When you think about the future of your career, where do you see yourself? Maybe you want to move up the ranks at your current organization, or perhaps you’d like to launch your own business one day.
No matter your vision, you need to create and follow a concrete plan in order to achieve it. Joining a professional organization like Forest of the Rain Productions can help you accomplish your goals! Here’s how to nail down your professional goals, analyze the steps you’ll need to take to achieve them and turn it all into a comprehensive plan for your career.
Determine Your Goals
Before you create a professional development plan, you’ll need to hone in on your personal career goals. Think about where you would like to be next year at this time or five to ten years from now. Be honest with yourself, and don’t be afraid to dream big!
Break Down Objectives
You’ve written down a few goals, and now, it’s time to get specific. Handshake recommends breaking down your goals by using the acronym SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Identify how you’ll measure your progress towards each goal - this could mean job titles, contributing to specific projects, or salary increases. This will help you stay motivated and easily track your progress.
Create a Timeline
Once you’ve broken down your important goals into measurable objectives, you can create a timeline for your professional development plan. Consider when you want to achieve these objectives. For example, do you want to earn a $10,000 salary increase by next year? Do you want to be promoted to a management position two years from now? Would you like to launch your own business within the next five years? Giving yourself deadlines will help you stay committed to your goals.
Seek Out Internal Opportunities
Even if one of your goals involves leaving your current company, you can learn a lot on the job! If you want to be trusted with more opportunities at work, Fast Company recommends talking to your manager about certain projects that you’d like to work on. Taking initiative and being proactive will leave a good impression on your supervisor.
Enroll in an Online Course
If you want to change careers entirely, you may need to enroll in a degree program or earn a specific professional certification. But what if you want to deepen your knowledge of your field so that you can advance on your current career trajectory?
For instance, maybe you’ve started taking on project management responsibilities, and you’re getting the hang of Scrum principles for team management and collaboration. If you’re hoping to get promoted or land a better job at a different company, you may want to register for the best course for advanced Scrum master training online. When you’ve finished the coursework, you’ll take a final evaluation to assess your new skills.
Join Professional Associations
Would you like to network with leaders in your field, get access to exciting job opportunities early on, and find a mentor who can help you achieve your goals? Consider joining a professional association for all of these perks and more! You might want to join a local professional association that is based in your city, or you could sign up for a national association that hosts events and conferences all over the country.
Try Volunteering
Volunteering can be a great way to learn new skills, network, and make a positive impact on your community. Consider which skills you need to master in order to achieve your major goals, and seek out local volunteer opportunities that will allow you to learn them.
You could also consider offering your services on a freelance basis. If you work in a creative field but you’re struggling to demonstrate your full range of skills at your job, starting up a freelance side hustle will allow you to build your portfolio and make valuable connections.
Update Your Resume
As you continue taking steps towards your career goals, you’ll want to ensure that your accomplishments are reflected on your resume. You can include sections on your resume dedicated to your volunteer experience, new certifications, professional affiliations, and more. If the layout of your old resume looks disorganized, you can search for free online resume templates. Start by looking up a library of professionally designed templates. Once you’ve found one that you like, you can add your own content, photos, and even colorful accents.
Figuring out how to get from where you are to where you want to be is challenging. But by thinking ahead and breaking down your goals into smaller objectives, you can gradually make progress in your career path. From linking up with a professional association to enrolling in beneficial courses to polishing up your resume, these tips will help you along the way!
Interested in joining a professional development association? Get involved with Forest of the Rain Productions! Fill out the contact form on our website today to get in touch.
Photo via Pexels
No matter your vision, you need to create and follow a concrete plan in order to achieve it. Joining a professional organization like Forest of the Rain Productions can help you accomplish your goals! Here’s how to nail down your professional goals, analyze the steps you’ll need to take to achieve them and turn it all into a comprehensive plan for your career.
Determine Your Goals
Before you create a professional development plan, you’ll need to hone in on your personal career goals. Think about where you would like to be next year at this time or five to ten years from now. Be honest with yourself, and don’t be afraid to dream big!
Break Down Objectives
You’ve written down a few goals, and now, it’s time to get specific. Handshake recommends breaking down your goals by using the acronym SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and timely. Identify how you’ll measure your progress towards each goal - this could mean job titles, contributing to specific projects, or salary increases. This will help you stay motivated and easily track your progress.
Create a Timeline
Once you’ve broken down your important goals into measurable objectives, you can create a timeline for your professional development plan. Consider when you want to achieve these objectives. For example, do you want to earn a $10,000 salary increase by next year? Do you want to be promoted to a management position two years from now? Would you like to launch your own business within the next five years? Giving yourself deadlines will help you stay committed to your goals.
Seek Out Internal Opportunities
Even if one of your goals involves leaving your current company, you can learn a lot on the job! If you want to be trusted with more opportunities at work, Fast Company recommends talking to your manager about certain projects that you’d like to work on. Taking initiative and being proactive will leave a good impression on your supervisor.
Enroll in an Online Course
If you want to change careers entirely, you may need to enroll in a degree program or earn a specific professional certification. But what if you want to deepen your knowledge of your field so that you can advance on your current career trajectory?
For instance, maybe you’ve started taking on project management responsibilities, and you’re getting the hang of Scrum principles for team management and collaboration. If you’re hoping to get promoted or land a better job at a different company, you may want to register for the best course for advanced Scrum master training online. When you’ve finished the coursework, you’ll take a final evaluation to assess your new skills.
Join Professional Associations
Would you like to network with leaders in your field, get access to exciting job opportunities early on, and find a mentor who can help you achieve your goals? Consider joining a professional association for all of these perks and more! You might want to join a local professional association that is based in your city, or you could sign up for a national association that hosts events and conferences all over the country.
Try Volunteering
Volunteering can be a great way to learn new skills, network, and make a positive impact on your community. Consider which skills you need to master in order to achieve your major goals, and seek out local volunteer opportunities that will allow you to learn them.
You could also consider offering your services on a freelance basis. If you work in a creative field but you’re struggling to demonstrate your full range of skills at your job, starting up a freelance side hustle will allow you to build your portfolio and make valuable connections.
Update Your Resume
As you continue taking steps towards your career goals, you’ll want to ensure that your accomplishments are reflected on your resume. You can include sections on your resume dedicated to your volunteer experience, new certifications, professional affiliations, and more. If the layout of your old resume looks disorganized, you can search for free online resume templates. Start by looking up a library of professionally designed templates. Once you’ve found one that you like, you can add your own content, photos, and even colorful accents.
Figuring out how to get from where you are to where you want to be is challenging. But by thinking ahead and breaking down your goals into smaller objectives, you can gradually make progress in your career path. From linking up with a professional association to enrolling in beneficial courses to polishing up your resume, these tips will help you along the way!
Interested in joining a professional development association? Get involved with Forest of the Rain Productions! Fill out the contact form on our website today to get in touch.
Photo via Pexels