Career Planning and Development Strategies

The assignment requires the student to reflect on their strengths, weaknesses, competencies, and in-competencies, and to create a plan for developing their skills and achieving their career goals. The student must also identify the skills and abilities required by entrepreneurs, human resource managers, and social workers, and make decisions about their preferred career path.

Running head: WORKPLACE LEARNING
Workplace Learning
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author Note:

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Table of Contents
Executive Summary...................................................................................................................2
Introduction................................................................................................................................3
Discussion..................................................................................................................................4
Three specific employment fields..........................................................................................4
Nature of work...................................................................................................................4
Work environment.............................................................................................................5
Education skills..................................................................................................................5
Average salaries.................................................................................................................6
Personality traits required..................................................................................................6
Labor market outlook.........................................................................................................6
Related positions................................................................................................................7
Typical employers..............................................................................................................7
Specific employer in each field..............................................................................................7
George Coles (Entrepreneur).............................................................................................8
Felicia Fields (Human Resource Manager)........................................................................8
Mariko Yamada (Social Worker).......................................................................................9
Career Path...........................................................................................................................10
Reflection.............................................................................................................................12
Conclusion................................................................................................................................14
References................................................................................................................................17

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Executive Summary
Career planning refers to an ongoing procedure which helps individuals to manage his/her
learning as well as development. The whole process of career planning revolves around
knowing about one’s likings or disliking, finding out what he/she wants, making appropriate
decisions and taking necessary actions. The report throws light on my career planning and the
areas of my interest. I have discussed about my career plans and what I wish to become, all
throughout the report. However, I have mentioned three specific areas of my interest. Those
areas are; entrepreneurship, human resource manager or social worker.
It is highly important to decide on what a person wants to become and design his/her career
plan in accordance with that. Moreover, the individuals should identify the job related skills,
knowledge, competencies, abilities as well as experiences, in order to become effective in
their related fields. The report mentions about the skills and abilities required by
entrepreneurs, human resource managers and social workers. In addition to this, it also
mentions about some personalities who have succeeded in their specific areas and the steps
they had taken. Furthermore, it also discusses about the necessary steps or skills, educational
qualifications and other factors, which are necessary in achieving success in the related areas.

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Introduction
A career defines an individual’s progress within their occupation or a series of
occupations. A career is regarded as something more than just a job, occupation or work. In
addition to this, it includes the progress all throughout one’s life, vocational areas of life and
growth as well as development. Majority of the students have a feeling that there is only one
occupational area which is best suited for them. However, there are several areas which can
be greater choices for the aspiring students. The only secret is to identify those occupational
areas that generally have high probability of happiness as well as success (Lent, 2013). Being
a college student, it is important to check whether the career goals are in relation with the
subject being studied or not.
The purpose of this report is to analyze three specific fields of employment of the
areas which I am interested in pursuing a career in. However, my preferred choices are
entrepreneurship, human resource manager or to indulge myself into social works. The
specific skills required for these choices are the ability to compute, read, think critically,
write and to communicate in an effective, yet efficient manner. Being an entrepreneur
requires huge skills and job responsibilities. A major part of these skills are being developed
and polished during the educational courses. These particular skills as well as effective career
planning tactics will enable me to overcome the hurdles all throughout my work life.
Moreover, I also have the ability to cope up in a changing environment, with ambiguity. I can
work in any situation or environment, which will help me to achieve a career in social works
as well.
Deciding on the initial career may present a frightening or stressful prospect.
Successful decisions made regarding career completely depends upon the accurate or current
information available. However, the report throws light on the specific three areas, which I

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am interested in pursuing a career. Moreover, it also includes the working environment of the
selected careers, educational skills, personality and training traits required to become
successful, average salaries, labor market outlook, related positions and the typical
employers. In addition to this, the report consists of some information regarding an employer
in each field of my career specifications. Furthermore, it discusses in detail about the career
path being followed, entry level position and the qualifications being required to reach the top
level. The report concludes by comparing my skills with those employers and how can I
continue developing my skills, values and interests all throughout my work life.
Discussion
Career planning is completely an individual activity which occurs all throughout an
individual’s working life. In Australian society, the career that any individual enters will
hugely influence his/her entire self concept, lifestyle, prestige, income, living location and
choice of friends as well. However, career planning is a subcomponent of an individual’s life
planning. It is highly influenced by several factors and at the same time, it emphasizes
working environment and tasks. In addition to this, individuals should also keep in mind that
a career planning procedure is sequential and ongoing.
Three specific employment fields
The three specific employment fields which I have chosen are entrepreneurship,
human resource manager of any company or a social worker.
Nature of work
Entrepreneurship has been a long path for many Australians who have travelled to
economic independence. However, my interest in becoming an entrepreneur is due to the
freedom it provides to the businessmen. Moreover, I will also get adequate time to spend with
my family and friends. My primary plan is to start a jewelry business at the heart of the city,

