Tips for Mapping an Experience Journey for Your Career

All job seekers have diverse experiences in their backgrounds. The employee experience journey isn't always linear. Someone who worked in the hospitality industry may have been an engineer once, or an aspiring marketer may have been an actor before.

Whatever your background may be, an experience journey map will help you gain perspective on your career.

The thing is, you can only see so much of the future. What better way to guide yourself than to look back at all your experiences? Here are a few tips to help you prepare your employee journey map.

The Importance of an Employee Journey Map

Imagine all the experiences you have ever had as tiny puzzle pieces. No matter how diverse, they all still come together.

An experience map is not merely a list of all the jobs you've had. It's a comprehensive collection of all your past experiences to aid in building one. Revisiting and reflecting on your past engagements will let you discover patterns to help reframe your job-hunting journey and build a story.

Plus, you no longer need to keep looking back on your past work experiences every time you apply for a new job. Simply look at your completed journey map, and you will have all the necessary reminders. Note that you would still need to reflect on your last job so you can add it to the timeline.

Tips for Mapping Your Employee Experience Journey

Now that you clearly understand an experience journey's purpose, here are some tips to get you started.

1. Gather unbiased information

   Mapping your employee experience journey is like taking a trip down memory lane. Think about everything you've accomplished, from school to the present: school club activities, volunteer work, on-the-job training, minor and major projects, and more.

   Include even the decisions and experiences you are not fond of. The goal is to list everything you have done in the past, even if they make you cringe.

2. Consider all your experiences beyond work hours

   Do not limit yourself to work-related projects. Even your hobbies and passion projects can make it to your map. If you created a short film with your college friends, even if it did not gain recognition, add that. Even a song you produced in your bedroom can be a viable detail for your experience journey.

   This information is necessary to draw patterns of how you got to where you are now. Just because some things do not seem to “add up” in the profession you seek, it does not mean they are useless.

3. Include the right details

   Gather all the necessary information and organize it into a spreadsheet or any clean slate of your choice. You may arrange the employee experience journey in tables based on categories like your university, company, or previous clients. Don't just list all the projects; make a bulleted list of your responsibilities, too.

   Once you have nailed these details down, you may come up with a clear timeline of your career thus far.

4. Do not rush

   Sometimes, your memory may not serve you well. There may be career gaps from periods when your memory feels nothing like a complete blank. Forcing yourself to remember may not be the best option.

   Give yourself 1–3 days to take things slow. An employee journey map is a lengthy task, and it is okay not to complete it within several hours.

5. Take time to let the output stew

   If you feel your employee journey map is complete, sleep on it and return in one to two days. You may find gaps or missing details in your map. When this happens, edit it to your heart's content.

Your Career's Journey is Your Life's Journey

Professional and personal events influence all your experiences in your life. From graduating high school to starting a family, these milestones help map your career path. Follow these quick tips, and you will be on your way to gaining a clearer career perspective.

Ready to add another experience to your journey? Find your next destination at Career.com.