Setting Professional Development Goals Begins with a ... Pause

Do you have a career plan? Do you know the answer to: “Where do I want to be in five years, ten, or even twenty?

Taking time to consider where your talents and weaknesses lie, what your likes and dislikes are, and what future challenges your industry or occupation will face can help you set some professional goals. This reflection can help you chart your own course for professional development.

 

Is your career happening unintentionally?

At the young age of 37 I had a baby and quit my job and career of 15 years in the publishing industry. I’d spent what felt like years, honing my sales skills, learning about circulation and printing, and managing people. Those skills were the requirements of my job … as I was being pushed up the career ladder.

It seemed like success.

The intent when I left was that after a couple years at home, I’d return and pick up right where I left off.

Instead, staying home for a couple years gave me time to pause and realize that all my past successes were pushing me further into a career that I only partially enjoyed (in an industry that was struggling). My time away made me more aware that my college plan had been to be a writer. And I realized that every time I saw a magazine (even back at the publishing company), I wished I had written the copy for one of those ads or that I had been involved in creating the content.

 

Many of us get swept along in the career tide, instead of stopping to assess what we really want and where we really want to be.

 

Reflect on what you really want professionally

Taking time to think about your career can help direct your professional development now — for your current job — and for the one you might aspire to in the future. This reflection, planning and goal setting takes time and is an exercise you’ll want to regularly revisit.

Personal development plans begin with goals. Having goals enables you to set objectives for yourself — to improve skills, knowledge, character, connections. Personal development plans help guide you, help you set priorities, eliminate things that don’t fall in line with your plan, and can help to keep you motivated.

So let’s talk about how to successfully begin thinking about your career goals in a big-picture kind of way. To do this there are a lot of different questions you can ask yourself. Here are a few to get you started:

• "What does career success look like to me?"
• "Am I achieving some level of “success” in my current job?"
• "What would I like my obituary to say about my career and the impact I had on those around me?"
• "Is there someone who’s career I admire? Do they have something I aspire to?"
• "What are my strengths or gifts? Am I using these gifts in my current job?
• "What are my weaknesses or things I struggle finding motivation to do? Are these things I would enjoy more if I were good at them? Or are they things I really have no interest in perfecting?"

After you’ve taken some time to consider these questions, see if you can write your career goals down in a clear sentence or two. Then consider how you can achieve these goals and write down what it will take for you to get there.

 

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Professional goals for your current job

Assuming you’re happy on your current trajectory, you can also use variations of these same questions to assess your current role, develop personal and organizational awareness, and set some guiding career goals. Try these:

• “What activities in my job motivate me to excel?”
• “Do I feel my individual goals align to the organization?”
• “What challenges are ahead for my industry or job?” 
• “What development opportunities do I want to explore?”
• “What development experiences might help me progress toward my career goals?”

 

Where do your talents and weaknesses lie? What are your likes and dislikes? What challenges will your organization, industry or role face in the future?

Take time to think these things through periodically. Then consider how you can gain skills that are transferrable and in line with your career goals. This will help you chart a course for professional development using your goals to guide you.