Take Control of Your Career With a Professional Development Plan
Are you ready to take your career to the next level? Taking control of your own professional development is one of the best ways to do that. When you create a plan for yourself, you are setting yourself up for success. Here are some tips from Resume Writer on how to set up and carry out an effective professional development plan.
Decide What Goals Will Guide You
The first step in creating a successful professional development plan is to define your goals. What do you want to achieve in your career? Do you want to move up in the company or switch fields altogether? Knowing what you would like to accomplish will make it much easier for you to determine what skills you need to develop and what steps need to be taken in order for those goals to be achieved.
Identify the Skills You Need To Develop
Once you know what goals you would like to achieve, it’s time to figure out which skills and knowledge will help get you there. Do some research into what skills are necessary for the job or field that interests you and start getting creative about how you can learn those skills. Consider going back to school or taking online courses, attending workshops, or working with a mentor who can help guide your learning process.
Create Your Plan of Action
Once you have identified what skills and knowledge are needed, it’s time to create an action plan that outlines how and when these skills will be developed. For example, if going back to school is part of your plan, make sure that the timeline fits into your overall goal timeline. If working with a mentor is necessary, make sure this person has the availability and expertise necessary for the job at hand.
Find a Professional Advisor
Connecting with someone who has more experience in the industry can help accelerate your growth as a professional. UpFlip explains, not only can they provide advice based on their own experience, but they may also be able to evaluate where exactly your strengths lie and which areas need improvement. Having someone who understands both where you currently stand professionally as well as where you hope to go can be invaluable when it comes time for implementing changes in order to reach your ultimate goal(s).
Evaluate Your Progress & Celebrate Wins
It’s important not just to measure progress but to celebrate even small wins along the way! Make sure every milestone is celebrated no matter how big or small because this will motivate and inspire continued progress toward reaching bigger milestones down the line.
Use Your Resume to Display Your Achievements
As milestones are reached, don’t forget to update your resume accordingly! Include any training programs completed, certifications earned, etc., so employers have an idea of all that was accomplished during this period of development and growth as a professional.
If you are also submitting prior work samples with your resume, be sure they are edited accordingly. For example, be sure to remove any pages from files containing privileged information about your former employers—click here for a tool that can help. While you want to present your best work, you don’t want to do so in a way that damages your former clients.
Pursue Your Entrepreneurial Goals
Finally, once all the above steps have been taken — go ahead and start that business! Whether it’s freelancing on the side or launching something more long-term — now is the perfect time to put everything you learned into action! Take advantage of all those new skills acquired over time by putting them into practice through realizing your dreams of entrepreneurship.
If you have a solid idea, a business plan, and a marketing strategy. You’re already halfway there to starting your own business! All that’s left is choosing a business designation, and an LLC is a wise choice. This will help protect your personal assets through the limited liability designation and give you access to tax benefits. Be sure to check out this resource on how to get an LLC if you need more information.
Take Control of Your Career Goals
A well-crafted professional development plan can open up many doors when it comes time for taking one’s career to new heights. By defining goals from early on and determining which skill sets are necessary to achieve them, you are taking steps toward your larger professional goals.
We set ourselves up for success when we decide to take control of our own careers through proactive personal & professional growth planning! By following these steps, young professionals can develop meaningful plans that set themselves up not just for short-term success —but potentially long-term too! Taking charge of our career paths has never been easier, and we should take advantage of every opportunity available when it comes to pursuing our dreams! Good luck everyone!