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but I require capital for my business. Therefore, my second consideration is becoming a
human resource manager of a reputed firm, which will fetch me enough money to start my
own business. However, the work life will be different as I have to work for 7-8 hours per
day. Thirdly, I would like to establish my career as a social worker as there are various ways
one can go about searching for business ideas in social enterprises.
Work environment
Starting a business is considered to be one of the most important steps in an
individual’s career. As per my opinion, starting an independent venture will prove to be more
beneficial than opting for joint ventures. The independent business owner will be his/her own
boss and therefore, I can set the business pattern anytime, depending on my personal choices
as well as fluctuating conditions of the market. However, the human resource manager has to
work for 7-8 hours per day. He/she will have to work under someone and maintain the work
life balance as per the company’s guidelines. Moreover, becoming a social worker will also
be a bigger challenge for me as they have to deal with a lot of emotionally demanding
situations. But on the bright side, I can explore the world and travel to many places (Dees,
2017).
Education skills
Many researchers have claimed that several entrepreneurs who are successful in their
fields are either high school or college dropouts. However, I think that basic education is
necessary for becoming an entrepreneur as it requires huge skills and dedication. A successful
entrepreneur is a result of proper mixture of education as well as entrepreneurial
characteristics. He/she need to have leadership qualities and there are several business degree
options for further education. Moreover, in order to become a human resource manager, the
applicant needs to have at least a Bachelor’s degree and some even have master’s degree. The
subjects that are related in this field involve human resource management and business

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administration or some related fields. In addition to this, a social worker needs to have a
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in social work (Cascio, 2018).
Average salaries
An entrepreneur’s average salary is around 171,610 Australian dollars per year. On
the contrary, a human resource manager earns around 59,180 Australian dollars per year
along with compensation as well as benefits on the basis of their job profile. However, a
social worker earns around 47,510 Australian dollars per year.
Personality traits required
Entrepreneurs are not at all afraid of hard work and commitment. Hard work,
dedication and creativity are some of the personality traits, which the entrepreneurs need to
have. Moreover, they should have the ability of motivating and encouraging their employees
to work and perform better every day. On the other hand, human resource managers need to
have good communication skills, compliance, analytical abilities, leadership, impartiality and
objectivity. They are required to select, train and develop employees on the basis of their
competencies. Moreover, the human resource managers are also responsible for designing the
rewards and recognition programs of the employees (Cascio, 2018). Therefore, it is important
for them to be impartial and unbiased in these fields. However, the traits of a social worker
are completely different from the above two, as they should be empathetic towards others.
They should have the abilities of listening to others, persuade and aware people of societal
issues (Rothwell et al., 2015).
Labor market outlook
The employment prospects of the entrepreneurs vary from and are subjective to
industries to demographics. This is due to the reason that the Labor Statistics Bureau does not
provide with a specific job outlook to the entrepreneurs. However, it states that

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entrepreneurship is the major driving force for the market economy. Moreover, the overall
employment for the human resource managers is projected to enhance by 17 percent in the
upcoming years. On the contrary, the employment of the healthcare social workers is
expected to grow by 20 percent in the upcoming years, which is comparatively faster than
other occupations.
Related positions
The related positions for entrepreneurship are mid level management, business
consultant, sales, research and development, not-for-profit fundraiser, teacher, recruiter or
business reported. However, the related positions for a human resource manager are
administrator, certified trainer, professional expert or employee benefits manager. Likewise,
the related positions of a social worker are volunteers in hospitals, nurses, teachers or social
entrepreneurs.
Typical employers
Typical employers of entrepreneurs include organizational managers, employees and
others. For human resource managers, the typical employers are new applicants and
candidates. The social workers typically identify the people who are in need of help. They do
not have some specific employers; however, they assess the needs and demands of their
clients by considering the situations (Bibby, 2017).
Specific employer in each field
This section of the report discusses about a specific employer in each field of my
career preferences. It includes the organization’s size in which the employer works and its
history, organizational structure, culture or mission, branches, clients or customers and
opportunities for promotion.

