‘Where do you see yourself in five years?’ is a question dreaded by many, and not just marketers. Career paths aren’t clear-cut anymore, and few of us actually dedicate time to planning how we’d like our career to pan out. But our recent piece of research – The B2B Marketing career acceleration guide – clearly shows that marketers who have a career plan in place are often more successful. So here are a few tips on how to plan your own career success:
1. Map the path you’ve already taken, and think about why you’ve ended up where you are now. Are you satisfied with the jobs you’ve done in the past, and what would you have done differently? Reflecting on this can help you make a more effective plan in future.
2. Identify your options – do you aspire to become a CMO of a big-name brand, or perhaps start your own agency one day? Spend some time thinking about what you really want from your career – also make sure you take into account personal priorities, such as a good work/life balance or having children.
3. Set SMART goals (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-bound). If you set short-term goals (within a year) and long-term goals (within five years) you’ll be able to take concrete steps to further your dream career.
4. Re-examine your career on a regular basis. Think about dedicating time to career planning, perhaps once a year. This could be an opportunity to think carefully about the direction your career is heading, and help you anticipate any challenging times you face in future.
5. Identify a couple of marketers whose careers you admire, and see how they made their way to the top. Is there anything you could try to emulate? How quickly do they change roles? How active are they on social media?
6. Think about how much you want to earn. Having an idea of your salary ambitions will help you figure out which career path may be best suited to you. Use our Salary Survey to determine the average salary for different B2B marketing roles.
7. Make your employer clear about your ambitions – if they don’t have a strong understanding of what you want to achieve, they won’t be able to support your progression. The best employers will encourage you to pursue your dreams, even if it means letting you go.
8. Make sure you’re noting down your achievements – it’s easy to forget past success when it comes round to updating your CV.
