DOUGLAS ARMS & GREG ARENDT

YOUR CAREER MAP: A GUIDE TO ACHIEVING YOUR PROFESSIONAL GOALS

/02

For finance and accounting professionals, the following statistics may not come as a surprise.

However, these numbers are well worth considering for the combined picture

they bring into focus:

• The average number of applicants per posted job opening: 118. (source: Forbes)

• The amount by which Applicant Tracking Systems can reduce an applicant’s

chances of getting an interview: 75 percent. (source: Get Real with Your Job Search

Expectations – Kelly Services)

• The amount of jobs never advertised: 80 percent. (source: Forbes)

With so many job applicants tossed out of the candidate pool before a human eye even

scans their cover letters and with so many jobs never even posted to begin with, how

are you going to land your dream job if you simply leave your career progression up to

coincidence and online job boards?

To get your career on the path you want, not the one dictated by job listings, you need a

well-plotted career strategy that guides your career to your goals… even when the road

isn’t clearly marked.

In short, it’s your career trajectory and to achieve it, you need a career map

INTRODUCTION

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

In this eBook, you

will learn about:

• The value of a career map

• Matching your skills to

an employer’s needs

• Landing the job you want

• Mapping the future –

using goals as a guide

/03

PART I: THE VALUE OF A CAREER MAP

What’s your dream job?

Chances are, you can answer that question without any hesitation. Maybe you want to be

a consulting actuary to premier insurance agencies. Or maybe you dream of becoming

a C-suite executive at a top-ranked bank. Or perhaps you’d prefer to be a part-time

financial analyst so you can divide your time between work and family.

Now answer this question:

How will you land that dream job?

If you’re like most of us, you’re probably thinking along the lines of gaining further

experience, acquiring more skills and advancing through various positions until you sign

the employment contract of your dreams.

This might sound like a good route. But look a little closer, and you’ll see there’s no real

direction to it. Without a strategy that’s clearly delineated and has marked stops and

essential stepping-stones along the way, how will you ever reach your goal?

That’s where a well-defined career map comes into play. A career map is a carefully

planned strategy that leads you to your professional goals by means of customized

career management, regular progress evaluations, and, if necessary, course adjustments.

PART I: THE VALUE OF A CAREER MAP /04

A CAREER MAP IS A

CAREFULLY PLANNED

STRATEGY THAT

LEADS YOU TO YOUR

PROFESSIONAL GOAL.

/05

A good career map can help you understand how to get to the job of your dreams from

where you are now.

Note: there’s no “one size fits all.”

It uses your specific situation as the point of origin and your end goal as its destination,

therefore your map needs to be customized to your unique professional journey and

adjusted as circumstances occur.

By knowing your route, you’ll be better equipped to make choices that advance your

career. That means that in addition to guiding you, a career map can help make you a more

confident candidate. You’ll lose the ambiguity that oftentimes comes from making the

“most logical” moves and instead, gain the confidence that every choice you make actually

helps advance your career.

It’s important to understand that a career map isn’t always the shortest route possible.

A good career map allows for exploratory detours and even setbacks, while still keeping

your end goal in mind and always getting you back on track towards it.

A GOOD CAREER

MAP ALLOWS FOR

EXPLORATORY DETOURS

AND EVEN SETBACKS,

WHILE STILL KEEPING

YOUR END GOAL IN

MIND AND ALWAYS

GETTING YOU BACK ON

TRACK TOWARDS IT.

PART I: THE VALUE OF A CAREER MAP

/06

Your three BIG priorities

Everybody has priorities. Determining where yours lie is the crucial first step in creating

your career map. Consider your stance on the following three BIG priorities:

Work/life balance. What constitutes a healthy work/life balance for you can change

throughout your career. For example, if you have young children, you might want to

spend as much time as possible with them now, then when they’re older, put in more

hours and advance to the next level professionally. If you’re reaching retirement age and

want to work fewer hours, a consultancy position could be an option. Planning ahead as

to what your ideal work/life balance might be during various life stages will allow you to

seek out the professional situations that fit best at those times.

