Great Professional Development Resources
Capitalizing on Professional Development Resources
Developing your skills is incredibly important, even for those of us who aren’t actively looking for a job. Chances are, you’ll be looking for another position at some point in your career, considering advancement within the same company, or you may be recruited from outside. It is critical to maintain a healthy balance of perfecting your skills and learning new ones. Understanding the professional development resources available to you is crucial. There are a few ways to do this:
Network - Who do you know? What can you learn from them? How can you emulate their best practices and implement their good decisions into your own work? Having great mentors, role models, and positive influences in your life isn’t just for children and young adults. You can - and should - always be learning from those more experienced than you no matter your professional level. It’s one of the best professional development resources you have - and it’s free - other than the time you spend investing in the relationship.
Career Coaching - Career coaching can be a form of networking depending on who you know and if they are willing to provide constructive feedback, suggestions, and challenges that will force you to grow in your position. If you don’t have that in a mentor, or you want a third party, neutral support, career coaching is an excellent way to go!
Education - Are you the kind of person that was beyond relieved to be done with school or were you sad to be putting down the text books? If you aren’t a fan of becoming a student again, there are many short term and relatively low commitment seminars and training programs that will increase your skills. Start doing research on a specific topic or skill you’d like to pursue and weigh your options. Also check with your local and national professional associations.
Personality Assessments - The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator® (MBTI®) Assessment is the most trusted and widely-used personality assessment tool. The MBTI® assessment provides insight into how we interact with the world, take in information, make decisions, and structure our environment, providing a powerful framework through which we can understand our own and others' behavior. It also provides data about our preferred work tasks, work environment, professional development, and even jobs that are proven to provide high job satisfaction for your type. Learn more here.
Need a push to help you get started with your own professional development? We’re happy to help.