Simple Steps In Building A Career Development Plan

Setting specific, measurable career development goals can help you get to the next level in your career. While developing a career plan can entail a significant amount of work, it will pay off in helping you to understand where you want to go with your career next and what you need to do to get there.

The secret behind building a career development plan is taking responsibility for your own professional growth. No one is going to come in with a magic wand and give you your own business or ensure you’ll achieve a leadership role at your current company – you have to create a career development plan for yourself.

What Is Career Development?

What is career development? It depends on who you ask. Young professionals may equate making a career development plan with making more money. Small business owners likely see career development as a tool for enhancing the lives of employers and employees alike, since fulfilling careers create happy, hard-working employees.

For people at any stage in their career, the prospect of building a career development plan often sparks mixed emotions, from excitement to apprehension about all the unknowns. So when we ask what is career development, what we’re really getting at is values. 

Career development is directly linked to the goals and objectives set by an individual. It starts with self-actualization and self-assessment of one’s interests and capabilities. The interests are then matched with the available options.

What Is A Career Development Plan?

A career development plan is a personal action plan that you can use to create a roadmap for your career. The typical career development plan example outlines:

• The starting point: Where you are now in your career
• The destination: Where you want to go in your career
• The gap: The obstacles you must overcome to reach the destination
• The route: How to close the gap to reach your intended destination

Your personalized development plan will help you to identify specific, achievable career goals and then design and implement strategies to reach your goals.

1. Identify Your Current Job Position

The first step in any career development plan is to identify where you are now in your career. This step also allows you to reflect on your current skillset and strengths.

At this stage, you should consider questions like:

• What are my past experiences?
• What do I enjoy doing?
• What kinds of natural skills and talents do I have?
• What am I doing when I feel most excited or motivated at work?
• Do I prefer leading a group, working with peers or working alone?
• What energizes me? What drains my energy?
• Do I have a specific calling in life?
• What about my career motivates me to get up and go to work in the morning?

Take some time to write down the answers to these questions. Note your current position in your field, including whether you have finished your education or would like to pursue additional graduate education and where you fall on the career ladder.

2. Consider Your Career Paths

When building a career development plan, you must also consider the career paths available to you. Unlike career ladders, which are vertical, career paths explore options in all directions, potentially in multiple organizations.

To find your career path, look beyond the obvious career ladders to the more nuanced options, like horizontal career lattices, dual career ladders and encore careers. Examining multi-dimensional career development paths provides more options for discovering what really inspires you.

3. Set Goals For Your Career

In order to learn how to create a development plan for your career, you must set goals for yourself. Where are you in your professional journey right now and where do you want to be? Don’t just make up a vague goal like “get a promotion.”

Think of a specific goal you can track. For instance, decide you want to be vice president of a Fortune 500 company in the next 10 years. Pick an objective that’s within the realm of possibility that you can realistically begin working toward.

Why You Should Consider Careating A Career Development Plan?

Whether you just graduated from college or you have been in the workforce for years, a career development plan can be an important tool to advance your goals. Mapping out your future career will not only help you to reach your career goals, but will also help you to stay motivated and inspired at work, increase your productivity, and strengthen your relationship with mentors and supervisors.

Stay on top of your plan, and chances are you will be able to take your career to the next level.

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