Photo by Martin de Arriba
You don't have to wait for a new year, a birthday, or a new job opportunity to work on your career development.
You can make "New Year's resolutions" whenever you want—halfway through the year or at 3:00 on a random Tuesday. There are no rules.
You can make today the beginning of the year where you dedicate yourself to your career.
Many students start college right after high school. While earning an undergraduate degree is an enormous privilege, this usually means that, as a teenager, you are making decisions that could affect your life trajectory. You're making decisions about majors, financial aid, and your future that you likely can't even comprehend.
Ahem, student loans. With this logic—by the time you’re looking to start or grow your career—you might not know how to apply your English, Legal Studies, or Photography degree to the workplace.
Table of Contents
- Organize Your Life (Make a List)
- Map Your Career Development Goals
- Keep Track of Your Career Wins
- Explore Losses
- Identify Gaps
- Expand Your Skill Sets
- Talk to Management About Professional Development Opportunities
- Always Ask Questions
- Learn to Negotiate
- Get Feedback
- Actively Listen
- Always Expand Your Professional Network
- Say Yes to “Discomfort Zones”
- Consider Your Work-Life Balance
- Focus on Your Wellness
- Speak Positively to Yourself
- Trust Your Gut
- Change What Doesn't Work
- Establish a "Me First" Frame of Mind
- Embrace Changed Plans
- Give Your Confidence a Makeover
- Don't Fear New Skills and New Trends
- Do It Differently
- Jump in the Water
What is Career Development, Really?
It might be surprising for you to learn that you already have all the tools you need. Really.
Forward movement in the workplace can be as simple as cataloging your mixture of hard skills and your soft skills. From there, you mix them together and—voila!
Professional growth is yours! Well, maybe it’s not that easy.
If you want to put good, introspective work into your career progression, you’ll catapult to success. We even mapped out some professional development activities to try in order to develop new insights, perspectives, and new approaches to bring to your career.
Let’s talk about our own career planning—about reframing how we look at our past experiences and how we use them to build our future.
1. Organize Your Life (Make a List)
Organization skills are paramount in any career development process. Keeping journals, list-making, and goal-tracking are great ways to keep track of your development progress.
Making lists brings me great peace and solitude. When there seems to be an endless amount of tasks on my plate, I make a list and draw a little circle next to each task. To me, nothing is better than making a list. Well, nothing besides checking those little circles.
To advance your career, I want you to make two lists:
- What I want to achieve in the next year
- What I have already achieved
Make your “dream list” first. What do you want in the next year? Do you want to speak up more in meetings? Do you want a raise? Do you want to fill in a particular skills gap? Do you want to change jobs entirely?
Once you’ve established what your goals are, make your second list.
The second list is composed of the things you’ve already achieved. While constructing this list, think about how the things you have done can feed into what you want to do—your goals.
It might seem like you don’t have the appropriate experience or skill set to achieve a new objective.
For example, maybe you want to go into a managerial role this year, but you feel like you have no experience. The thing is, you probably do have relevant experience. Think of things you’ve done in the past.
- Did you manage your team at a service industry job you had in college?
- Do you organize alumni events with your college friends?
The great thing about existing skills is that they are most likely transferable. It is usually a matter of context. Looking to make more lists? Check out our uncommon to-do lists—and watch your productivity soar.
2. Map Your Career Development Goals
Map out your goals at work. Maybe your goals are on a smaller scale, like a software upgrade or the opportunity to organize better in your new year.
Maybe your goals are quite lofty, like spearheading an entirely new department in your startup environment or going after a big promotion.
However your goals meet your personal style, make sure to prioritize them. It's equally important to break up your goals into smaller pieces and celebrate your progress every step of the way.
Which ones are going to be easily achieved? What is a reasonable timeline in which to achieve these professional goals? Are there specific steps you need to take in order to reach this goal? Whether you need to build your leadership skills, refresh your writing skills, or learn an entirely new piece of software.
