are used to job applicants. If you stumble over an answer, simply say, "I'm sorry, I'm a little nervous because I really want to do well in this interview. Let me start again." It shows that you are honest, that you can think on your feet, and that making a simple mistake doesn't throw you. If you're nervous enough that your hands are cold, run warm water over them prior to the interview so your handshake will be warm.

6. Be Ready for the Typical Questions

These openers often include:

"Tell me a little about yourself."

"Where do you want to be in 5 years?"

"What are your strengths and weaknesses?"

Understand that the interviewer asks this of everybody, which means they can readily tell when an applicant's answer is thoughtful and original. In truth, no one knows what will come to pass in the next 5 years. But being able to say, "I hope to still be in communications, still be challenged on a daily basis, still be learning new technology, and possibly pursuing management," gives your interviewer an idea of your potential.

7. Be Confident (But Not Too Confident)

Employers want employees who believe in their abilities and can do their work with confidence, but who also are ready to learn and work with others. In an interview, you will be expected to describe your skills-even though you listed them on your resume-and to do so in such a way that makes you seem attractive to the company.

This means no bragging. If you have essential experience or won a relevant award, mention it as something you're proud of and want to build on. The last thing an employer wants is a new employee who thinks they know everything.

8. Be Aware of Your Body Language and Make Eye Contact

When we are interested, we tend to lean forward in our chairs; when we are bored, we tend to lean back. When we are nervous, we fidget and change positions. When we are unprepared, we stall or evade. These are forms of communication, so be conscious of how you are presenting yourself. Find a comfortable position and then sit still. Listen actively to your interviewer, make eye contact, and be present. Don't interrupt, and try not to let your mind jump ahead.

9. Have Some Questions Ready

At some point, most interviewers ask applicants if they have questions about the position. This is not a throwaway question; they really are interested in your answer. If you ask general, one-size-fits-all questions ("What's it like to work here?"), you're going to get general, one-size-fits-all answers. But if your questions show a genuine interest ("How does Green Communications set itself apart in a world filled with social media?"), your interviewer will respond differently-and they will see you as a more credible, solid prospect.

10. Follow Up

The tip here used to be, when you get home after the interview, write-don't email-a personal thank-you note to your interviewer, and put it in the mail that day. This advice is outdated. In today's connected world, an email is acceptable. In it, thank the interviewer for spending time with you, mention something specific from the interview, and reiterate how much you would like to work for them.

Don't fall into the trap of thinking that if you don't hear something immediately, you did poorly in the interview. Interviewers are busy, and getting back to job applicants can fall to the bottom of their to-do lists. If you haven't heard back in a week, send a short, warm email asking where the interviewer is in the process. If it turns out that someone else was hired, ask if the company would keep your information on file in the case of future vacancies. As with every other part of an interview, your performance after the interview can make a difference.

Purdue University Global and You-A Winning Team

You've worked hard to earn your degree, and the job interview is your place to shine. As you make your way through the doors that a college degree opens up, take advantage of the Purdue Global Career Services team. We provide comprehensive career planning to students and alumni, and we can help you remain motivated and empowered throughout your job search. Learn more about how we can help.

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10 Tips for the Day of Your Job Interview

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Congratulations-you have a job interview coming up. You are in competition with every person being interviewed for the job, and there's no shortcut to being prepared. Here are some tips and strategies to help it go well and-fingers crossed-lead to a job offer.

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This topic is about planning your career, for example, to select the right career for you. If, however, you are interested instead in advancing in the same career field, then see Career Advancement. If you are interested in changing your career, see Career Change.

Sections of This Topic Include

Who's Responsible for Your Career?
What is Career Planning?
Career Stages: Which One Are You In?
Additional Perspectives on Career Planning

Learn More in the Library's Blogs Related to Career Planning

In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to career planning. Scan down the blog's page to see various posts. Also see the section "Recent Blog Posts" in the sidebar of the blog or click on "next" near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.

Library's Career Management Blog
Library's Coaching Blog
Library's Human Resources Blog

Who's Responsible for Your Career?

© Copyright Marcia Zidle

Many think of it as a 50-50 arrangement. I carry 50% of the responsibility for my career development and my employer carries 50%. Yes, in theory, but not in reality. Here's the rub.

What an employer considers 50%, you may consider only 10% and be dissatisfied. And what you feel is your 50% contribution, may be considered a measly 20% by your employers. This leads to mismatched expectations and employee/employer frustrations.