Job satisfaction. What is it that drives you to succeed at your job? Is that aspect present

in your current job? What would most inspire you to accept a new position? For example,

maybe you thrive in a company whose culture aligns with your values. Or perhaps you

want a position that allows you a significant amount of independence. No matter your

answer, determining what brings you the greatest amount of job satisfaction will help you

select the right positions. If you are happy, you will perform better. And others will want

to work with you. Great performance and strong alliances that are willing to promote

your career forward are essential keys to success.

DETERMINE WHAT

YOUR PRIORITIES

ARE IN REGARDS TO

WORK/LIFE BALANCE,

JOB SATISFACTION,

AND FINANCIAL

CONSIDERATION.

PART I: THE VALUE OF A CAREER MAP

/07

Financial considerations. According to Forbes, 42 percent of all professionals don’t feel

comfortable negotiating salaries. Yet by avoiding salary negotiations, a professional can

lose out on more than $500,000 by the age of 60. Whether money is your main focus in

your career or not, your qualifications are undeniably worth something. It’s up to you to

define where the balance lies between the value of your contributions to a job and the

compensation you receive.

Based upon your responses to these considerations, you can construct a guiding

model of what your next position should look like.

PART I: THE VALUE OF A CAREER MAP

of all professionals

don’t feel comfortable

negotiating salaries.

According to Forbes,

42%

/08

PART II: MATCHING YOUR SKILLS TO AN EMPLOYER’S NEEDS

So far, we’ve concentrated on your goals and priorities. But you should also consider the requirements of a potential employer.

Ramit Sethi, bestselling author and finance expert, estimates that 99 percent of job

applicants don’t think about a hiring manager’s needs before applying for a position.

That’s why our next step is to briefly cross to the other side of the hiring table to learn

how recruiters and hiring managers make their candidate shortlists. They do this by

dividing roles into three categories.

Category 1: those that require only a core skill-set, while industry background

and experience are flexible

Category 2: those that are somewhat flexible as to the skills required or

industry background

Category 3: those that require an exact skillset and experience match

Every candidate is evaluated based on whether he or she meets the minimum

requirements for a role. When those are met, additional skills and experience can

be the extras that make a candidate stand out from the crowd.

PART II: MATCHING YOUR SKILLS TO AN EMPLOYER’S NEED /09

THE SHORTLIST ‘BULLSEYE’

CATEGORY 2

CATEGORY 3

CATEGORY 1

Are you a match?

Knowing which category a role falls into will allow you to evaluate whether you’re a likely

candidate or instead need to acquire more skills and/or experience before applying.

To determine the category of a job that interests you, do your research. Read the job

listing, and note what skills and experience are required. Pay attention to the language

used, such as “five years industry experience required” or “interpersonal skills and the

ability to learn quickly are more important than experience.”

Next, contact the company’s HR department, or contacts you may have within the

organization, to find out more about what the job involves. In addition, speak with any

industry insiders you know who would have an opinion on what this position requires,

and discuss whether they think you’d be a good match.

Remember: you’re not fishing for compliments. Instead, you’re listening intently to

understand exactly what skills this position requires and how you measure up.

PART II: MATCHING YOUR SKILLS TO AN EMPLOYER’S NEEDS /10

KNOWING WHAT

CATEGORY A ROLE

FALLS INTO ALLOWS

YOU TO EVALUATE

WHETHER YOU’RE A

LIKELY CANDIDATE

FOR THE POSITION.

Communicating your skills

Once you’ve determined you meet the minimum requirements for a position, you have to

communicate your skills and experience to the hiring manager or recruiter. Combine your

knowledge of the position and the company with industry insiders’ insights to formulate why

you’re a good candidate. Keep the following pointers in mind:

• Make sure to communicate you possess the required skills and experience.

• Give examples to illustrate how your skills helped you meet professional challenges.

For example, your ability to manage matrixed teams was crucial in your current

employer’s implementation of new compliance regulations.

