Visualise your dream job and get creative with this task!

Has your career hit a wall? If you're looking for a way to get back on track, might we suggest making a career vision board? You can use this board to clearly show yourself what you desire in your professional life. In the following guide, we'll cover what a career vision board is, how to create a career vision board, and give you some helpful career vision board ideas.

What is a career vision board?

A career vision board is a representation of your professional hopes, dreams, and goals. It can be helpful if you're struggling to stay on track when it comes to your career. You can use this craft project to give you the motivation you need to keep on moving. Whenever you look at it, you'll see a visual depiction of the career that you're aspiring to. 

Step 1: Start by mind-mapping ideas 

Chances are, you have zero idea where to start when creating your career vision board. Welcome to the club. Before you get crafting, you need to have a clear idea of what this particular board should include. One of the best ways to do that is to mind-map. 

Brace yourself, this is a tad cheesy. Start with the words “My dream job” in the centre of the page. Without putting too much thought into what the right and wrong answers are, start jotting down how that job looks. You might include information like the fact that you only want to work four days a week, that it should be flexible, or that you want to work with animals. Get writing and let it all flow out. You may surprise yourself with what you write.

Step 2: Gather your craft materials 

Now that you have something to work with, it's time to gather your materials. You'll need a large piece of paper or card for your career vision board. That will be your literal blank canvas. You may also want to get some colourful pens, pencils, craft paper, highlighters, scissors and glue. Head to your local craft shop or raid the cupboards now. As we will cover in a moment, you also need some imagery. You'll need to go through old magazines or even find the images online and print them out. The choice is yours. 

Step 3: Write down some powerful adjectives

Next up, let's talk about how you would feel about your dream job. What emotions does it stir up when you think about it? You might include some of the following, for example: 

  • Fearless

  • Prestigious

  • Strong 

  • Ambitious 

  • Energetic

  • Hopeful 

  • Optimistic 

  • Dedicated

  • Decisive 

  • Passionate 

  • Focused 

  • Innovative 

You can write each of these down on your vision board. Alternatively, you may want to find them in magazines and cut them out, or print them off in different font styles. It doesn't matter. What does matter is that you get a visual representation of how you want to feel about your career. Stick these words on your career vision board wherever you please. 

Step 4: Include phrases and mantras 

It's not simply about using keywords! When you look at your career vision board, it should inspire you to be the best version of yourself. To help you along the way, it may be useful to include some career board affirmations, phrases, or mantras. Write these as though you already have your dream job. For example, you may use “I am at the top of my game,” or “I am a powerful leader.” Consider what you want from your career and write phrases that encapsulate that idea. 

Step 5: Use images that reflect your dream job

Now, it's time for the fun part. No career vision board would be complete without some illustrative pictures. You can go through magazines or look online for the imagery you need. Select pictures that show off the type of job and career you want. Be creative here. If you don't know where to start, we've got you covered. Here are some picture ideas:

  • The type of clothing you would wear in your dream job 

  • The most notable companies you'd like to work for 

  • Job adverts for roles that you would like to land 

  • Successful people that you admire or aspire to be like

Of course, everyone is unique. You need to decide what type of pictures will motivate you to reach your goals. Cut out a few different images and then stick them onto the board. 

Step 6: Set some tangible career-based goals 

When you've done all of the above, it's time to include some vision board career goals. You can section off a part of the board to write down goals as bullet points (once again, you may want to type these up and print them off instead!).

For each goal that you include, make sure that it's tangible and also set a deadline. For example, one target may be “Become a team leader” with a deadline of one year. The more specific you are with each of these goals, the more likely you are to reach them.

Step 7: Keep going - it's a WIP!

This is not a static project. Your career vision board is a work in progress (WIP). For that reason, you should always be adding new things to it and changing or ticking off the goals that you've set. Whenever possible, set aside some time to update the board. Since your career is ever-growing and changing, your board needs to reflect that in real-time. 

The takeaway

Creating a career vision board is a snappy way to visualise what you want from your professional life. It doesn't matter if you're creative or if you've never attempted a craft project before, you can get started with this inspiring activity. What are you waiting for?

Looking for your next job? If you're on the hunt for new opportunities, give yourself the best chance of success. You can use our free CV review to fine tune your most important job-search document and you'll have some goals ticked off your career vision board in no time!

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