By Rebecca Shinn
You may have started your year off by setting goals and New Year’s resolutions. Perhaps you took up a new hobby, started working out or joined some of the best dating sites 2021 in search of a partner. However, one of your most important goals was likely to focus on your career development.
Now, regardless of the field, you’re in, having a career development plan is essential to put your goals into perspective and build your life around what you expect to achieve in a certain amount of time. As women, we are often called to make difficult career decisions that can affect our family planning or other aspects of our lives that we have to consider before making a final call. In this article, we’re going to give you some handy career development tips that will help you navigate what comes your way and make informed decisions regarding where your career is going. Read more to find out!
What is career development?
Let’s start things off by getting into what the term entails, especially when it comes to women’s career development. While there are many definitions that one may give for the term, a simple explanation is that career development means moving ahead in the profession of your choosing. It may be seeking out better job opportunities as your experience grows or taking up advanced courses and training that will allow you to increase your salary and position within your company.
We encourage you to write down what career development means to you and brainstorm ways to kickstart your career development process! Our tips will help you do just that, so try to keep some notes and apply what’s relevant to your specific circumstances. Here we go:
As women, we are too often wary of taking it upon ourselves to initiate new projects. There may be many reasons why this happens; however, the truth is that there’s no reason that it should. If anything, putting yourself out there by pitching new ideas or coming up with detailed outreach plans can increase your visibility and help put yourself on the map. There’s nothing to worry about speaking your thoughts clearly and concisely. If anything, it will allow your voice to be heard.
Ever heard how networking can bring about many new career opportunities? It’s true; in fact, a recent poll showed that professional networks helped 80% of job seekers with landing a new job. Even if you’re just now beginning your career and have little to no connections, you must build solid working relationships with people in your industry who can help you down the road with reaching your career milestones – and you, theirs. If you’re further along in your career and have an already established network, then make sure to nurture it by catching up with your colleagues and peers now and then or interacting with their posts on social media like LinkedIn.
See How to Effectively Network Online
An essential step in business career development is always keeping up with the latest advancements in your field and working on your transferrable skills every chance you get. Regardless of whether you have a college degree or not, things are changing at a rapid pace, and you can’t rely on the experience you gained in the course of your studies alone to get by in the professional world. Make it a point to pursue educational opportunities that will allow you to keep abreast with fresh ideas and the newest developments in your sector to go after positions that require particular expertise and current knowledge of things in your professional sphere. Many online and in-person courses can keep you up to speed, all while accommodating your work schedule. You should also check whether your company offers reimbursement for educational programs, which will make it even easier for you to take classes that will enrich your knowledge and skills.
See 10 Effective Ways to Manage Your Career in a Tech-Driven World
The further you advance in your career, the more likely you will be called to lead a team or group of people as they work on a shared project. Be it a larger or smaller team, you will be charged with managing group dynamics, easing any tensions that may arise, and coming up with a functional layout that will ensure the success of whatever task is at hand. In other words, you will be called to be a leader. The prospect of attaining a leadership position may at times feel intimidating, but it’s part of healthy career development. Think of it as both a recognition of your efforts and a challenge to improve. You can apply your hard-earned wisdom in practical scenarios and show that you have what it takes to go further ways in your career.
Conclusion
The importance of career development cannot be overstated. The satisfaction that comes with enjoying the rewards of your efforts can be immeasurable. Career development can mean different things: a better salary, a position of higher prestige, or acquiring specialized knowledge in a field that’s close to your heart. One thing is for sure: a solid working life will lead to an overall happier life, and you don’t want to spend your days pursuing a career that doesn’t suit you or stuck in a position with no future.
Let us know in the comments: what training and career development advice has helped you reach your career milestones? What do you consider to be the most important career development benefits?
Rebecca Shinn is a freelance writer and dating and relationship expert with a psychology degree. Her field of expertise is relationship, dating, and marriage. The important part of Rebecca’s practice is to help couples with communication skills, problem-solving skills, stress management, or financial skills.
Rebecca started writing 2 years ago to inspire and help people to have a better dating life, healthy relationships, or find a way to keep a marriage strong for long years.
With all said above, Rebecca is proud to be a mother and a wife so she doesn’t only use her knowledge for helping others but keeping her family strong and happy.