• Individualize your approach. Explain clearly and concisely why you are a good match for

this specific position. For example, if the company works with international clients and

you’ve lived abroad or traveled extensively, highlight how your international experience is

beneficial. Or if your values align with those of the employer, be sure to emphasize that fact.

The average job interview is 40 minutes or less. That means you have under three quarters

of an hour to make yourself memorable. Your confidence should come from being prepared

to fully answer an interviewer’s questions and present a viable win-win match between your

demonstrated skills and those the specific role requires. When you can do this, you’re prepared

to hit a bullseye on any hiring manager’s board.

PART II: MATCHING YOUR SKILLS TO AN EMPLOYER’S NEEDS /11

COMBINE YOUR

KNOWLEDGE OF

THE POSITION AND

THE COMPANY WITH

INDUSTRY INSIDERS’

INSIGHTS TO

FORMULATE WHY

YOU’RE A GOOD

CANDIDATE.

/12

PART III: LANDING THE JOB YOU WANT

/13

When looking for a new position, most of us are primarily concerned with whether we’re viable candidates. And rightly so.

However, it’s also important that the job you land matches your requirements. According

to the 2014 Kelly Global Workforce Index, 61 percent of workers intend to look for a

job with a different employer within the next 12 months. The participants of the study

cited salary/benefits (60 percent), opportunities for advancement (41 percent) and work-

life balance (36 percent) as the primary reasons for their job dissatisfaction. Though it’s

probable that at the time of the study, some participants had matured in their roles and

were ready for new challenges, many were simply disappointed in their jobs.

Obviously, you don’t want to waste time and energy in a role that’s ultimately

unfulfilling. So wouldn’t an effective approach be to land a job that offers everything

you want and can realistically expect while simultaneously ensuring movement towards

your career goals?

The keyword here is realistic, since your perception of yourself and a role greatly

influences whether a job will meet your expectations.

PART III – LANDING THE JOB YOU WANT

61%

According to the 2014 Kelly

Global Workforce Index,

of workers intend to look

for a job with a different

employer within the next

12 months.

/14

Broaden your career scope

To be realistic, you need to evaluate your requirements and skills in relation to a desired

role. After doing the work in the previous section, you might discover some noteworthy

aspects about yourself:

• You might be only suitable for roles in the first category; those that require only a

core skillset and allow for varying experience and industry background.

• You might have a long list of requirements for a role or company.

• Or, you might find there are very few companies or roles that meet all

your requirements.

If this is the case, your next step should be to reduce limitations and broaden your

career scope.

PART III – LANDING THE JOB YOU WANT

AVOID BEING

DISAPPOINTED IN YOUR

JOB BY BEING REALISTIC

IN YOUR JOB SEARCH.

TO BE REALISTIC, YOU

NEED TO EVALUATE

YOUR REQUIREMENTS

AND SKILLS IN RELATION

TO A DESIRED ROLE.

/15

Keep the following tips in mind:

• Identify a maximum of three skills you currently possess that are most marketable to

your target employers. Use these skills as the focal points of your résumé.

• Look for opportunities to showcase your focal skills such as networking events,

participating in panels, or contributing to industry publications.

• Evaluate which skills you lack in order to move into the more specialized second and

third role categories, and determine the best way to acquire them.

• Honestly assess whether you’re willing to compromise on some of your requirements

in your next role so you can acquire those skills.

With this knowledge, you’ll be better prepared to evaluate whether a role is likely to

meet your expectations.

PART III – LANDING THE JOB YOU WANT

/16

Conduct a confident interview

Having an objective understanding of what you offer, what you lack and what you’re willing to

do to make up for deficiencies can add to your confidence during a job interview. For example,

if you’re asked what you consider to be your weak point, you’ll be prepared to discuss training

to make up for any insufficiencies in your skill set. This shows the hiring manager that your

understanding of the position’s requirements is as keen as your understanding of yourself, and

that you’re willing to work towards a good alignment of both. Call out examples of how you

overcame deficiencies proactively in the past and what the results were.

Additionally, since you’ve only highlighted a maximum of three core skills, it’s smart to bring up

any additional experience or skills you possess that aren’t highlighted in the job application.