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George Coles (Entrepreneur)
George Coles was the founder of the Coles group, which is the largest chain of stores
in Australia. Coles Supermarkets is an Australian retail, consumer service chain and
supermarket that is headquartered at Melbourne. Founded in the year 1914, the company now
operates all across the country. The company has over 100,000 employees and it accounts for
around 80 percent of the overall Australian market. However, George Coles learned retail
trade working to lend a helping hand to his father’s store business. The company expanded to
a huge extent and now it has 801 operating stores all across Australia. The mission of the
organization is to deliver outstanding service, quality and also value its target consumers.
The company has several branches and subsidiaries all across the country. The
company has collaborated with Accenture in order to develop and manage innovative
devices, which will benefit the consumers. The customers can add items automatically by
using the voice recognition app, which will be delivered to them. The products are mainly
grocery items, fresh fruits and vegetables, baby products, sea foods and many more. The
employees also get a balanced work and personal life. Moreover, the work environment is
also healthy and each employee is promoted on the basis of the skills, responsibilities and
expertise (Coles.com.au. 2018). Interaction with the employees has revealed the fact that they
are very happy working there.
Felicia Fields (Human Resource Manager)
Felicia Fields is the human resource manager of Ford Motor Company, where she has
been serving for around 26 years. The company is an American multinational automaker,
which is headquartered at Michigan. It was founded by Henry Ford in the year 1901 and now
the highly reputed company manufactures the most luxurious cars under the Lincoln brand.
However, the company’s mission statement guides the overall strategies needed in order to
extend or achieve the market positions. The company’s vision statement is to reach the higher

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level of performance. The culture of the organization is highly admirable and the employees
are more team-focused. They work in teams in order to achieve the organizational goals and
objectives.
The Ford Motor Company has its branches all across the world along with 12
investors owning around 1000 shares. The company’s target market is mainly the middle
income groups to higher income groups. It promotes safe and long lasting commitment for
developing as well as implementing innovations for the customers and families. The
company sells commercial vehicles and automotive parts under the Ford brand. However,
there luxury cars are sold under the Lincoln brand. The employees of the company are highly
satisfied with their work life. They get to balance their personal as well as professional lives.
Moreover, there are clear goals and opportunities for promotions, which motivate as well as
encourage the employees to perform better every day (Ford.com. 2018).
Mariko Yamada (Social Worker)
Mariko Yamada has been a social worker for over 40 years and has a huge record of
public services since the middle 1970s. Her top priorities are public safety, community
corrections, integrated social services, drug abuse, public education and others. Yamada has
been associated with various organizations and received worldwide admiration. However,
later in her life, she also served as the investigator with Civil Rights Division of the United
States Department of Commerce. In addition to this, she has also donated huge chunk to
many organizations. Her aim is to help people in need of emotional and financial support.
Moreover, she has also contributed a lot in organizing and conducting campaigns for raising
public awareness.
Yamada serves the community in order to eradicate ill practices from the society.
Moreover, she aims to serve the homeless people for their betterment. She represents most of

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Solano and Yolo countries at the California State Assembly. Moreover, previously she served
at the Yolo County Board of Supervisors and came to be regarded as the leader of social
service issues. In addition to this, she has been spotted at the rally for supporting Sodexho
workers and their efforts to unionize. She has received admiration as well as immense
popularity due to her noble works involving the homeless people. Her efforts regarding the
society have been well appreciated by the media personnel as well.
Career Path
Many careerists consider a professional career as their destination and for others it is a
wonderful journey. From the very beginning, their main aim is to achieve the level of
proficiency or say stature, in their chosen areas. For the organizational managers or leaders,
the main goal is to move upwards in the career progression plan. They prefer focusing on
meeting the organizational goals and objectives. Likewise, my first choice is to become an
entrepreneur. However, I need capital for my business and thus, my initial choice would be to
work as a human resource manager or a social worker. Therefore, hard work, dedication and
commitment would take me to the top position of the company and from there I will be able
to start my own business.
An entry level position or job can be referred to a normally designed structure for the
students who have recently graduated from their institutions of the given discipline. This
means that they do not have any prior experience in the fields of their chosen profession.
However, in entry level jobs the previous experiences does not matter and the applicants are
being regarded as fresher. There job role specifically involves some on site trainings or on job
trainings. Majority of the entry level jobs or say, part time jobs do not even include the
employee benefits. However, various organizations look for fresher for the position of human
resource manager or social worker (Drucker, 2014). Proper trainings are given after
recruitment and thus, it will not be a big challenge for me as I am a quick learner.

