Plan Your Resume for the Job You Want 3 Years from Now

Where do you want your career to go?

8 Reflection Questions

Whether you are starting university, starting a new job, or mid-way through your career, it never hurts to plan ahead. Understanding where you are and where you want to go is a great starting point to achieving your career goals. You won’t necessarily reach them overnight, but a bit of reflection and planning today will enable you to pursue skills and experiences with intentionality tomorrow.

Take a few moments to answer the following questions to the best of your ability. The goal of this exercise is not to lay out a day-by-day plan to achieve your wildest dreams, but rather help you understand yourself a little better and set you on a path towards your career goals.

1. Name your top 3 skill areas (soft or hard skills). What are your strengths?
2. Name your top 3 skill areas that you want to develop (soft or hard skills).
3. Research and pick one job that you would like to apply for in the next 3 years.
4. What are the key skills and qualifications required for the job based on the job description?
5. Which of those skills and qualifications do you currently have? Which do you not have yet?
6. In your current position, what opportunities exist to build those missing skills? e.g. taking on a new project, taking some training, joining a club, etc…
7. What does your “Resume of Tomorrow” look like? What experiences and skills do you already have that fit the job description?
8. What can you do in the next week to start developing one relevant skill for the job you want? What can you do in the next month, 3 months, 6 months?

Once you have taken the time to thoughtfully answer the questions above, you have started on your journey to understanding your current and future states of your career. Come back and revisit this list every 3 months to track your progress!

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