Career planning is an ability-testing exercise

If you were asked to go to a new place altogether, wouldn't you plan for your journey so that you do not face any difficulties en route. The planning that you will do will invariably pertain to the place being visited, items that you would carry and the mode of conveyance, etc. When you do career planning, similar actions are required to be taken so that you do not encounter any hindrances in your career advancement; all roadblocks in your career journey will have to be envisioned and plans made in advance to overcome them.  When you start off with your job search, you should be prepared for challenges that you will face; more than anticipating them, you should have done contingency planning also. You may proceed with your job search in any way you like, but in order to be successful, you will have to adopt a systematic approach and display due astuteness throughout.

When you do career planning, you envision your future. You visualise how it will, rather should unfold to ensure that you move ahead in your career sans any troubles and complications. The process will never be bereft of challenges.The process is not bereft of competitive situations and your ability will be subject to test. Issues that will be challenging are:

• Remaining methodical: During the course of your job search, you will be required to have at hand a number of documents. They could be copies of your resume, contact details of people, company profiles, correspondence and applications submitted by you. You will also be required to maintain a list of actions to be taken by you like visits, telephone calls, forwarding of documents and appointments, etc. It is essential that you remain methodical so that all such information is readily available.
• Remaining canny: You will have to be highly discerning and thus display a high degree of awareness of whatever transpires around you; of particular significance will be issues that are capable of impacting your career selection. Remaining cognisant and responsive to emerging situations will help you to examine them for any possible effect they may have on your career. You will be able to evaluate opportunities that come your way for their potential vis-a-vis career advancement.
• Remaining focussed: When you set out for a job hunt, it is all about making efforts to seek satisfaction. You can be contented if you make use of your knowledge, both theoretical and practical willingly and with happiness. Remember that if you succeed in your endeavours, happiness will be an automatic fallout. The corollary is also true; if you engage yourself in any work that you delight in, success will automatically follow. if you maintain your focus, the chances of success will stand boosted. In the light of numerous  distractions and disturbances that prevail today, remaining focused is a challenge by itself.
• Remaining proactive: You will have to display a proactive approach with regard to your future planning. This is the primary strategy of any job search. It is a fact that most job vacancies are not publicised and information about them will have to be obtained through your contacts. Your line of action should be to gather job leads from others, meet people and take the information acquired by you to its logical conclusion. To make your plan work, you will have to do proper time management and evaluate all leads obtained; towards that, networking has to be a contours process.
• Remaining in limelight: You will have to generate a good image of yourself, be it when you meet people, indulge in conversations or via your resume. Your CV is an important document and it should be drafted with care. And when you face an interview, you will have to make a good impression, which again will be a challenge. The manner in which you conduct yourself will be based on what you know about yourself and hence dictate the type of impression that you generate.        

The above challenges will persist throughout your career span. You need to know what your responses to various challenges as and when they unfold themselves will be. The foregoing will call for learning newer operation techniques. But most importantly, you cannot afford to play with the trust that people who offer you frank advice have in you.