Are you a young professional who’s keen to climb the career ladder? If so, we’ll be doing a full run-down of career development strategies that will help you grow professionally.
Regardless of whether you’re planning to move up in your career, looking to strengthen your skills and experience in your current role, or you’re seeking a career change, our guide is a must-read.
Trust us, you won’t want to miss this if you’re wanting to take the next step in your career, so carry on reading!
1. Think About Your Goals
Are you wanting to pave the way for a successful and fulfilling career? We’d suggest firstly defining your short-term and long-term goals.
Try to break your goals into small, manageable steps and create a timeline so that you can track your progress and visualise your own success.
It’s important to have a think about where you want to be in 2, 5 or even 10 years, as this will give you a clear direction, help you stay on track and make informed decisions.
No matter if you’re aiming for a promotion, keen to enter a new industry or field or even move to a new team at your current organisation, goal setting is so important!
2. Explore Your Options
You need to be proactive in exploring new job opportunities, projects and challenges if you want to develop your career.
Have a look at what vacancies are available at your current company, this will help you determine if there are specific roles that align with your interests, skills, and aspirations.
Furthermore, exploring the job openings within your current company enables you to see the level of competition and demand for various positions.
If there isn’t any growth potential at your current company, you will need to branch out and research your options elsewhere.
3. Schedule Regular Meetings With Your Manager
Talking about career progression can feel awkward sometimes, but don’t be afraid of discussing your goals and aspirations with your manager.
At the end of the day, they’re there to support you and help you grow professionally, so letting them know what you’re after in terms of your career could open doors for you.
If you don’t already have monthly one-to-one meetings or performance reviews with your line manager, be sure to schedule them to discuss your career goals.
Your employer may even ask you to fill out a career development plan, which is a list of your long and short-term goals that can help you get to where you want to be in your current role.
If you’re not interested in furthering your career at your current company or field you’re in, don’t inform your manager of this until you hand in your resignation and have a new job lined up.
4. Build Up Your Network
Building a strong professional network is key for career advancement, so make sure to network with people both within and outside of your organisation.
You can build up your contacts by attending networking events or workshops, through connecting with people on LinkedIn or joining industry-related groups on social media platforms.
If you’re living in our co-living accommodation, we have fantastic co-working spaces where you can network with other like-minded young professionals.
By building up your network, this can open up doors to new career opportunities, help you gain more exposure and gain valuable insights.
5. Focus On Competitive Edge
Next up in our guide of career development strategies is focusing on competitive edge, which are the attributes that are going to set you apart from everyone else.
Advancing your education and skill development through training courses, attending workshops, developing your personal brand or even through staying up-to-date with industry trends is important.
Developing soft skills like communication, teamwork, problem-solving and leadership is crucial for career development too.
The more you focus on developing new skills and gaining experience, the better you’ll stand out from other job candidates in the future!
6. Seek Mentorship
Seeking mentorship from other professionals can help you develop new skills, receive professional advice, plan for the future, navigate challenges as well as maintain motivation.
You could try to find a mentor at your current place of work like your line manager or another colleague, or it could be a professional in the chosen field or industry you want to enter.
A good mentor will share their knowledge and experiences and will have your best interests at heart, and they will also provide you with guidance and feedback.
If you’re wondering who to ask to be your mentor, try to consider experienced professionals who are many years ahead of you in the specific industry you’re in, or want to enter.
A previous manager in a past job role could be a good mentor too, depending on their level of expertise.
7. Challenge Yourself
In order to progress and develop your career you must be willing to challenge yourself and take on new things that are out of your comfort zone.
Set a challenge of developing the current skills you possess further, or get involved with new projects, not only is this beneficial for you, but it will also show others you’re determined.
For example, if you have limited public speaking experience then why not set yourself the challenge of delivering a presentation at work? Or, challenge yourself to complete a specific course which interests you.
Remember, challenges are opportunities for personal growth and can help expand your horizons, so don’t be afraid of new opportunities!
There we have it, our full guide of the top career development strategies for young professionals. Hopefully this has been useful for you and we wish you all of the best in your career!
Building leadership skills is an excellent way to progress your career, and to help you, we’ve got a guide with tips and tricks.