The Bottom Line:

If you are concerned about your career advancement, as you should be, then take complete ownership of it. These are some of the things you could do to take charge of your career:

1. Build your career capital.

Career capital consists of your qualifications, experience and reputation. It requires investments of time and resources to grow. Find workshops and trainings that would enhance your capabilities. Don't assume your organization has no money for professional development - you won't know unless you ask. However, you may need to do it on your own time or even with some of your own money. Realize this is an investment in your future.

2. Be known and be seen.

Take the initiative. Ask your manager for the opportunity to lead a task force or take on a project outside of your job duties. For example, head a committee recommending personnel policy changes, facilitate the next staff meeting or make a presentation to upper management or the board. It's not only who you know or who knows you but, most importantly, who knows and is impressed by what you can do.

3. Find a mentor.

You need to have someone who can introduce you to people, give you strategic career advice and help you learn from his or her mistakes. Mentors don't have to be in your organization. Look around your community. Who is doing interesting work? Who inspires you? Develop a relationship first before popping the mentor question.

4. Work with a coach.

While a mentor can help build your network and give advice, a coach can build your skills and help you develop a winning career strategy. That person can also work with you on the leadership or managerial challenges you're currently facing so that you don't make career fatal mistakes.

5. Above all, make sure you perform well.

You can do all the other stuff, but if you do not deliver, sooner or later you will trip up. So step number one in your career development is to do what you are currently doing to the very best of your ability and with all your energy - even if it is not yet what you ultimately want from your career.

Your career is your responsibility.

Yes, of course, you manager should have your best interests in mind, but your career development is not at the top of his her daily to-do list. It should be on the top of yours. So, to take charge of you career, set time aside to answer these questions:

What can you do right now to enrich your present job or assignment?

What career options can you start exploring for challenge, variety, or greater personal satisfaction?

What internal training courses or external seminars can you participate in for professional development?

Are there off-the-job experiences that could enhance your portfolio of skills and your reputation as a leader?

What is Career Planning?

© Copyright Marcia Zidle

To make it happen in your career, you need to plan your career.

Career planning is a process of understanding oneself, exploring career options, making wise decisions and moving forward. What complicates it is that people, careers and organizations are constantly changing.

Therefore, career planning is not something done one time early in your career. Rather, it's an ongoing process throughout your life. It doesn't matter what's your profession, your industry or your place of employment. The reality is lives change, professions change, industries change, organizations change and so your career will change. You can bet on it!

Who Am I?

The foundation of career planning, today and for the future is based on a very clear understanding of who you are as an individual and as a professional person. As a career coach, I've found that the greater the congruency between who you are - your skills, values, interests and personality - and your career choices, the greater personal career satisfaction.

Since everyone has a unique mix of skills, strengths and limitations that change over time, the first step in career planning is to look at who you are and what your career is all about. Also, gaining clarity about yourself will help you make better decisions in the future when challenges and opportunities emerge.

Identity Questions

Here are some simple, but profound, questions to start you on this journey. You may want to choose someone, or several people, to help you reflect and provide additional feedback.

What do I see as my personal strengths?

What are some of my personal limitations?

What are my core values - what's important to me?

What are my abilities - things I'm good at and enjoy doing?

What have I done, or I am doing now, that makes me feel proud?

What are the significant influences on my life that have affected my career?

Do I have talents that I feel are underdeveloped - how can I start utilizing them?

What are my current obligations or commitments? How might they affect my career?

If I could turn the clock back, what career choices or decisions would I make differently?

If I could turn the clock ahead, what are some things I would like to accomplish in my life?

What Do You Know?

What have you learned about yourself from this self assessment? Perhaps you would like to have deeper insights. There are career assessment tools that provide personalized information on skills, interests, personality and values or career anchors. Would you like to know more, then let's start a dialogue.

Who's Responsible for Your Career?
What Is Career Planning?
What Shapes Careers?

Career Stages: Which One Are You In?
Career Planning -- Looking at Some Options
Career Planning -- Goals and Plans
Career Survival Strategies to Ride the Waves of Change: Part 1
Career Survival Strategies to Ride the Waves of Change: Part 2 Career Planning: Goals and Plans

Career Stages: Which One Are You In?

© Copyright Marcia Zidle

Careers are like life, they don't stand still. They progress from one stage to another.

Here are career stages that you are going through, have been through, or hope to go through. Pay attention to the potential roadblocks - they can make or break your career advancement.

