(Updated October 2017)
How is it that drafting a career development plan became part of the “Wish I Didn’t Have To Do” list? Is it because in many large organizations the task is lumped in with (often onerous) annual performance reviews? It’s too bad they’ve become an unpleasant chore for so many workers because they’re actually a very useful tool for focusing in on and honing the skills you need to acquire to advance your career.
3 steps for creating a career development plan
Creating an actionable career development plan can be broken down into 3 distinct steps:
- Step 1: Define your career goals
- Step 2: Identify your strengths and areas for improvement
- Step 3: Map development goals to specific, measurable activities
You don’t need to wait for your annual performance review cycle to get started (although it’s helpful to have your most recent review in hand). You only need to have the motivation to start working on developing yourself and advancing your career.