Here are a bunch of resources on setting, achieving, and exceeding all kinds of goals:
- 6 Types of Goals to Set + Achieve (That Will Change Your Life!)
- How to Set SMART Goals + 10 SMART Career Goals
- 15 Goals for Anyone to Set at Work
- Short-Term Goals to Get You Through This Month
- The Big Bodacious Goal Study Guide
- How to Set Learning Goals + Excel in Your Career
3. Keep Track of Your Career Wins
A great way to motivate yourself and recognize your true worth at work is by tracking your wins. This is something that might not come naturally to you.
As women, we tend to be more reserved about our accomplishments. Instead of shouting our victories from the rooftops or hanging from the rafters in joy, we give ourselves a sly, knowing smile and move on.
Think about keeping track of your wins on a monthly or weekly basis. Write them down. If the wins are due to a team effort, then describe how you were a key element of the overall success. After a while, these wins will communicate a specific skill set, whether it’s leadership, project management, or technical skills.
The Big Perk! When you actively keep track of your accomplishments, you'll also find the daunting task of writing a cover letter or even answering tricky job interview questions to be much, much easier. In fact, you might find yourself having to edit down your expansive career experience. Yassss!
4. Explore Losses With a Problem-Solving Mindset
Just as you keep track of your wins, keep track of your losses. Maybe your “loss” is a simple mistake you made. Maybe it’s a huge mistake, like a missed deadline or a lost client.
I firmly believe that you learn more from your losses than your successes.
If you start tracking your losses, you’ll be more cognizant of why they are happening, and how you can problem-solve for the future.
5. Identify Gaps
Once you have started keeping track of your losses, you’ll inevitably improve in some way.
Things like spelling errors and missed deadlines can be tackled with simple organizational techniques. When in doubt, do as your most detail-oriented friends and colleagues do.
Keep in mind that some losses might be due to a skill gap. For example, maybe your decision-making or problem-solving skills can be improved with a little studying.
Make it your mission to do an honest self-assessment of your skills and where they can be improved for ultimate career success.
Pay close attention to what you can fix. Work hard on implementing your own spin on organizing your work life, maintaining good communications with clients and coworkers, and focusing on other more detail-oriented areas of work.
6. Expand Your Skill Sets
If you have identified your gaps, you can then take steps to fill them with the requisite skills. This can seem daunting (and expensive), but that’s not true! You don’t need to accrue a monumental amount of debt by attending graduate school.
You can likely attain the skills you need to level up by taking an online course or certificate. Here is an extensive round-up of courses, classes, free videos, and more that you can use to expand your skills.
Pro Tip: In any area where techniques and best practices are constantly changing (like social media), there's likely to be an active online community. Find out where they are, follow them, and interact with what's happening.
These resources are free and full of insights that you couldn't learn in any class.
7. Talk to Management About Professional Development Opportunities
Communication with management is essential for a forward-moving career. First of all, cut off any notion that management is scary or unapproachable. You are a valuable part of your company and deserve to be seen and heard.
If you're looking for greater responsibility, different types of tasks, or regular feedback counseling, look to leadership as a giant untapped resource.
Establish and keep an open line of communication with management. In this way, you might be able to get management to buy into career advancement seminars, skill development courses, and other professional development opportunities that might interest you.
8. Always Ask Questions
The best way to get an answer to a question is by actually asking. (Who would have guessed?)
Use your open lines of communication to ask questions. Inquire about specific changes, about upcoming projects, and about continued education opportunities.
Asking questions transforms you into an engaged employee, someone who is dedicated to learning more and progressing within her company.
As a perk, you're also doing the work to improve your interpersonal relationships. When you need to ask for help, you’ll already have a rapport with several people in your workplace who are willing to lend an ear and help out.
9. Learn to Negotiate
Learn how to get what you want in your professional career. This will likely involve some negotiation, which is an invaluable skill for upper management.
Before ever asking for anything, make sure to prepare yourself with research, numbers (if applicable), and possible positive outcomes.
