What is a Career Action Plan?

A Career Action Plan is a road (1) _________ that takes you from choosing an occupation to becoming employed in that occupation to (2) _________ your long-term career goals. Developing a Career Action Plan is the fourth step in the career planning process. You must complete the following steps first.

Do a thorough self-assessment.

Completely exploreviable career optionswhich were identified during the self-assessment. Choose an occupation after considering all the options.

Setting and reaching your goals.

Break your goalsdown(3) _________ short-term and long-term goals. Short-term goals are goals you can reach in one year or less. Long-term goals are ones that are attainable in one to five years.

In order (4) _________ your goals, you will have to get around any barriers you may face. List those barriers and your solutions for dealing with them.

You should set both long-term and short-term goals:

Long-term goals: these are goals that you should be able to achieve (5) _________ about three to five years.

Short term goals: these are goals that you should be able to reach in one to three years.

In order for your goals to be achievable, they must (6) _________ certain criteria.

Your goals must be:

Conceivable: you must be able to put your goal (7) _________ words.

Achievable: you must have the attributes, energy, and time (8) _________ your goal.

Believable: you must believe you can reach your goal.

Achievable within a Certain Time Frame: you must be able to state how long it will take you to reach your goal.

Clearly Defined: you must know exactly what your goal is.

Flexible: you must be willing to modify your goal as necessary.

1 A trip B movie C map D sign

2 A reaching B spending C coming D bringing

3 A out B to C over D into

4 A to reach B to spend C to learn D to discuss

5 A at B in C on D into

6 A ask B have C meet D learn

7 A into B over C under D to

8 A to draw B to accomplish C to forget D to review

Task 4. Consider the elements of the job and describe your dream job using the ‘Key Language’.

Types of work — paperwork, manual work, vocational (which helps people).

Professional training — required with job experience, may need some job training, not required.

Job experience — required, preferable, not required.

Working environment — comfortable, challenging, demanding; to establish good working rela­tionship, good rapport with colleagues.

Working patterns — to work fixed hours, to have nine-to-five job, to work flexi-time/to be on flexi-time, to do shift work (be a shift worker), to be a teleworker (work from home), to be self-employed, to be/to work freelance.

Social contact — limited, broad; socialize with workmates.

Physical demands — physically demanding, not very physically demanding.

Responsibilities — have to deal with the customers, make a research, work with numbers (figures), to deal with unpredictable situations, to work in a team, etc.

Promotion — good promotion prospects, may be passed over for promotion, a glass ceiling.

Job characteristics — positive: rewarding, interesting, dynamic, fast moving; negative: tiring, boring, mechanical, repetitive, a dead-end job.

Extra advantages — free meals, tips, perks, a car, a personal secretary.

Disadvantages — high stress level, heavy workload, have to meet the deadlines, to be snowed under, to be overworked and underpaid.

Key Language

It’s becoming increasingly popular in my country to…

More and more people are getting interested in…

I would prefer to have a job that…

I’m quite certain that…

If I were to decide/select, I would…

…is suitable/ideal/perfect for…

…is just what I need.

I seek a career in … (industry).

Job satisfaction is important to me because...

24. YOUTH TODAY

Task 1. Read the text and fill in the table.