1. Career Goals – Complete the following questions for 2 long-term goals that you wish to achieve.(Long-term goals usually take 4 years or more to achieve)

LONG-TERM GOAL 1

1. What do I want to achieve?

I would love to become a true expert in the industry with a successful experience in the management of end-to-end projects under my belt as I aspire to grow into a more senior role as a market analyst.

1. Why do I want to achieve this goal?

I want to achieve this goal since as a more senior market analyst, I would be able to handle bigger projects which will increasingly expose me to greater responsibilities which will shape my overall experience in the industry.

1. How will I achieve this goal? What is required to achieve this goal? (Outline your SMART short to mid-term goals that will assist you in achieving this long-term goal)

To achieve the goal, I will seek for opportunities of leading a marketing team in some capacity. I will welcome the opportunity of working with various marketing teams on the development of a streamlined process, which is a fit that is natural with my marketing background. The role of a marketing analyst requires one to have a solid background and marketing expertise of working in the marketing department that I currently possess. I have inspirational managers who I really admire hence I am confident that they will guide me in managing my own marketing team in five years.

1. When do I want to achieve this goal by?

I would want to achieve this goal of becoming a market analyst in five years’ time.

1. What obstacles can I expect?

Marketing is a diverse area that continuously changes hence coping with the changes and learning new marketing strategies may be quite challenging.

1. What are the solutions to the obstacles?

To cope with the highly changing environment, I will be required to keenly observe and analyze market trends and environments to be in a position of deciding the best marketing strategies to use for specific markets.

LONG-TERM GOAL

1. What do I want to achieve?

I would like to become an expert in a particular subject matter within the marketing field an in an area of greatest need within my marketing analyst role.

1. Why do I want to achieve this goal?

I would like to develop to a point whereby I become a mentor and role model for other people to be depended upon for acquiring the most current skills and knowledge in the marketing field.

1. How will I achieve this goal? What is required to achieve this goal? (Outline your SMART short to mid-term goals that will assist you in achieving this long-term goal)

To achieve this goal, I will ensure that I keep up to date with the current information in regards to the market environment, laws and legislation. I would seek to become a leader and mentor to help other people develop their skills in their respective marketing roles. By concentrating on a particular subject matter within my field, I will gain the required expertise in order to assist other people to improve in their roles. I will seek to have several people who I will be guiding them and following up on their progress within a period of four years.

1. When do I want to achieve this goal by?

I want to achieve this goal by four years.

1. What obstacles can I expect?

As a leader and mentor, I expect to face difficulties in learning all the market strategies and trends which will result in people trusting me and looking up to me as their mentor.

1. What are the solutions to the obstacles?

The solutions to the obstacles will include being a keen observer and following up on the trends and requirements of that particular area in order to have the complete knowledge of all the processes and procedures required for one to excel

1. b) Research current job advertisementsand position descriptions to enhance your answer and include a copy in your project.

Title: Market Research Analyst

Position description: Responsible for the conduction of qualitative research on the market for the transformation of external data and information into actionable intelligence. The market analyst will be required to understand behaviours and trends in the market for the support of the director strategy and provision of recommendation for the support of the strategy of the business unit.  

Title: Online Marketing Analyst

Position description: Responsible for the performance of research and provision of insights in regards to the currents campaigns, potential and existing customers, competitors and market trends.

1. Assess your current professional development needs. Consider the skills list carefully below. Tick where you have perceived a weakness or believe you would benefit from training / improvement to achieve your career goals. (Hint; use your current job description as a guide). Ask your supervisor or manager to identify your weak areas also and tick them. Seek feedback from your supervisor or manager to supply reasons and or examples for their choices. Please list these in your project. Do you agree with the feedback? If not, give reasons.

Assess your current professional development needs by completing a personal SWOT Analysis.

Draw up an action plan for improving those skills you have identified as being in need of improvement.

Questions:

1. Explain what sort of training would most suit your needs – internal/external, face-to-face, distance, online, on the job, coaching etc. How will your learning preferences impact on the training/learning program you undertake? (50 – 100 words). 

I would prefer instructor-led training as it has many benefits. The face-to-face training allows room for personal interaction. Therefore, I will have the opportunity to interact with the instructor and ask questions. My learning preferences will influence the program I will undertake, as they will empower the building of my relationship with the trainer and my colleagues hence growing and learning together.

1. How you would expect the training to impact on your ability to manage personal and work priorities.  (50 – 100 words)

I expect the training to impact on my ability to manage personal and work priorities by gaining skills of prioritizing within a time management system that is highly effective for the identification of urgent issues. In addition, I will learn skills of effectively delegating duties to others by learning the habits of people who are highly effective. Furthermore, I will gain skills on how to manage professional development and personal priorities.

1. What subscriptions and networking processes would assist your professional development? For example – Facebook or going to seminars is a networking process because it can help you meet new people and extend your network.(List at least 3 subscriptions).
2. Speaking about my knowledge, skills and career
3. Joining professional organizations

iii. Volunteering in positions that allow me to express my passion and use my skills.