CAREERINVESTING

Career Development, You Hold the Keys

Career development helps people in the workforce discover the strengths and skillsets that set them apart from their peers, increases motivation and productivity, and creates the foundation for longevity and retention. No matter where you are in your professional journey, career development is vital to work toward the next level or develop new skills. Many companies have career development at the forefront of what they do, which shows up in the trainings they provide and the opportunities for employees to feel like they are in forward motion. As an employee in the workforce, what can you do to help your own career development? Here are a few tools to help you take a deep dive into your career growth journey.

Self-Reflection

Taking the time to sit and reflect on what has been working, how you’re leveraging your strengths, and any challenges you’re facing allows you to look at your career development with a fresh perspective. This can lead to better decision-making skills and problem-solving abilities. One way you can practice self-reflection includes carving out dedicated time in your schedule — whether that’s a few minutes each day or time at the start or end of your week — to focus on yourself. Were there any key takeaways from a project or situation you worked through? Were you proud of your actions and how you handled things? Some people enjoy journaling during self-reflection as a judgment-free way to get all the thoughts out of their head and onto paper. This also creates space for you to sort through and reflect on your thoughts.

Seek Advice

Connecting with leadership and requesting feedback can help identify opportunities for growth and development and can demonstrate your commitment to improving your skills and contributing to the team. Asking for feedback allows you to have honest conversations about your performance and show you’re choosing to learn more about yourself. Receiving feedback regularly can help create open communication and transparency that allows you to know where you are and how you’re improving, creating a clearer path for growth and advancement.

Revisit Goals

Taking time to regularly revisit your goals helps ensure you’re on the right track in your career development. In addition, reviewing your goals with leadership will allow both of you to remain aligned regarding your professional growth and ambitions. This is also a wonderful opportunity to see if any revisions to your goals are needed due to shifts in priorities or circumstances. Revising your goal doesn’t mean you failed. Instead, it’s an opportunity to recognize the steps you have taken toward achieving your goals and create space to continue growth and development.

These tools will allow you to take charge of your own professional development so you can continue to learn, grow and improve.

Sources:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbesnonprofitcouncil/2023/04/17/developing-a-growth-mindset-culture/

https://hr.berkeley.edu/hr-network/central-guide-managing-hr/managing-hr/managing-successfully/development/career