Indeed defines professional growth as gaining new experiences and skills to positively impact your current position and any role you are likely to pursue in your career. By expanding your skills and thinking ahead, you are preparing yourself to handle more responsibilities. Regardless of your position, there is always more to learn.
Here are some tips to advance your professional growth
- Master your industry
Some work industries require a more in-depth knowledge and skills than other industries. By mastering those information and skills, you will be able to better communicate the issues your industry is facing.
Take time each week to read news and articles written about your field of work to ensure you are continuously growing. You can also join professional groups that target other professionals in your industry and attend lectures or seminars with them. Lastly, look for opportunities to apply the things you learned in your workplace.
- Further your education
Whether your goal is to advance in your career at your current organization, transition to a new role elsewhere, or work in a brand new industry, furthering your education is one strategy that can help you get there. Continuing your education shows employers that you are a lifelong learner who values self-improvement and that you can always keep up with the changing demands in the industry.
- Take performance review seriously
Performance reviews are an excellent way for employers to show employees where they are meeting expectations and where they may be falling short. For employees, they are also an incredibly effective way of making it known that you have goals for professional development. By letting your employer know about your goals you can work together to identify a plan of action that will allow you to get where you want to be.
- Track your progress
Keeping track of your performance will ensure that you remain committed to your plan and allow you to improve your efforts if your progress begins to slow. It is also important to avoid self-doubt and frustration.
Doing the same thing day after day will not only stop you from learning and growing, but you might also begin to regress. To reverse this process, you have to challenge yourself and expose yourself to potentially uncomfortable or new situations that allow growth to take place. P2L’s Managing Professional Growth course equips leaders with a proven employee-manager conversation structure focused on increased engagement, development, and mutual success.