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The typical titles given to the entry level job positions are account coordinator,
actuarial analyst, assistant media planner and more. The job titles usually end with a
‘specialist’ and majority of the organizations also give ‘senior’ designation to the employees.
For example, ‘Senior Project Specialist’, ‘Senior Subject Matter Expert’ and other related to
their job profession. Moreover, in my chosen areas, the entry level positions will be human
resource assistant, junior accountant, receptionist, volunteer or others. The entry level jobs
are basically the lower level positions of the companies (Turner, 2017). This will help me in
gaining more experience, which in turn, will contribute a lot to my future prospects of
becoming an entrepreneur.
There are no other paths one can take to achieve his/her dreams. As per my opinion, I
feel that there are no shortcuts to success. You will have to work hard and engross yourself
fully into the work you are doing, in order to achieve your dreams. Moreover, by entry level
jobs one can gain experience in their related fields, which will help them later in life. They
will know more and can give their ideas more creatively. However, if any individual have a
family business he/she can become an entrepreneur easily. Still, there remains an uncertainty,
as lack of experience can prove to be a major disadvantage for the overall success of the
business. In relation to this, referrals ore recommendations can also help a fresher become a
human resource manager or social worker. However, established organizations prefer
recruiting experienced candidates, rather than depending on the referral policies (Schaper et
al., 2014).
The middle level management positions include team leaders, assistant manager,
foreman, shift manager, regional managers, operational managers, human resource managers
and others. The upper level management positions include the Vice President of the
company, Chief Executive Officer, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Financial Officer and
others. They are responsible for managing the long term goals of the organization, which

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involves market production, markets and business organization. This hierarchy is maintained
in the organization and every management level is assigned to work for a common
organizational goal or objective. They interprets, plans and also sets job actions like
providing training and guiding the new and inexperienced employees (Bratton & Gold,
2017).
The organizational managers require a minimum of Bachelor’s degree that is
equivalent to the business related field. Moreover, he/she needs to have at least three years of
experience in the supervisory or management positions. In addition to this, they should have
specialized training in the management of human resources as well. For the Chief Executive
Officers, the typical qualifications usually consist of minimum Bachelor’s degree, in the
related in areas. Moreover, they might choose to pursue a Master of Business Administration
that is MBA or some related post graduate qualifications (Dees, 2017).
Reflection
After analyzing all the three areas, it is now important to take into consideration on
how well I would fit in like these employers. A thorough research in each field has helped me
in gaining more information regarding the specified fields. Moreover, I have gained useful
insights regarding my strengths, weaknesses, competencies and in-competencies. In addition
to this, I also understood what skills I need to develop, in order to succeed. However, I
understood that the job satisfaction of the self employed workers are more as compared to the
ones who has to serve 7-8 hours for monthly earnings. My research regarding being an
entrepreneur is confirmed as I would get the freedom to work as per my wishes.
Furthermore, I have planned for higher study that is pursuing a Master of Business
Administration from a reputed business institution. This is because I need to develop my
entrepreneurial skills in order to reach the highest level of success. Moreover, I need to focus

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on my work, be resilient, learn more and be able to convince people. As per my research, I
came to know that for becoming a perfect entrepreneur, one needs to be a great organizational
leader or manager. I don’t think that there are any areas or characteristics which do not fit me
as an entrepreneur. However, I like the freedom which entrepreneurs have, as they can work
anytime and anywhere, on the basis of their preferences. On the other hand, the thing which I
dislike the most is the long term investment entrepreneurs have to make in order to become
successful.
In case of a human resource manager, he/she needs to serve the organization around
7-8 hours per day. However, as per current information, it is found that around 81 percent of
the human resource managers mentioned that maintaining a proper relationship with the
supervisors are immensely important for job satisfaction. Moreover, the required skills of the
human resource managers of the company are good communication and networking skills,
designing workplace policies and procedures, reward and recognition programs and more.
For becoming a human resource manager, I need to polish my communication and
networking skills. In addition to this, through this procedure I will gain enough money to
invest in my own business.
However, the thing which I dislike in this profession is that I will have to work under
the supervision of the organizational leaders or managers. Moreover, I need to enhance my
skills for becoming a successful human resource manager. The consultants should have the
ability to communicate with others. In addition to this, they should have excellent judgmental
skills, as they are responsible for selecting and recruiting candidates. I think I have great
negotiation skills, which will help me further. The human resource professionals are
responsible to act between the management and employees, ensuring that the conflicts or
disputes are effectively managed. From work responsibilities to compensation, being an

