How to set professional development goals

Continuous learning and development is key to your professional growth, especially if you are hoping to move into a new role or get a promotion.

It’s something that many of us have become more focused on recently, with a survey by the Sharp Corporation finding that 63% of workers under the age of 30 feel that opportunities for upskilling had become more important to them during lockdown. Yet with many companies cutting budgets, you might be less likely to get access to formal training provided by your employer.

The good news is that you don’t have to wait for on-the-job training, you can set your own professional development goals and create a strategy to ensure you achieve them.

Set out what you want to achieve

Having a clear idea of what you want to achieve will make it much easier to plan how you are going to get there, so always start with your end goal in mind and work backwards from there.

You can then figure out what it will take to complete these goals. Are there any skills you’ll need to develop first? Is there something in particular that you’ll need more experience of? Or perhaps there’s a professional qualification or certification that you’ll need?

Look over your recent performance

If you’re unsure of what you’ll need to work on, having a look back at your recent performance will help you target what areas could use an upgrade.

If your employer holds regular performance reviews, you should be able to find everything you need in your last one. If things are a bit less formal in your job, you might want to ask your boss if there’s anything that they think you could improve upon.

Don’t be disheartened if there are a few areas that you need to improve upon but be realistic about what you can achieve at once and prioritise the things that matter to you most.

Set SMART goals

If your objectives aren’t focused, then it will be very difficult to come up with an action plan and your to-do list will be a nightmare. Get organised by using the SMART method to define your goals. This means they should be:

• Specific: Any goal you set should be specific. This means you need to know what you want to accomplish, what you need to do to complete the task and what resources you will need.
• Measurable: You should be able to track your progress by some measurement. This will allow you to see how far you have come and keep you focused on what you still need to do.
• Achievable: Your goal must be realistic. Setting a goal that is impossible to complete, no matter how much you would like it to be, is setting yourself up to fail.
• Relevant: Your goal should be something you care about and be relevant to your long-term plan.
• Time-bound: Your goal should have a deadline as this will give you a time frame to work within and keep you focused on the task. Just be careful to allocate yourself enough time when you set your deadline, allowing yourself time for other things too.

Develop a strategy for reaching each goal

Breaking down your goals into smaller, individual tasks will make things more manageable. Once you complete a task you can tick it off your list giving you a sense of your achievement along the way.

For example, if your goal is to complete a professional certification, your first task would be to research online courses and their costs. Your next task would be to work out how to finance it, perhaps your employer would be willing to contribute part of the payment? Once this is done, you’re ready to enrol on the course. Then, complete the work required and sit any exam required.

Set aside time to work on your goals

No matter what your goals are, you’ll need to make some time in your schedule to put in the work. How you do this will depend on what time of day you feel you can focus most.

For some, getting up an hour earlier in the morning and getting some work done before you start your job might be ideal. Others might prefer to use their lunch break or take some time in the evening.

You might find you have to sacrifice an hour or two of boxset bingeing here and there, but it will all be worth it once you accomplish your goal. Plus, Netflix will still be there waiting for you as a reward.

Regularly check your progress

Set up a weekly or monthly reminder to review how you are getting on. Take stock of how things are going and how much progress you’ve made. If you feel that you’ve gone off track or have had to slow down your pace, go back to your plan and come up with a strategy for getting yourself back on track.

Ready to take your skills to a new job? Search the latest vacancies on jobs24.com.

Posted on February 8, 2021