BUS 100 – The Human Entrepreneur
Personal Career Planning
A personal career plan is a plan is what a business plan does for a business. In
this assignment, you will create your personal career plan.
1. Who are you and what are your goals?
• Create a life mission statement. Writing a personal mission statement
may feel odd – many of us have been told that speaking of our
“greatness” is bragging and conceited. Don’t listen to those voices and
be prepared to feel uncomfortable – it’s normal; don’t judge yourself.
• What are your financial, professional, family and lifestyle goals?
2. What is your plan?
• Assess various industries and careers that you are interested in and their
future (at least two).
• What is the future of the industry? What is the future of the profession?
• What educational requirements and special skills do you need? Which
ones do you already have and which ones do you still need to acquire?
• What steps will you take to acquire these and how long will it take you?
• Are you planning to become an entrepreneur? If so, what is your longterm plan for it?
3. How are you different?
• What makes you different/stand out from the crowd?
• Identify your attributes, what sets you apart from others? Are you
bilingual? Have a great fashion sense? Love music and have the
determination to develop the best dance mix? Have a desire to give back
to your community? Know a programming language? Know how to plan
an event?
4. What is your current situation? Complete a personal SWOT analysis.
Internal Appraisal
• Strengths:
• What
• What
• What
• Weaknesses:
• What
• What
• What is my present position/degrees obtained?
am I good at?
major resources/expertise do I have?
is my present position?
are the major problems I face?
major resources/expertise deficiencies do I have? External Appraisal
• Opportunities:
• What favorable trends exist?
• How is my industry of choice developing?
• In what areas could I achieve success?
• Threats:
• What unfortunate environmental trends exist?
• How are my competitors developing?
• Where is my performance likely to suffer?
5. How will you market yourself to prospective employers or business
partners?
• Create a logo and business card: now is the time to use your creativity!
Remember to keep it professional.
• Resume: Create a resume (note: you may use your current resume if you
have one and try to improve it); make it look professional. Your resume
should be one page long. 6. Contingency Planning
• This plan examines the “what ifs” and determines what you should do if
your plan cannot be implemented.
Delivery Methods:
Written assignment: The career plan should contain all the items listed above
and be written in a professional manner. Remember to check your spelling and
grammar! Length will vary depending on your experiences, but it should a
minimum of 2-3 pages, not including title pages, headings and resume. You
must use SINGLE space for this assignment, as it is not a research paper but a
professional business assessment of your career.
