You keep hopping from one job to the next. You send CVs, ask friends, check WhatsApp groups, maybe even GoZambiaJobs or JobWeb Zambia. Yet, it still feels like you’re drifting. That’s because most of us react to jobs instead of planning our careers. This is because you have not made a career action plan.
A career action plan is like a business plan for your work life. It doesn’t magically get you a job, but it gives you a clear map of where you’re starting, where you want to go, and the steps to get there, even if you’ve never had a job before, or if you already have a job and want to move toward something better.
Here’s how to build one, step by step.
Step 1: Start your career action plan with the end in mind
Before figuring out your next move, pick a job you actually want. Even if it feels far off. This is your “end point.”
How to do it if you’re currently unemployed:
- Find a real job listing in Zambia: Use the Ukhani Job Portal, GoZambiaJobs, JobWeb Zambia, or LinkedIn Jobs Zambia. Look for your dream job, pick a position that excites you.
- Copy the job description to a document or your notes.
- List your current skills and experience: Go line by line. Write down what you already have, from school, side hustles, church or community projects. These are your strengths.
- List what you don’t have: The skills, experience, or education the job requires. These are your gaps.
- Spot opportunities: How can you bridge those gaps? Small projects, volunteer work, free online courses, or shadowing someone in that field.
- Identify barriers: Money, access to training, or limited jobs. Think creatively about how to work around them.
How to do it if you already have a job:
- Write down your current job title and description: What do you actually do day-to-day?
- Compare it to your dream job description: Copy your dream job from GoZambiaJobs or LinkedIn.
- Do a skills audit: Which skills, experiences, or responsibilities from your current job could help you get to the dream job? Which skills are missing?
- Spot opportunities: Can you take on new projects at your current job to learn the missing skills? Can you volunteer, freelance, or do short courses to fill the gaps?
Example for someone with a job:
- Current job: Customer service officer at a Lusaka bank
- Dream job: Marketing assistant at an NGO
- Transferable skills: Communication, teamwork, Excel
- Gaps: Canva, social media scheduling, reporting
- Opportunities: Take a free Canva course (Canva Learn), manage a friend’s business Instagram, create a sample report
AI tip: After making your list, you can ask ChatGPT:
“I’m a customer service officer in Lusaka. My dream job is a marketing assistant. Here’s what I can do now: [list skills]. Here’s what I’m missing: [list gaps]. Suggest practical steps I can take in 3 months to bridge the gaps.”
Step 2: Pick your starting point
Now that you know your end goal, pick a small, practical first step. Don’t try to fix everything at once.
Examples in Zambia:
- Helping a small business with social media
- Volunteering at a community project or NGO
- Doing a short online course (Excel, Canva, bookkeeping)
- Freelance tasks like tutoring, writing, or data entry
AI tip: Turn your starting point into a mini action plan:
“I want to help a small business in Lusaka with social media. Suggest 3 small projects I can do this month to practice skills and build a portfolio.”
Step 3: Build the skills that matter
Take the skills from the job description and focus on the gaps you identified.
What to do:
- Break the job into individual skills.
- Pick one skill you don’t have yet. Learn it. Practice it. Apply it.
- Track your progress, small wins count.
Example:
- Skill gap: Excel
- Action: Take free Excel tutorials online, then create a small report for practice
- Skill gap: Social media scheduling
- Action: Offer to schedule posts for a friend’s business for one month
AI tip: Ask ChatGPT to make a learning plan:
“I want to get a marketing assistant job in Lusaka. I know Canva and teamwork but not Excel. Suggest a 4-week learning and practice plan using free or low-cost resources in Zambia.”
Step 4: Document your wins
Every small project you finish counts. This is your proof, for yourself, for mentors, for future employers.
- Write down what you did, what skills you used, and what you learned.
- Keep a portfolio: even a simple Google doc or a folder on your phone works.
- Share your wins on LinkedIn or in applications.
AI tip: ChatGPT can help you turn wins into CV bullet points:
“I completed a one-month social media project for a small Lusaka business. Help me write 3 bullet points showing the skills I used and results I achieved for my CV.”
Step 5: Plan the next moves
Once you’ve started building skills and small wins, set realistic goals:
- Short-term (1 year): Complete a course, finish 1–2 small projects, find a mentor
- Medium-term (1–3 years): Land an entry-level job, expand your portfolio
- Long-term (3–5 years): Grow in a role you enjoy, become skilled in a niche, or start a small business
How to manage it: Write each goal, break it into steps, estimate timing, and review monthly. Adjust when life happens.
AI tip: Use ChatGPT to turn goals into a roadmap:
“I’ve completed my first social media project in Lusaka. Suggest next steps over 6–12 months to gain skills, experience, and prepare for my first paid job.”
Bottom line
A career action plan is not a magic ticket. You won’t get a job just by writing it down. But it gives you clarity, control, and a roadmap — instead of drifting from one ad to another.
Whether you’ve never had a job or you already work but want something better, a career action plan helps you:
- See where you are now
- Know where you want to go
- Figure out the steps to get there
- Track small wins
- Plan the next move
Step by step, in Zambia, at your own pace. They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with a step. One Step will eventually compound into a journey, never settle, keep taking steps.
AI Prompts You Can Use
AI can’t magically know your skills or experience — that part is yours. But it can help you organize, plan, and prioritize, suggest projects, or turn your wins into something you can show employers. Copy these prompts into ChatGPT or your AI tool.
1. Skills Audit for Beginners
Purpose: See what skills and experience you already have vs what the job wants.
Prompt:
“I want to apply for a in Zambia. Here’s what I already know and can do: [list your skills, school experience, community projects, side hustles]. Here’s the job description: [paste job description]. Help me organize this into a skills audit showing my strengths, gaps, and opportunities to learn.”
2. Skills Audit for People Already Working
Purpose: Use your current job experience to move toward your dream job.
Prompt:
“I currently work as a [current job title] in Zambia. My daily tasks and responsibilities are: [list what you do]. My dream job is [dream job title]. Here’s the job description: [paste job description]. Suggest ways I can use my current skills and gain new ones to move toward my dream job.”
3. Learning Plan
Purpose: Create a realistic step-by-step plan to close the skills gaps.
Prompt:
“I want to get a in Zambia. I know [list skills you already have] and need to learn [list missing skills]. Suggest a 4–12 week learning and practice plan using free or low-cost resources available online or locally in Zambia.”
4. Small Projects / Practice Opportunities
Purpose: Build experience and confidence before applying for a job.
Prompt:
“I want to gain experience for a in Zambia. I can volunteer, do small projects, or freelance. Suggest 3–5 realistic projects I can do over the next 1–2 months to practice the skills I’m missing.”
5. CV & Portfolio Help
Purpose: Turn small projects, current job experience, or volunteer work into CV or portfolio content.
Prompt:
“I completed a [project type or job task] for [business / organization] in Zambia. Help me write 3–5 CV bullet points showing the skills I used and results I achieved.”
6. Next Steps / Roadmap
Purpose: Plan short-term, medium-term, and long-term moves from your current stage to your dream job.
Prompt:
“I currently have [list projects, learning, and skills you’ve done so far] in Zambia. My dream job is [dream job title]. Suggest a step-by-step roadmap for the next 6–12 months to gain skills, experience, and prepare for my first paid job or promotion in this field.”