As a career professional, moving upwards in your career requires serious discipline, leadership qualities, and a broad skill set. However, with the right goals in mind, professional development can be a short-term endeavor toward long-term success. In this article, we’ll take you through some essential tips for setting goals to hone your skills as an employee in any field.

Why Set Professional Development Goals?

Professional development is more than just working towards your next promotion – it’s about broadening your future, improving productivity levels, and becoming a more well-rounded individual both in and out of the workplace. As long as you are an employee in a constantly changing career, with the intake of new information, laws, and standards, your growth as a professional is continuous. Therefore, setting goals can help pave the way to a better work experience, stronger co-worker relationships, and a higher salary.

Tips to Set Goals For Your Professional Development

Woman at laptop learning about professional developmentSetting goals to develop your current skill set and blooming into a more coordinated employee may not always come easy at first. Here are some tips for creating goals that can ultimately help to improve your professional life.

1. Create an end goal

When embarking on your professional journey, it’s best to begin with an end goal in mind. Ten years from now, what do you want your professional life to look like? What job title would you like to hold? What sort of achievements would you like to have? An end goal can help you to create smaller goals that build toward your greater vision.

2. Build workplace skills

In every workplace, there exists a need for certain skill sets to ensure employees can take on the responsibilities of the job. For instance, some employers may require employees to have strong leadership qualities, presentation skills, and an affinity for working in team environments. Take a look at what your job requires of you as an employee and find courses cultivated with your specific development needs in mind.

3. Review your progress

Professionals learning from each otherAny progress, regardless of how much or how little, is a sign that you are getting closer to your end goal. Taking a look at how far you’ve come professionally can help you realize how much you are improving as an employee. Check in with yourself regularly to monitor your progress and keep you motivated to reach your goals.

4. Expand your professional network

When it comes to reaching higher achievements in the workforce, the most successful people often agree with the importance of networking. Knowing the right people and building strong relationships with other professionals can help expose you to prestigious job opportunities and build your profile to be seen by executives in your desired field. Some goals could be to attend professional networking events and signing up for social media platforms like LinkedIn.

5. Reference feedback

No matter where you are in your professional journey, it’s always a good idea to continuously reference any feedback you have received in the past from your superiors. Once you have an idea of certain aspects of your career that you should improve on, you can begin working to fix any mistakes, prevent them from occurring again and strive to do better the next time.

Professional Development Resources From VOC

Looking for more ways to hone your skills as a professional in your career? We offer articles on professional development and career-related topics designed to help you climb the corporate ladder. View our selection of information and resources on developing your career further by visiting our website or calling us today at (216) 284-4526 to learn more!

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