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efficient human resource manager means to negotiate as well as ensure any situations by
providing a mutual benefit to the members of the organization.
On the contrary, the job satisfaction of a social worker is entirely different from that
of the above two professions. The social workers find happiness by helping and supporting
the needy people. They prefer serving the community and the people in need of emotional as
well as financial support. Moreover, they work in a different organizational setting and travel
across places. These factors have helped me confirm my plan of becoming a social worker as
it will help me explore many places and regions. Moreover, it will also fulfill my dreams of
becoming an entrepreneur. However, I need to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in any areas
related to social works.
The social workers are required to have a diverse as well as demanding range of
professionalism, cognitive as well as emotional skills. Majority of the people who want to
become social workers should have a natural aptitude and it is essential for them to sharpen
those skills throughout the career. The thing which I like the most in this profession is that
how the workers help the needy people and serve the community. However, I need to polish
my communication and networking skills in this aspect. Moreover, I will get to meet new
people, help them and explore the world as well.
Conclusion
To conclude, career planning is an important phase in each and every individual’s life.
It comprises activities or actions which one take for achieving the individual goals or
objectives. Moreover, career planning is considered to be an ongoing procedure which helps
the individual to explore his/her abilities and interests. In addition to this, through a career
planning program one can strategically plan the career goals. Apart than these factors
mentioned above, through a career planning program one can create the future work success

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through designing action and learning plans, which will help him/her to achieve the desired
goals and objectives.
All throughout the report, I have discussed about my career plans and what I wish to
become. However, I have mentioned three specific areas of my interest. Those areas are;
entrepreneurship, human resource manager or social worker. It is highly important to decide
on what a person wants to become and design his/her career plan in accordance with that.
Moreover, the individuals should identify the job related skills, knowledge, competencies,
abilities as well as experiences, in order to become effective in their related fields. The report
mentions about the skills and abilities required by entrepreneurs, human resource managers
and social workers.
Career planning is considered as an ongoing procedure which will help an individual
to manage his/her learning and development. However, according to me, there are few stages
for a career development planning. The individuals must gain an idea about his/her strengths,
weaknesses, competencies and in-competencies. Moreover, he/she must carry out a self
assessment test which will give complete idea about what the individual wants. This will
enable the individual to take actions in accordance with that. In addition to this, he/she should
make proper decisions regarding his/her career as per their choices and preferred areas.
Individuals must be able to make their career related decisions at the early stage. The
early the decisions are made, the more is the chances of becoming successful in the respected
fields. Moreover, career planning is an overall procedure of enhancing the future values of
the individuals. Therefore, it is considered to be immensely important to decide on the
professions in which the individuals want to flourish. Lastly, career planning helps in
encouraging or motivating the individuals to gather or explore information, which in turn,
will assist them in gaining competencies, setting goals and planning actions. Career planning

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is an ongoing procedure as it gives professional directions to those who want to reach the
highest level of success.

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References
Bibby, P. (2017). Personal safety for social workers. Taylor & Francis.
Bratton, J., & Gold, J. (2017). Human resource management: theory and practice. Palgrave.
Cascio, W. (2018). Managing human resources. McGraw-Hill Education.
Coles.com.au. (2018). Coles Supermarkets. Coles.com.au. Retrieved 26 March 2018, from
https://www.coles.com.au/
Dees, J. G. (2017). 1 The Meaning of Social Entrepreneurship. In Case Studies in Social
Entrepreneurship and Sustainability (pp. 34-42). Routledge.
Drucker, P. (2014). Innovation and entrepreneurship. Routledge.
Ford.com. (2018). Ford – New Cars, Trucks, SUVs, Crossovers & Hybrids | Vehicles Built
Just for You | Ford.com. Ford.com. Retrieved 26 March 2018, from
https://www.ford.com/
Lent, R. W. (2013). Career‐life preparedness: Revisiting career planning and adjustment in
the new workplace. The Career Development Quarterly, 61(1), 2-14.
Rothwell, W. J., Jackson, R. D., Ressler, C. L., Jones, M. C., & Brower, M. (2015). Career
Planning and Succession Management: Developing Your Organization's Talent—for
Today and Tomorrow: Developing Your Organization’s Talent—for Today and
Tomorrow. ABC-CLIO.
Schaper, M. T., Volery, T., Weber, P. C., & Gibson, B. (2014). Entrepreneurship and small
business.

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Turner, F. J. (2017). Social work treatment: Interlocking theoretical approaches. Oxford
University Press.