1995 ERIC Digest EDO-CG-95-65

Five Processes of Career Planning

Kris Magnusson

Overview selor work together to identify the skills and characteris-

The context in which career decisions are commonly tics that were demonstrated and then clients are asked to
made is dynamic: occupations are changing rapidly, so- select the 5-10 most meaningful of these. Posing a simple
ciety is becoming increasingly complex and multicultural, question such as How would you like to experience that
and individuals need to plan for diverging rather than level of pride again? invariably increases client motiva-
converging career paths. Furthermore, in times of social tion for career planning. Attending to the core initiation
change and economic uncertainty, clients often feel dis- issues increases client awareness of the career planning
couraged, despondent, and hopeless about their futures. process, builds trust in the counselor, and renews hope by
The encreasing complexity of client needs and career helping clients build a vision of the future.
counseling interventions have rendered inadquate, and Exploration
simplistic approaches to resolving career issues. Although
Exploration helps clients discover ways to implement
traditional approaches still may play a role in career plan-
aspects of their vision while concomitantly attending to
ning, additional emphasis must be placed on other issues:
issues of meaning and personal context. This is most ef-
how self-concept is implemented (Super, 1990), personal
fectively done by capitalizing on the renewed sense of
adaptability (Super, 1985), and personal meaning-mak-
energy and hope that arises during initiation. While for-
ing (Miller-Tiedeman & Tiedeman, 1990). Career coun-
mal assessment and occupational information sources may
seling should also help clients achieve independence
be useful, informal strategies tend to produce more mean-
rather than dependence. Such factors necessitate a dif-
ingful, more accurate, and more enduring results. These
ferent vision of the counseling process.
include information interviewing, relational networking,
The Five Processes job shadowing, and work experience.
The model in this paper describes five processes criti- For example, clients who have completed the signifi-
cal to effective career planning: initiation, exploration, cant experiences exercise described above will have a
decision-making, preparation, and implementation ranked list of skills and characteristics that were associ-
(Magnusson, 1991, 1992). The processes are cyclical, al- ated with a meaningful experience. Clients can be taught
though a few clients may begin at initiation and proceed basic networking techniques to identify other people who
sequentially through to implementation. share a similar passion. An interesting outcome of infor-
Initiation mal networking is that the occupational titles of the con-
tacts are often surprising to clientsthey never associated
Initiation means to set in motion. Clients become dis- the occupation or setting with their own attributes. In this
couraged or lose hope and strategies to secure meaning- way, new vistas may be opened to clients as intriguing
ful engagement are necessary. The initiation process ad- options spawn further exploration. Opportunities to ex-
dresses three core issues: perience the passion, through job shadowing or work ex-
1. Establishing an effective counseling relationship. perience, serve to validate initial impressions. Thus, ini-
Traditional approaches to career counseling often over- tiation determines what is meaningful to clients, while
look the importance of the therapeutic relationship. How- exploration determines how that meaning may be expressed.
ever, the establishment of a strong therapeutic alliance Decision-making
can be invaluable in motivating clients to take action.
Decision-making has one dominant issue: How to select
2. Determining current motivation for career plan- the most appropriate option from the range of alternatives
ning. This involves a detailed examination of presenting discovered to date. Formal decision-making models and strat-
issues, with a particular emphasis on identifying client egies may be useful; however, these strategies by themselves
motivation for change and the context in which that rarely leave clients with a good feeling for the decision. Most
change must occur. With this information, counselors can clients are more comfortable with decisions which emerge
determine if clients are ready for specific career planning as a result of engagement in the career planning process.
activities or if other interventions are needed. When initiation and exploration have been thorough, a right
3. Building relevance for career planning. Many cli- choice crystallizes for most clients. Formal strategies may
ents who enter career counseling are discouraged and see then be used to confirm a choice, rather than determine a choice.
themselves with limited opportunities. Counselors must Uncertainty is a major obstacle to career planning Most
encourage these clients and foster hope. Typically this is clients need to recognize that a certain amount of ambiguity
done by identifying issues of meaning for the client and is associated with any decision. At this stage in the planning
by promoting a sense of the future. process, clients need to rely on their intuition to guide them
