Career planning: An in-depth process & template

The 80,000 Hours Career Planning and Decision Making Guide provides a set of comprehensive resources to help individuals develop a structured career plan focused on impact and personal fulfilment.

Developed by 80,000 Hours, these tools are well-suited for individuals early in their careers or transitioning into the field of evaluation or other roles related to social impact.

There are several useful tools and resources in this guide. The links provided on this page connect you to some of the key elements:

• Career planning: An in-depth process & template - Overview of the resources available with links to tools, templates, detailed guides and additional articles.
• 8-week career planning course: Career planning process - This page walks you through the career planning process, providing links to templates and further reading along the way,
• 8-week career planning course: Career planning template - This template is designed to be used alongside the career planning process
• Planning a high-impact career: A summary of everything you need to know in 7 points - This article is a summary of the main points in the career planning process. It could be a good place to start for anyone who wants a quick overview before diving into the main content.

Key features

• Comprehensive planning guide: The Career Planning Process provides an in-depth framework, offering a step-by-step guide to defining career goals, evaluating career paths, and identifying actionable steps. It introduces key concepts, such as clarifying core values, setting priorities, and considering high-impact careers. This larger guide is essential for deeper exploration and understanding before using the template.
• Step-by-step career template: The Career Planning Template works alongside the guide, offering a simplified and practical tool to implement insights from the process. It encourages users to organise their thoughts, assess their skills and experiences, and develop concrete career goals.
• Email series option: Users can opt to receive the Career Planning Process as a series of emails, making it easier to work through the material at a manageable pace. This option allows users to engage with the content in smaller, more digestible parts over time.

Both the guide and template encourage thinking about long-term career trajectories and adaptability, essential for dynamic fields such as evaluation. They also guide users in building flexibility into their plans and considering backup options.

The guide includes reflective exercises that help users explore their motivations, strengths, and areas for improvement. The template complements this by providing a structured format for organising these reflections into a coherent plan.

The Career Planning Process and Template are available online for free, with options to download the template as a Word document or receive the guide as a series of emails.

Why use these resources

For individuals considering careers in evaluation, these resources provide a thorough framework for career planning that encourages deep reflection on personal values, skills, and goals. The exercises help users identify transferable skills and adjacent experiences that can be leveraged in a new field. The long-term perspective helps evaluators think about how they can grow their careers and remain adaptable to changes in the sector.

The template’s structure also makes it easier to turn reflections into concrete, actionable plans.