Jobs @ Career Consulting Limited

Return to career-consulting-limited.com
Managing
People
Managing Your Career
CV Examples
Coaching
Cover Letter Examples
Pre-Employment Tests


The 6 Stages of Modern Career Development


Career experts say that people will change careers (not jobs) 5-7 times in a lifetime. This being true, career management is an important life skill to develop and cultivate. There are six stages of modern career development: Assessment, Investigation, Preparation, Commitment, Retention, and Transition. Learning the characteristics of each stage will empower you to navigate through each stage easily and with more confidence.

In the Assessment Stage, you are getting ready for your life's work. This stage is characterized by unawareness, in that you are not sure what your values, strengths, and weaknesses are. You start to feel like you want to know more about yourself and make a conscious effort to get in touch with who you really are.

Key characteristics:

  • Taking assessment instruments

  • Working with a career counselor or career coach

In the Investigation Stage, you are researching what work exists in the world. This stage is characterized by feelings of confusion, in that you are not sure what career options exist for you. You may feel overwhelmed with all of the different jobs and opportunities that exist as you begin the process of researching the modern world of work. But if you approach this stage with a positive frame of mind, you will find that you will learn about many possibilities you may have never considered.

Key characteristics:

  • Researching the world of work

  • Conducting informational interviews with people in your chosen field

In the Preparation Stage, you are still getting ready to do your life's work. This stage is characterized by feelings of excitement, as you think of how wonderful it will be to perform meaningful work. However, there is still much work to be done, and in order to be successful, you have to be prepared.

Key characteristics:

  • Gaining knowledge and experience

  • Setting goals and adopting a success-oriented mind-set

In the Commitment Stage, you will feel confident, in that you have figured out what you are meant to do. Sometimes people have known all along what they were meant to do, but were not able to commit to the process of making it happen, for whatever reason. At this stage, more than ever, you must focus your energy and keep your eye on the target.

Key characteristics:

  • Conducting a job search

  • Negotiating and accepting a job offer

In the Retention Stage, you will feel comfortable in your career field, as you will now have figured out how things work in your industry. You will want to remain committed to your career by continually updating your skill set and staying current with industry standards.

Key characteristics:

  • Providing first-class customer service skills

  • Building a professional network

The Transition Stage is characterized by feelings of discomfort, in that you are unsure of what you will be doing next (and/or if you will be happy). In this stage, you will learn to make conscious changes in your career direction.

Key characteristics:

  • Making career changes

  • Developing resiliency

No matter what career stage you find yourself in now, you can be sure that you will enter and re-enter through these six stages many times though out your lifetime.

***This article is adapted from the book, Get Smart! About Modern Career Development: A Personal Guide to Creating Your Life's Work by Michelle L. Casto, M.Ed.

About The Author

Michelle L. Casto is a whole life coach, speaker, and author of Get Smart! About Modern Romantic Relationships, Get Smart! About Modern Career Development, and Get Smart! About Modern Stress Management. Her coaching practice is Brightlight Coaching, she helps people come up with bright ideas for their life and empowers them to freely shine their bright light to the world. Contact her for a free 30 minute coaching session: www.getsmartseries.com and www.brightlightcoach.com; coach@getsmartseries.com


MORE RESOURCES:
Employment opportunities  Department of Taxation and Finance

Search & Apply  Lowe's



Careers  UNCO News Central

Careers | Career Opportunities  West Virginia University


The Best Jobs in America in 2025  U.S News & World Report Money

Jobs- Legacy  Energy.gov



Careers  ontarioca.gov




Careers | Home  USDA.gov


Careers at TWU  Texas Woman's University




Jobs  City of Rochester (.gov)


Careers and Jobs at CRS  Catholic Relief Services

Anatomy of a jobs promise  Financial Times


Working for ICE  U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Newsroom




The Future of Jobs Report 2025  World Economic Forum


Careers  The Ocean Cleanup

Careers  Fred Hutch News Service



Work for the City of St. Louis  City of St. Louis

Careers  BASF










Career Opportunities  Gilead Sciences

Careers  West Virginia Department of Education


Careers  Washington State University






Nursing jobs  VA.gov Home | Veterans Affairs







IOM career gateways  International Organization for Migration (IOM)

Job Search Results  UnitedHealth Group



UF Health Careers  UF Health - University of Florida Health




Careers at Prairie View A&M University  Prairie View A&M University





Job Opportunities  Bellevue School District





KPMG Careers  KPMG








Join our team  FHI 360




Students and graduates  JPMorgan Chase

Bring Resumes To Health Ministry’s Career Expo And Employment Fair  Government of Jamaica, Jamaica Information Service


WORK AT LVMH  LVMH

Highest-Paying Engineering Careers in 2024  University of North Dakota


Careers at Balfour Beatty  Balfour Beatty

Need More Information?
Site Home | Site Map | Links | Contact Us | Privacy Policy
© Career Consulting Limited.com 2011

tumblr visit counter