Action Planning
Action plans should be : SMART
• SPECIFIC
• MEASURABLE
• ACHIEVABLE
• REALISTIC
• TIME-BOUND
SPECIFIC Avoid setting unclear or vague objectives ; be focused and detailed .
Rather than : Find out more about careers .
Be specific : Research graduate entry points into advertising account planner .
MEASURABLE Ensure will you know when you have achieved your goal . Using numbers , dates and times is one way to represent clear objectives .
Rather than : I will improve my time management skills on my placement .
Be precise : I shall find out what diary systems are used in the workplace and talk to colleagues to find out how they manage their time effectively .
ACHIEVABLE Don ’ t expect to cover ground inhumanly quickly . If you do this you will action the task poorly or give up !
Rather than : I will become an expert in Excel Spreadsheets by the end of the week .
Know your limits : I will check my timetable and deadlines then book into an Excel workshop and build in an hour during the same week and the week after to go over what I learnt .
REALISTIC
Action plan for the right areas of your life at the right time . It is unrealistic ( and even foolish ) to be focusing on serious careers research when you are in an exam period .
TIME-BOUND Set a time scale for completion of each goal . This time scale should not be too long or the goal can simply be deferred , and deferred … Even if you have to review this time scale as you progress , it will help to keep you motivated .
Rather than : Make sure I sort out work experience this year .
Keep it tight : By the end of the week I will visit Careers and Employability to find out what the deadlines are for internships in finance .
Bearing in mind the principles outlined in the last section , you can now draw up an action plan format that you can use for different purposes , now and later . You can use our suggested format that adheres to the guidelines discussed but this is only a suggestion as you will have your own working style . There is also an example to help you get started .
Remember , less is more ; it is far better to have a small number of action points that you follow through than a long list that you never get round to doing . You can add more actions as you tick off what you have achieved .
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