By Grace du Prie Personal Development

09/04/2011 SUGGESTIONS FOR DECISION MAKING

Define your career related problem. What do you need to decide? Is it, for example: Which occupation or role am I best suited for? (Which would meet my various needs optimally)? OR, How can I best use my current skills or upgrade my skills. OR Are there any existing skills that I don’t use effectively?

Identify the aspect of this career decision, which are most important to you (your preferences). For example: Earning as much money as possible, in order to save/invest some; having a lot of people contact; meeting and networking with business people who could be useful to my business or career; learning new, marketable skills; taking up residence in a’ big city’ location (which I enjoy).

Rank or rate relative importance of these criteria (the things you want to gain when you implement your decision). For example: First: meeting and networking with business people; Second: relocating to a big city; Third: earning as much money as possible etc.

Generate alternative options/decisions that appear compatible with your preferences. For example: options that provide opportunities to meet and network with business people, earn a lot of money, live in a big city etc.

Research and investigate these alternatives. Seek information from books, interviews with people working in the positions you are considering or their immediate supervisors; computer programs/Internet, work experience placements, volunteer work by networking with colleagues, etc.

Assess the feasibility and desirability of the alternatives. For example: list the plusses and minuses of each of those alternative occupations/activities according to your preferences. (Keep in mind that it is not simply a matter of adding up, you also need to rank importance wise)

Rank the alternatives/options from most to least preferred based on all the information. For example: First, Stockbroker’s Clerk; Second, Personal Assistant to Business manager; third, position with a Money Market (Currency Exchange) Dealer.

Reinvestigate all that you need to do, to achieve your top two or three choices.

Draw up an action plan to achieve your most preferred alternative and implement it.