To illustrate, clients may be asked to complete a sig- to tentative choices. This may be encouraged by exploring
nificant experiences exercise, in which they write a two how clients feel about alternatives they have encountered
to three page narrative describing some accomplishment during exploration, and by using what if scenarios to pre-
or experience of which they are proud. Client and coun- vent perceived barriers from prematurely ruling out options
(e.g., What if it was possible to...?"). The emotional response to Merging the social support and feedback functions helps
an option may then be used as the catalyst for cognitive appraisal clients develop independence from counselors.
(e.g., a consequences matrix) and specific preparation. Summary and Conclusion
Preparation The five processes model has been used with a variety of
Preparation focuses on planning the specific steps required groups (e.g., Native Canadians in northern communities, street
to implement the choices made earlier (including the choice to kids in urban settings, inmates of correctional facilities, youth in
engage in further exploration). Preparation results in a detailed, schools, adults in transition). These groups often reported dis-
concrete plan for goal attainment and involves two key issues: enchantment and disillusionment with available career planning
1. Developing an action plan which may include contracts services. However, the initiation exercises excited them, increas-
between client and counselor that specify the next set of steps ing their hope and nurturing their dreams. This excitement led
that will be taken by the client, and how those steps will be evalu- to vigorous and thorough exploration--even the most reticent
ated and reported; and time lines, or graphic action plans. A clients were captivated by processes which allowed them to ex-
horizontal line is drawn across a page, with the word Now at plore their passions in meaningful ways. Having found a focus
the extreme left and the clients goal statement at the extreme for their passion, they were more committed to planning ways
right. Each major step required to achieve the goal is listed on to realize their dreams and were more likely to follow through
the time line, with spacing proportionate to the estimated time with their plans. Because they understood each process as it
needed. An opportunity web transforms the time line into a developed, they became less reliant on formal counseling. The
branching career path. For each major step, at least one alterna- seeds of self-sufficiency and adaptability were planted.
tive step is identified and plotted on the page as an intersecting The dynamic nature of the occupational scene demands a
line that produces a different path. The alternatives are identi- dynamic system for career planning interventions; one that at-
fied by asking What if for some reason you were unable to com- tends to issues of client uniqueness and personal meaning. By
plete Step X - then what would you do? Clients learn to pre- focusing on the critical career planning processes, counselors
pare for uncertainty by thinking ahead and having a back-up allow themselves the flexibility to attend to unique client needs.
plan ready. References
2. Developing prerequisite skills and resources for imple- Magnusson, K. C. (1991). Career counseling techniques. Edmonton,
mentation. These may include: occupational (e.g., job searches); AB: Life-Role Development Group.
educational (e.g., study skills, applying for admission to educa- Magnusson, K. C. (1992). Five critical processes of career coun-
tional institutions); personal (e.g., anger management, substance seling. In M. Van Norman (Ed.), National Consultation on
abuse). Vocational Counseling Papers: 1992 (pp. 217-227). Toronto,
The means for developing prerequisite skills must be in- ON: University of Toronto Press.
cluded in the overall action plan. Clients should also identify Miller-Tiedeman, A., & Tiedeman, D. (1990). Career decision-
the resources available and the resources needed for implemen- making: An individualistic perspective. In D. Brown, L.
tation (e.g., obtaining funding for education). Brooks & Associates (Eds.), Career Choice and Development
Implementation (2nd ed., pp. 308-337). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Super, D. E. (1985). New dimensions in adult vocational and
In implementation, the client carries out the action plan. Two career counseling. ERIC Document Reproduction Service
strategies govern implementation: No. ED 261 189.
1. Developing support. Many decisions reached in the safety Super, D. E. (1990). A life-span, life-space approach to career
of the counselors office are never implemented because of lack development. In D. Brown, L. Brooks & Associates (Eds.),
of support in the clients environment. Clients must learn both Career Choice and Development (2nd ed., pp. 197-261). San
how to identify allies (as well as enemies) and how to nurture Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
facilitative relationships.
2. Developing systems for feedback and reward. Clients also Kris Magnusson is an associate professor of counseling psychology at
need to develop ways to monitor and reward their progress. the University of Calgary.

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not necessarily reflect the positions of the U.S. Department of Education, OERI, or ERIC/CASS.

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