Part of the negotiation will come from being able to present confidently and convincingly. Make sure to master this skill.
10. Get Feedback
Get feedback wherever you can. If you’re not sure of something you’re working on, get feedback. If you recently completed a project, get feedback. If you manage a team of employees, get feedback. Get it? Feedback, get it.
Keep a constant loop of feedback open.
Some feedback items you can ask about include:
- Expected outcomes for projects (budget, amount of time, and any other data points)
- Components of a successful [YOUR JOB TITLE] as you navigate your career
- The expectation for active participation, especially when it comes to interdepartmental work or "raising your hand" for other special assignments.
- Expected level of expertise on specific topics
Arm yourself with the knowledge of how you and your work are perceived. This will ensure that you are always learning and growing professionally.
11. Actively Listen
We talked a good amount about how you can reach out to others.
Listening skills are crucial in the workplace. Aside from being polite (!), listening—really listening—will clue you into things that are going on that wouldn’t otherwise be obvious.
Listen to what management is saying about the next quarter. Listen to what struggles your development team is having. Listen to where marketing needs more support.
When you have a 360-degree understanding of the organization, what is happening (and how to fix it), you’re more likely to be promoted from within.
12. Always Expand Your Professional Network
When the time comes to make a professional advancement, you’ll have no choice but to activate your networking skills.
If the phrase “networking event” makes you cringe, fear not. There are many ways to network that won’t leave you name-tagged, slinking in the corner of a busy banquet hall with a greasy napkin full of pigs in a blanket.
Take LinkedIn, for example. Use it to network with employees at your desired company, with individuals who work similar jobs to you, and to reach out to your (possible) future mentor.
Utilize your friend network, too. Chances are, you have a friend of a friend who might have some insights into your industry or desired position.
Casual conversations, coffee meet-ups, and party conversations can serve as a manageable means of networking.
Always find opportunities to network, even if they are more alternative means. Even if you love your job, it’s important to forge professional relationships and seek out mentors in your career.
When the time comes to advance your career or transition to a new company, you will covet advice from these friendly professionals.
13. Say Yes to “Discomfort Zones”
This is something I’ve made a huge effort to do over the past few years.
How many times have you said “I can’t do that” when asked to participate in something outside of your comfort zone? How many times have you avoided something that terrifies you?
Consider saying yes to things you’ve previously said no to. For me, my “discomfort zone” would be appearing on video. At Career Contessa, as a personal challenge, I finally had to say yes.
While filming my first video, I was literally shaking through the first take. Now I only sweat a little on camera.
Something I could “never do” is all of a sudden something I’ve done dozens of times.
14. Consider Your Work-Life Balance
A key to advancing your career is not getting burnt out. Take a good look at your work-life balance. Is the work balance you have chosen serving you well? Can you sustain this level of work for the next five years? The next ten years?
Alternatively, is work fulfilling enough? If you’re constantly bored at work, it’s probably time for a transition.
Expanding your skills can be the first step to recognizing a new professional future—maybe even one you never considered achievable before now. Whether you are overworked or underworked, consider redesigning your own future according to what will keep you happy and fulfilled in the long-term.
15. Focus on Your Wellness
Don’t make any huge professional advances without first taking yourself into account. Gallup describes workplace wellness with these five elements:
- Purpose
- Social
- Financial
- Community
- Physical
Make sure all of these elements are in place in your career. If they aren’t (and at any point, something will likely be out of whack), keep an eye on it.
Small ways to focus on your wellness are meditating, exercising, leaving work at the office, and getting quality, restorative sleep.
16. Speak Positively to Yourself
This is a tough one for some of us.
How does your internal dialogue run? Do you say positive things to yourself within your mind? Do you give yourself pats on the back, compliment your own appearance, and give yourself credit for a job well done?
Many of us (myself included) struggle with negative self-speak. This can unintentionally turn you into your own worst enemy. Pay attention to your negative voice and make an effort to reframe it positively. This will be especially useful in the most challenging times.
17. Trust Your Gut
Guess who knows the most about you? I’ll give you a hint—it’s a person who hangs out with you constantly, who knows your every move. It’s you.
Listen to yourself. If something doesn’t feel right and that feeling lingers, it is worth addressing. If you are unsatisfied at work, struggling with your workload, or battling with management, listen to what your heart and body are telling you.
18. Change What Doesn’t Work
Once you start listening to both the positive and negative aspects of your work life, you’ll have a good grasp of what doesn’t work. Now it’s time to change it.
We understand that you can’t always quit a job when things aren’t working out.
What you can do is address the root of the problem and make a concerted effort to fix it. If the problem is too daunting or deeply-rooted, then you might start looking for better opportunities.
Whenever you’re looking forward to a new opportunity, whether it’s a brand new job or a promotion within your company, pay attention to red flags. In moments of excitement, we often ignore warning signs of future turmoil.
One more thing. Change isn't always switching up your job. Sometimes, change is getting a career counselor, doing some volunteer work, or starting a creative project (like a blog or podcast) to change things up!
19. Establish a “Me First” Frame of Mind
In your life, you come first. We know, it's a tough pill to swallow for many of us!
Whether you’re a co-worker, an employee, a daughter, a wife, a mother, a sister, or a friend, you still come first. Establishing a “me first” mentality will serve you both in your professional life and your personal life.
Putting yourself first and maintaining a mindful awareness of your own well-being will set your career on track.
Someone who maintains a “me first” mentality is less likely to stay at a dead-end job, be taken advantage of by a disrespectful boss, or overstay at an unfulfilling job.
20. Embrace Changed Plans
Lately, we talk about resilience—a lot.
Whether it's navigating an unexpected layoff, a change at home, or a global pandemic, resilience is necessary to continue your path—and embrace what might happen next.
Resilience helps your mental, physical, and emotional help.
Next time your career path changes or reroutes entirely, embrace it. Sometimes, the biggest shifts bring the most positive changes. Reframing the toughest blows to your career as experiential learning opportunities will help you get through the biggest challenges.
Here’s to you, your talent, and your career exploration! You're headed towards big things.
21. Give Your Confidence a Makeover
Confidence is the key to a long and successful career. It makes sense that working on our confidence should be a lifelong project. Working on your confidence is important, especially after (or right before) a big promotion, a career change, or a layoff.
As you progress through your career and life, you might notice that the qualities you once considered weaknesses are now your biggest strengths. Suddenly, you look at your quiet introversion as a sort of deep thoughtfulness. Learn how to celebrate who you are and how to use some of your traits in new ways as you progress through your career.
Give your confidence a workout by learning new skills, confronting your inner critic, and daring to do something you've always been afraid to try.
22. Don't Fear New Skills and New Trends
TikTok? Reels? New software that you don't understand. As you progress through your career, throwing your hands in the air and declaring that you're "too old" to learn something new can be tempting. That's not true.
Keep on top of new trends and tools in your industry. This doesn't mean you need to become a TikTok celebrity after 20 years in the workforce. However, it means you should tinker and try to work with new technologies, new ways of connecting to your audience, and burgeoning skills in your industry.
23. Do It Differently
Most of the time, we learn new skills or try new things because we have no other choice. For example, we only go to interviews or update our resumes when we need a job. We seek out part-time jobs when we might need extra money. What if we tried new and different approaches...just because?
Switching things up is not easy—especially in a busy world where it can feel like we're already behind.
Embrace the mindset of trying new approaches before things become unwieldy or dire. Keeping an open mind is crucial to continued learning and growth.
24. Jump in the Water
After all the tips we've discussed, this final one is perhaps the most important.
Nobody achieves continued success or accomplishment without real rest. Take your PTO, log off early, enjoy that concert, and jump into some water, if possible.
Take a break to make sure you don't crumble. You deserve it.
This post is sponsored by Open Campus at The New School, which offers continuing education from the university where progressive minds come together.