They may help offset any lean spots in your résumé, and moreover, the hiring manager might

recognize them as extremely useful for the role.

If you do your research, are willing to seek out networking and educational opportunities,

and are prepared to compromise on your requirements, your chances of landing a fitting job

skyrocket. And by landing a job that matches where you are right now while providing you with

the opportunity to acquire new skills and further experience, you take another important step

forward on your career path.

PART III – LANDING THE JOB YOU WANT

IF YOU DO YOUR

RESEARCH, ARE

WILLING TO SEEK

OUT NETWORKING

AND EDUCATIONAL

OPPORTUNITIES, AND

ARE PREPARED TO

COMPROMISE ON YOUR

REQUIREMENTS, YOUR

CHANCES OF LANDING A

FITTING JOB SKYROCKET.

/17

PART IV: MAPPING THE FUTURE – USING GOALS AS A GUIDE

Now that you’ve landed your next job, it’s time to set further short-, mid-, and long-term goals.

Goal setting is a key aspect of any career map and allows you to periodically assess where

you are relative to your personal and professional goals.

For example, let’s say your motivation for landing your new job was to acquire junior

management experience on the way to your ultimate goal of becoming a C-suite executive

at a top-rated bank. You have your starting point—a junior management position at a life

insurance company—and an end goal—a C-suite executive position at a top-rated bank.

Your career map will show you how to get from your start point to your end goal. In this

example, you’ll have to move from the life insurance industry to the finance industry and

advance to mid and senior management roles before joining the ranks of the executives.

You’ll likely see multiple routes to your end goal. The trick is to know which ones are most

feasible and will yield the best results. For example, you could work your way up to senior

management in the life insurance field or work in accounting before transitioning to finance.

Or you could simply get into finance at the earliest opportunity, no matter the employer, and

work towards a senior position at your preferred employer.

PHASE IV: MAPPING THE FUTURE – USING GOALS AS A GUIDE /18

WRITE DOWN WHAT

GOALS MAKE SENSE

FOR YOU BASED ON

YOUR PRIORITIES

AND END GOAL.

Your career map: your professional GPS

Nobody can set your goals but you. Your priorities greatly influence your professional

choices, making your trajectory unique. That’s why you can’t expect anybody to show

you the way. You can, however, ask for advice and guidance from mentors or other

professionals you respect.

Throughout your professional journey, your career map functions as your GPS. Every time

you stop to assess your progress—and you should do so frequently—you can determine

your position in regards to your next goal. If necessary, you can tweak your course to get

you back on track, just like a GPS reroutes you when you get lost.

Make a wrong turn? The GPS does not give up on you or broadcast “you have failed

to reach your destination”. It simply recalculates the most direct path to get you back on

course to your intended destination.

/19

A PROFESSIONAL GPS DETERMINES YOUR POSITION IN REGARDS TO YOUR NEXT GOAL.

PHASE IV: MAPPING THE FUTURE – USING GOALS AS A GUIDE

Exploring your current company

It’s crucial to understand that no matter where you are in your career, when you’re ready

to make a next step, simply looking for a new job is not always the answer. In fact, a

better solution can be to explore new opportunities within your current position and with

your current employer.

Consider this: your employer has a vested interest in your professional success because

it’s good for the company. It follows that having a career conversation with your

supervisor is always a good idea. In fact, the 2014 Kelly Global Workforce Index shows

that 38 percent of interviewed workers stated they’d discussed their careers with their

employers in the past year. Of those workers, 57 percent felt the discussion increased

their opportunities to acquire new skills, and 48 percent agreed it was beneficial in terms

of future advancement opportunities.

/20

38%

According to the 2014 Kelly

Global Workforce Index,

of workers have

discussed their careers

with their employers in

the past year.

57% feel that a

career discussion with

their supervisor increased

their opportunities.

48%agree that a

career discussion with

their supervisor was

beneficial in terms of future

advancement opportunities.

38%

57%

48%

PHASE IV: MAPPING THE FUTURE – USING GOALS AS A GUIDE

So before looking for another company, find out how you can meet your requirements

with your current one. Sometimes it’s as simple as collaborating on projects with a

different department, while other times it means relocating to another division.

