Career planning, guidance, and direction are all major components of everyone’s career journey. Have you ever wished that opportunities would present themselves, or that you had a way to create them? This is where Planned Happenstance comes in. Planned Happenstance was coined by Professor John Krumboltz. To sum it up, Planned Happenstance is searching for opportunities to come to you (Sharf, 2010). Once you understand this method and how it works you might be able to bring opportunities to yourself to help your career.

According to Krumboltz people need to capitalize on their experiences in their lives and take advantage of their life experiences (Sharf, 2010). The more opportunities you create in your life the more chances you will have to succeed in your career. You will want to approach this method with an open mind as to what you can create in your life. As you progress through Planned Happenstance it is important to be comfortable with indecision and options that will come your way (Sharf, 2010).

The Breakdown of Planned Happenstance

Planned Happenstance comprises of five components. Understanding these components will help you be able to gain a greater understanding of why you make certain decisions in your career.

Curiosity – Exploring new opportunities. Seeking out informational interviews, volunteering, and networking are all-inclusive of curiosity and creating opportunities. The mentioned above are just a few methods to explore curiosity, however, you can create and find opportunities with even a simple internet search, and by talking with people. 

Optimism- Looking for new chances to make things happen, that pay off in the long term.

Risk-Taking – This happens when unexpected events happen along your path. This aspect is important because even though you may not reap what you had planned from a particular situation, doesn’t mean that it will not have long-term benefits, that can present other opportunities.

Persistence – Often experienced during setbacks in your career. Being consistent in your career progression and methods is of importance. When you experience a setback, getting back up on your feet and reconnecting with others or searching for other companies to work within your industry would be beneficial.

Flexibility – This comes from dealing with and learning from various events. As mentioned above keeping an open mind and a good attitude will go a long way when it comes to developing your career. The world of work highly values flexible individuals, so adopting and/or learning this trait in your career progression has long-term benefits. Remaining flexible when doing a job search is also a positive way to navigate through the job search process, as it is a chance to learn more about yourself through reflection.

(Sharf, 2010)

Planned Happenstance can have many benefits. Things that can occur because of taking a risk are:

1. Meeting people that you might not otherwise get a chance to connect with through taking on a meeting or an informational interview.
2. Unexpected changes in your career, for example, you have a career planning session with your manager or mentor. You have a conversation about where you would like your career to go. A few months later an opportunity arises, and you are mentioned for the opportunity. This conversation led you to a new opportunity.
3. There could be obstacles in your way. By assessing how you can get around and overcome obstacles, can lead you to new opportunities. Thinking outside the box in this instance helps.
4. Extracurricular activities such as volunteering gives you chance to not only show off your skills but also gives you a chance to connect with others. Being active in the community can help you build a strong professional reputation. These experiences can also lead to meeting new people and potentially getting a job opportunity that you might not have otherwise heard about.
5. Exposure to new experiences is another positive of planned happenstance. By getting out and involved in the community, trying new things, and connecting with others you will get an opportunity. You could discover something new about yourself by experiencing new things, which can ultimately lead to new opportunities.  

There are many resources online that can help you incorporate planned happenstance into your life. In some cases, this method can pay off quickly and in others it can take some time. Either way, planned happenstance is a skill that you can learn and that will always help you to gain new opportunities.  

Bibliography

Sharf, R. S. (2010). Krumboltz’s Social Learning Theory . In R. S. Sharf, Applying Career Development Theory to Counseling (pp. 382 – 385). Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning.