With a career development plan, you can organize your career goals and identify your individual pathway toward success.
A career development plan, also called a professional development plan, is a document outlining your career goals and the path you can take to reach them. It鈥檚 traditionally been a tool that a human resources department or people operations team uses to help employees recognize and pursue growth opportunities within their company. However, you may find it helpful to create a career development plan independently as you consider what you hope to accomplish with your career.
In this article, we鈥檒l go through the basics of a career development plan, offer some guidance on creating one, and discuss how to find support as you work toward your career development goals. You鈥檒l also find a template to help you get started.
Having a plan as you work toward your goals can help you connect your daily actions to your big-picture aims, set realistic growth expectations, and recognize milestones. Being clear and intentional about what you鈥檙e working toward can motivate you along the way.
In writing your career development plan, you鈥檒l name your goals, assess the skills you already have, and determine the skills you鈥檒l need to develop as you move forward.聽
Career development plans often include sections for:
A summary statement
Short-term goals
Long-term goals
Current skills
Developing skills
Resources
Action items, such as continued education or training, professional development opportunities, or potential work projects
As you work on your career plan, remember that your career path will be unique to your skills, development process, and goals, and your plan should reflect your singularity.聽
By the time you finish writing your career development plan, you should be able to confidently assess your starting state, your goal state, and ways you can start bridging the two. Here are some steps you can take to create your plan:
1. Think about your current position. Where are you in your career? What do you enjoy about your job?
2. Consider your goals. What does your dream career look like? What do you want to do more of, and what do you want to delegate to other people?
3. Analyze your skills. Consider both the skills you already confidently possess and the skills you鈥檒l need to develop to reach your goals. Read job postings for roles similar to your career goal if you need ideas.
4. Brainstorm your resources. Who can you turn to for support? What growth resources can you access? Does your employer offer any career development programs?
5. Write an action plan. You know the skills you need to develop and your resources鈥攃onsider both as you prepare to take action. What steps can you take to progress toward your goals? Creating a timeline for your action plan can help you stay on target.
6. Work toward your goals. Start making progress on your action items. Try new approaches, make revisions, and seek guidance and support as needed.
7. Track your milestones. Working toward your goals and building new skills is hard work. Don鈥檛 forget to celebrate your wins!
To get started, try filling out this . Adjust the sections and format to fit your needs, and return to your document over time to add or edit sections as you make progress.
In the from Macquarie University, you鈥檒l evaluate your approach to self-guided change and design a career path that fits your values, interests, and goals.
Your career goals may feel personal, but that doesn鈥檛 mean you have to pursue them on your own. In fact, your interest in career development planning is good for your employer鈥攃ompanies that partner with employees on career growth tend to improve employee retention and decrease turnover. So if you鈥檙e comfortable letting them in on your plans, you can foster a mutually productive relationship by seeking support within your organization.
Some people within your company who may support your career development might be:
Your manager may be willing to assign you projects or offer opportunities that can directly support your goals.
Your HR or People Ops representative may have additional tools to support your growth.
Cross-functional colleagues whose role or work style you admire may let you assist on upcoming projects if your goals relate to their line of work.
If you aren鈥檛 comfortable sharing your goals with anyone within your organization, or if your goals don鈥檛 pertain to your current work, you can also seek support elsewhere. For example:
Mentors and people you admire from previous jobs or schools may be willing to share insights they鈥檝e learned to help guide you toward progress.
New connections you meet through networking events or informational interviews may be open to staying in touch as you make progress on your goals.
A career coach can help you assess your career path and come up with ways to move toward progress.
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