Using career crafting diamond for achieving personal and career success

Abstract

A career is an evolving piece of work; a matrix of personal and professional factors intermeshing with other external factors. An individual alone is not capable of achieving career success; it is a confluence of the individual and external factors. Micro (individual and family), meso (organizational) and macro (environmental) factors play significant roles in career decisions. Understandably, certain aspects of the above mentioned external constructs cannot be changed, as they are not entirely within the control of the individual; but career crafting approach advises how these can be managed to a certain extent through the individual’s response to and action on these factors. The central principle of career crafting is that individuals utilize invention / adaptation strategy to create new opportunities or to mitigate the negative impacts of an adverse situation. Essentially, this is achieved through the career crafting triad composed of cognitive, relational and task crafting. These three components are interlinked and interdependent, and each of these influences are brought to bear on the decisions and activities that can alter an individual’s pathway. They have to act together cohesively in order to attain the desired outcomes. Finally, career crafting diamond presents the interactive relationship between career crafting triad and the external constructs of family, organization and environment. Through career crafting practice individuals can construct a systematic framework for integrating work with other dimensions of life; a framework that can capture what they consider significant for themselves, thereby, motivating active, engaged, and planned change to achieve career success. This simple and effective tool can be used for career development, by youth in the early career development or by individuals who are in the mid-career seeking a navigational change.