Stage I - Apprenticeship: Learning the Ropes

You are fresh, most likely young or starting over in a new career. You are hungry for knowledge and seek out guidance from others. At first you are most likely part of a team with specific tasks. You may be closely supervised until your boss has confidence in your abilities. Your "job" is not only to do the work assigned but also to learn about the culture, the company, and the colleagues you work with.

Potential career roadblock: Settling into your current role.

As you develop your capabilities, you may become too comfortable. You're no longer the new kid on the block. You know your way around. This is the most important time to grow in your career. Ask for more assignments that will expand your expertise and experience. Keep moving ahead.

Stage II - Independent Contributor: Establishing a Reputation

Now you are a doer. You are taking on more responsibility and developing technical depth in assignments. You re also given more autonomy - making decisions that you boss made earlier in your career. You may be part of a committee that makes recommendations on the best software or ways to increase customer satisfaction. This is an opportunity to stand out and shine.

Potential career roadblock: Indecision about your next career move.

Most of us in this stage could steer our careers in several directions. If you are not sure where you want to end up, you may never move toward the goal. So assess if you want to expand your expertise with more challenging assignments or start leading projects or teams in order to develop your managerial abilities. See Generalist vs Specialist.

Stage III - Leader: Developing and Managing Others

You have the title of supervisor, manager or director. As you progress in this position, you have staff under you. It could be 5 people or even 50. You now get things done and get results through others. You are assigning tasks, managing their work efforts and coaching them to improve or enhance their performance. It may be difficult for you not to be so hands-on since your hands-on skills are what got you here.

Potential career roadblock: Not focusing on your interpersonal skills.

Management is dealing with all kinds and levels of people -subordinates, peers, boss or bosses, other departments or business units, even other companies and the list goes on. It's important to have well developed communication, negotiation, team building skills. If you don't, your career growth will be in jeopardy.
Stage IV - Executive: Exercising Power

You have significant organization responsibility. Your focus is not on day to day operations but on strategy - the future of the organization. Your role is to be proactive - to anticipate change, plan for it, initiative it and lead the organization as it goes through it. That requires dealing more with the external environment and making tough, hard decisions.

Potential career roadblock: Not using the real influence that you have.

By being indecisive and not pushing strategy forward, you may appear wavering or lackluster. People look to their senior leaders for vision, guidance and encouragement especially in these very changing times.

Career Success Tip:

By knowing what career stage you are in, you can focus on the key tasks and avoid the key roadblocks so that you are most effective. Also by knowing the next career stage, you can anticipate and prepare for your next position. In that way you will be proactive, rather than reactive, in your career management.

Additional Perspectives on Career Planning

The Success Series articles
100 Important Life Lessons & Truths - Things I've Learned
What?! Luck Comes from Hard Work?"
Be more successful: Create "ME INC."
Caution: Bad Career Advice Ahead
A Strong Career Brand -- Do You Have One?
Best Career Path -- Generalist vs. Specialist
How to Improve Your Employment Application
Get the Most Value from Your MBA
Are You a Career Entrepreneur?
Build Your Reputation and Your Career
Information is Power: What Do You Know?
Learn, Grow, Lead: Stand Out In the Crowd
How to Brand Yourself
Free Printable Job Application Forms
Do You Know What a Career Activist Is?
Are You A Team Player?
7 Keys to Career and Life Success
Portfolio Careers: That's the Future
15 Job Search and Career Books You Must Read
Climbing The Career Walls In Our Lives
Career Trends: What You Need to Know So You Wont Be Left Behind
To Be Eliminated or Not, That is The Question
Are You Ambitious? How to Grow Your Career
Working Abroad: What It Takes to Succeed
Four Career Challenges That Can Bring Your Down!
What's Your Career Success IQ?
Career Success Part 1: Don't Let Your Guard Down
Career Success Part 2: Get Ahead of the Crowd
Career Success Part 3: Make The Right Things Happen!
Ready to Take the Plunge into Self-Employment?

Using the Internet for Career Development

Self Improvement Online
Internet Sites for Career Planning
Top Sites for Choosing a Career

For the Category of Career Development:

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.
Related Library Topics Recommended Books

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This topic is about planning your career, for example, to select the right career for you. If, however, you are interested instead in advancing in the same career field, then see Career Advancement. If you are interested in changing your career, see Career Change. Who's Responsible for Your Career?

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5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT LANDING YOUR FIRST JOB

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