For example, if you want mergers and acquisitions (M&A) experience to advance

your finance career, approach the M&A people in your firm and ask to be included in

projects. Or if you want to advance to a mid-level management position and there are no

vacancies at your location, discuss with your supervisor whether there are opportunities

at another location.

Remember: making a career move is about gaining a new experience,

not necessarily about finding a new employer.

With a constantly updated career map and regular assessments, you’ll be able to

see where you stand now, where you want to go, and how to use your current career

resources to reach your goals.

/21

YOUR EMPLOYER HAS

A VESTED INTEREST IN

YOUR PROFESSIONAL

SUCCESS. DISCUSS

YOUR CAREER

PLANS WITH YOUR

SUPERVISOR TO FIND

OUT HOW YOU CAN

ADVANCE TOWARDS

YOUR GOALS WITHIN

YOUR CURRENT

COMPANY.

PHASE IV: MAPPING THE FUTURE – USING GOALS AS A GUIDE

Let’s return to the questions we asked in Part I of this book:

What’s your dream job and how are you going to land it?

After reading this eBook, you’ve learned how to create your customized career map

and regularly reassess it to guide you to your professional goals. You’ve also learned

to be confident and realistic in your understanding of your goals and priorities.

And you’ve considered how your ability to communicate a deliberate and thoughtful

career progression can be beneficial to your conversations with recruiters, hiring

managers and supervisors.

From now on, continue to be proactive. Use your career map as the touchstone

for your professional goals, and don’t be afraid to reassess those based on

changing priorities.

Ultimately, the most important thing to know about a career map is this: when used

properly and maintained regularly, it will always guide you to the professional place you

want to go.

/22CONCLUSION

/23/23

Kelly puts a new employee to work every 33 seconds, and every four minutes one gets hired full-time by a Kelly customer.

Search for jobs on our Kelly Career Network®, join our

Talent Network, or visit www.kellyservices.com to get started today.

EXITThis information may not be published, broadcast, sold, or otherwise distributed without prior written permission from the authorized party. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. An Equal Opportunity Employer. © 2014 Kelly Services, Inc.

ABOUT KELLY SERVICES®

Kelly Services, Inc. (NASDAQ: KELYA, KELYB) is a leader in providing workforce solutions. Kelly® offers a

comprehensive array of outsourcing and consulting services as well as world-class staffing on a temporary,

temporary-to-hire, and direct-hire basis. Serving clients around the globe, Kelly provided employment to

approximately 540,000 employees in 2013. Revenue in 2013 was $5.4 billion. Visit kellyservices.com and

connect with us on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Download WorkWire™, a free iPad® app by Kelly Services.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

DOUGLAS ARMS is vice president for Americas Finance Product Group at Kelly Services, Inc.

He is responsible for the strategic planning, brand management, thought leadership and

profitable growth for the professional and technical workforce solutions provided in the finance

and accounting specialty in North America. For close to two decades, he has held various senior

leadership positions with major national and international staffing firms, most recently holding

positions such as senior vice president and chief talent officer. Douglas is a graduate of the

Montclair State University located in Upper Montclair, New Jersey. In addition, his training includes coursework

at the Institute of Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland and his MBA which is currently being

completed at Saint Leo University.

GREG ARENDT is Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition, Workforce Analytics & HR Shared

Services for Kelly Services, Inc. In his current role, he is responsible for leading the Global

Talent Acquisition, Workforce Analytics and HR Shared Services organizations and is a member

of the Global HR Leadership Team. Greg joined Kelly Services in 2008 as Director, Global

Talent Acquisition and was promoted in 2011 to Senior Director, Global Talent Acquisition and

Sourcing. In 2013, he was named Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition and Sourcing, and was

promoted to Vice President, Global Talent Acquisition, Workforce Analytics and HR Shared Services in 2014.

He holds a Master of Business Administration from Michigan State University—The Eli Broad School of

Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Telecommunications from Michigan State University.