Building a career can be simplified when one sets career development goals, which are the foot mats for stepping on to greater things. Climbing the professional ladder takes time but within this time, you must have garnered some skill sets and experiences that become crucial when it’s time to promote a career person to the next level.
In this article, we show you 10 instances that some professionals often use to step up and become better in their respective fields of endeavors.
What are Career Development Goals?
These are personal objectives one set with plans in place to actualize them. These goals vary from developing new skill sets, building inter and external connections with colleagues and team members, taking professional courses, and gaining more real-world experiences in the field of endeavor.
Examples of Career Development Goals
Developing new skill sets and enrolling in more professional courses for knowledge expansion purposes are some of the most popular approaches. Discover the others as you read.
1. Seek & Get Immersed in New Challenges
The employee or professional who gets to the top isn’t just the one with the best paper qualifications, but also the one who has built up their skills. One common skill to have is the ability to overcome tumultuous situations.
Find new challenges relating to your role and make conscious efforts to overcome them. For example, you can choose to learn how to manage teams and projects or take a course in that area to learn how things are done.
2. Access Where You Are Currently
The best way to develop career goals is by accessing where you’re currently. Take note of what has worked in the past, what’s currently working, and what is most likely required to get to the next level in your career.
3. Determine Where You Want to Be
The knowledge of your current situation (i.e. where you’re currently in your career) sets the ball rolling for determining where you wish to be.
Think about what you want to achieve in your professional life. It could be:
- Networking to build more connections within your role.
- Taking courses and or submitting to mentorships to become a highly sought-after professional.
- It could also be learning leadership and organizational skills in preparation for the coming opportunities.
4. Become a Smart Networker
You must become adept at the art of networking and or connecting with other people. This can be done in any of the following ways:
- Conduct interviews with industry experts on core issues of interest.
- Attend conferences or events related to your role or industry.
- Join online forums and get to connect with like-minded people.
5. Learn & Upgrade Your Skill Sets
No professional gets to the next level without having the requisite skills and of course, qualifications. Upgrading your skills can be done in any of these ways:
- Take a course relating to your role, i.e. take a course in project management.
- Learn a new programming language.
- Learn how to speak another language. It comes in handy when working in a multilingual organization.
6. Create Realistic Goals
Whatever career development goals you’re creating should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely (SMART).
By doing so, the objectives are laser-focused on specific things and your attention is fully concentrated on how to realize those.
The SMART goal framework ensures the following:
- The objectives are Specific.
- It’d be easy to determine the goals, hence, making the possible outcomes Measurable.
- The goals must also be Actionable, indicating the possibility of achieving them the way they’re set out.
- That the objectives are Relevant to the expected outcome and that they’re complimentary with the others on the list.
- Every goal you wish to smash must be Timely have a deadline. That way, you’d be “on your feet” until it’s all done.
7. Improve Your Work-Life Balance
Some professionals are stuck with the inability to balance the two most important parts of their lives – working and having personal time. The former tends to take more time and if not properly managed, begins to “eat into” the time you ought to use for personal activities and bonding with family.
Improving your work-life balance, is, therefore, an important step to building rock-solid career development goals. Batch it into smaller activities, such as:
- Creating a “me time” after work.
- Find time to indulge in leisure activities either after work or during the weekend.
- Make time to bond with your family and friends.
8. Level-up Your Credentials
Your educational background still plays an important role in the selection of candidates in professional settings. Ahead of time, level up your credentials in any of these ways:
- Complete a professional certificate.
- Enroll for online degree programs.
- Seek virtual coaches in your niche to help guide you in both character and learning to prepare you for the opportunities within your role.
Make sure to update your latest certifications and or degrees in your LinkedIn profile and keep your manager updated.
9. Start Preparing for Leadership Responsibilities
A time comes when you grow through the ranks and become a people-manager. Preparing ahead of time helps you cultivate important leadership skills.
These are examples of how to get this done:
- Start by completing a leadership program, such as a project management program.
- Volunteer to give a presentation to your team in any area within your role. This also doubles as a way to boost your communication skills.
- Take part in planning the next physical activity or members of the team.
- Lead an initiative aimed at helping the team learn new skills or master how to use certain tools.
10. Consume Media in Your Industry
In preparation for the opportunities about to come, do well to listen to what has worked for others. Consume content from thought leaders in your industry. Examples are:
- Reading books and news publications related to your niche or industry.
- Listening to podcasts talking about the opportunities within your desired role and how to be better positioned.
- Follow industry experts on social media and if possible, join any Spaces they’re holding.
Final Thoughts
Several actions come into play when one sets out to improve on the career development goals. In addition to creating new responsibilities for yourself, learning how to manage time, finding a mentor, expanding your professional network, and identifying your weaknesses are also ideal ways to crush these goals.
Finally, do not put yourself on a pedestal, but learn to be proactive while maintaining a flexible schedule that allows you to work, improve on your career development goals, and still have time to do other important things.