Did you know November is National Career Development Month? With Q4 final pushes, yearly reflections, and upcoming goal-setting, there is no better time to think about your career. Here are five ways to further develop your career, whether in the next month or over the next year!
1. General Professional Development
Career and professional development go hand-in-hand. However, professional development puts more emphasis on general transferable skills, rather than focusing on a specific career trajectory. Your career cannot grow if your all-around skills stay stagnant! Click here for four fun tips for growing individually at work.
2. Use LinkedIn
The internet has provided endless tools for career development. Start on LinkedIn by keeping your profile up to date with links, descriptions, skills, and certifications. Ask trusted colleagues and mentors for recommendations, regularly post relevant updates or insights with applicable hashtags, connect with others (always send a note!), and join industry groups. With these tools, you are increasing your chances of meeting someone who could help advance your career.
3. Make a Game Plan
Make a concrete plan with action items and a timeline for advancement in your career. If you have a manager, schedule time to review the plan. Look for guidance and have them help you identify additional areas for improvement and growth. A good manager should want to support your career success, not just oversee your daily functions. If you are self-employed, consider getting an accountability buddy to share your goals with. This person could be a mentor, friend, or industry peer.
Keep your game plan within view each day to remind yourself of your goals. Save an image to your desktop, write it down in your planner, or make it a screensaver. The visual representation of where you want your career to go will help keep you on track.
4. Be a Better Leader
Managing others and honing leadership skills is difficult! It takes practice, dedication, and an open mind to be a good leader. Finding the correct management style requires time spent learning about things like having tough conversations, providing good feedback, and being a good listener. Ultimately, most career development will involve managing others. To be a better leader, challenge yourself to take a management course or follow a book/podcast. Implement your learnings, build an incredible team to support you, and ensure you are ready to take the next step in your career.
5. Invest in Yourself
Investing in yourself, whether a large or small sum, can be essential to bringing your career to the next level. Take a class or development course, become a member formalized networking group or association, or join a shared workspace. Shared workspaces like AdvantEdge provide a professional setting, support services, and a built-in like-minded community. Bet on yourself and career development will follow!
Let National Career Development month be your reminder to always be looking to grow and learn. At AdvantEdge, we deeply care about the success of every client. Take a small and easy step to furthering career development this month, and check out an AdvantEdge space!
