Career Development Information: Professional Support

Career Development is a broad ranging subject that is usually considered to be part of an entity's Organizational Development process and considers:

how individuals manage their careers within and between employing organizations;
and how those employing organizations may structure the career progress of their individual employees. In some organizations it is also tied into their succession planning arrangements.

It would be a mistake, however, to think that the sole responsibility for an individual's career development was with the organization. First and foremost, it is YOUR CAREER, therefore YOU are responsible for it.

That said, there are a number of key professional career development questions that should be on your mind:

1. Do you know where you’re going in your career?

2. If so, do you know how you’ll get there?

3. Are you making the most of your options?

4. Does anyone know about you and how good you are?

5. What do others think about you?

6. How do you measure your impact on the marketplace?

1. Do you know where you’re going?

I know what position I want next
I have a five-year plan for my career based on my own informal picture of the market
I have long-range goals for my career
I have long-range goals for my personal life
I know what skills or new knowledge will be required to progress in my job and my company

2. Do you know how you’ll get there?

I have the right education and experience for thejob I may want next
I seek out individuals who have information and skills that I need to understand
I have a role model, mentor or champion whom I can learn from
I regularly read journals, newspapers and books on management and business in general
I take care of myself physically and am described as a person with a lot of energy
I maintain balance between my work and my life outside work.

3. Are you making the most of your options?

I actively seek information about what is happening within the areas I work
I understand where and why work opportunities are increasing or declining
I am familiar with company policies and practices on career development
I use all available support (both formal and informal) to open up new options for me.

4. Does anyone know about you?

My boss’s boss and other senior managers know who I am. Read managing your boss.
I develop contacts in areas that do not have regular dealings with me
I am energetic and enthusiastic about my company and job
I get involved in cross-departmental activities or problem solving groups
I am visibly involved in a professional organisation, preferably in a leadership role
I keep in regular contact with colleagues I have met atevents,conferences and on courses
I network with people I have previously worked with

5. What do others think about you?

I feel I have a good relationship with my superiors
I feel I have a good relationship with people who work for me
I speak and listen to my customers regularly, and check that I understand their needs
I am seen as a problem solver and committed to action
I take actions to enhance the quality of my company’s products and services.

6. How do you measure your impact?

I seek feedback regarding my performance
I embrace the feedback and aim to improve my performance
I maintain contact with professionals in my field to know the value of my skills
My CV is kept up-to-date, well-organised and reflects the accomplishments of my career
I have recent experience of how others might see me (via my network or job application)
I am ready and prepared to negotiate a job move should I want to. I am not too worried about getting fired.

Professional Career Development

If you aren't sure of the answers to those career development questions, have you considered what difference hiring a professional Career Coach could make to your career, or how it could help you to get promoted? Or how much faster you might get back to work after being downsized? Read here about how outplacement helps people get back to work.

What a Professional Career Coach Will Do For You:

1. Help you to clarify your vision and career goals.

2. Support you when you need to talk to someone who isn't too involved to just objectively support you.

3. Show you how to develop momentum and pick up enough forward motion to make things happen.

4. Help you stay focused on the things that matter and either delegate or dump the unimportant things.

5. Enable you to take an objective look at exactly what you have been doing or NOT doing.

6. Identify effective behaviour patterns that you can use to further your goals.

7. Hold you accountable for your goals and not accept excuses for why things don't get done.

8. Show you how to accomplish more by being more productive.

9. Help you discover your unique abilities and what the ideal career is that will motivate you to get out of bed in the morning.

10. Help you to identify your core values and show you how to identify work that corresponds with your values and provides you with the kind of career of which you can be proud.

Top performers in all activities rely on their coaches to keep them at peak performance. Why should you be any different? Your career development is just as important to you as winning the 100m is to Usain Bolt, isn't it?

Join my Career Development Programme and save £100s as well as your time by accessing the most powerful online personal career coaching program available and give your career an immediate boost. Click Career Development Programme for more information.

Self Directed 7 Steps Program

You might also find that the expert Online Career Coaching supervised by me, Peter Fisher would suit your timetable. Join my 7 Steps Program of Career Management for a one-off fee of £99.00 and access my self-directed online career coaching programme which will give your career an immediate boost.

Whether you are trying to get a new job or you are considering a career change, this 7 Steps Programme will instantly give you the knowledge, skills and confidence to get your work life and career back where it should be.