Why Professional Development Is Important

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Professional Development|Why Professional Development Is ImportantMany professionals think that if they have years of experience working in their domain, there is nothing left to learn. But this assumption is wrong, as technology and the world are constantly developing and evolving. And professional development cannot only benefit your career but your personal life too.

On the other side, there might be many employees that want to develop more professionally but their employers do not see this as a necessity. As long as employees have graduated, they know everything they need and nothing new can be learnt.

This is a wrong assumption and businesses which do not see good reasons to invest in the professional development of the employees are halting their development. Professional development is important and it can bring benefits not only to the people who decide to take this step in their career but also to employers. Committing to becoming 1% better every day can change everything and this is valid both for leaders and their teams.

So, why is professional development important?

You Gain More Knowledge

If you take a look at how the state of the world is now, you will notice that almost everything has improved. We have almost eradicated extreme poverty and the entire quality of life has increased. Societies, businesses, and people and improving and evolving. And technology does this too.

Continuous professional development helps you gain more knowledge on the topics that are essential to your career. More knowledge allows you to get a new and fresh perspective on some topics, and this is important when dealing with complex issues or problems. Applying the knowledge you get through training or participation at seminars and conferences in your organization contributes to its development. More knowledge means more resources and perspectives, things that are essential both for leaders and employees.

Gaining more knowledge is a professional goal that can enhance your career, a thing that is true both for leaders and team members. A leader should always seek improvement because he is the person many people look up to, the human that has the power of inspiring and motivating the team.

And also, the one who leads the entire activity and coordinates the team, supporting team members in their efforts of accomplishing the team’s goal. If the leader of a team thinks that professional development is important and he seeks it, the team will follow. And this brings us to the next benefit.

Improved Skills

When looking at job requirements, you can easily notice that you need both hard and soft skills. Almost all jobs imply working in a team and collaborating effectively. Not all people have the opportunity to get involved in activities that help them develop their skills. And even though the actual job means accomplishing your tasks, there might be things the process of solving tasks does not teach you.

But why would someone want to improve their skills? Improved skills help employees organize their time more efficiently which leads to increased productivity. At the same time, they can learn strategies to diffuse and handle conflicts, give feedback, and communicate and collaborate across teams.

If people improve their skills continuously, it helps them work better in a team and boost their productivity and efficiency. This is important not only for their morale but also for the organization. Businesses that put an emphasis on the importance of professional development and encourage their employees to engage in it can save costs and come with new and fresh ideas.

More Engagement, Inspiration, and Loyalty

People like employers that care about them and their opinion and that are ready to invest in them. As knowledge and technology are constantly evolving, more and more employees feel that upskilling is necessary and essential in order to meet job demands. Developing yourself professionally helps you become better at what you are doing.

Of course, when your employer supports you in your quest of improving yourself and continuing your professional development, you get closer to it. Businesses and leaders that choose to invest in their employees can only benefit from it. Employees will be more loyal to the organization and their engagement level will also rise. Companies need to value their employees and support them in their goal of developing professionally.

Employees can get more inspiration from the development opportunities they will benefit from. They will be more open to going the extra mile and put in more effort to solve complex problems at work. At the same time, leaders who continue their professional development will become a source of inspiration for team members. All these contribute to higher job satisfaction that can increase the productivity and efficiency of employees. Studies have found that employees who report being more satisfied with their job are more creative, more open to outside ideas, and more productive.

Achieve Goals

Goals are an essential part of every business strategy and working team. The process of setting goals helps people from the same team be on the same track, find ways to accomplish those goals, and track progress. Goals can keep you motivated and persevering. But as the projects of the team grow in difficulty, so must the skills and expertise do. People need to develop professionally to update their knowledge and gather a new one. This new information will help them achieve their career goals because they gain more expertise in the field.

At the same time, more expertise gives you more self-confidence and motivation. This is something every employee deserves and needs to become a better one. Achieving goals might be a process full of obstacles, and knowing how to handle these complex moments can make the whole situation more approachable. People who continue their professional development develop skills that will help them achieve their career goals. They will also be great and committed team members that will lead the team to the next level.

Investing in the Future

Many businesses and organizations that choose to support their employees in their professional development are choosing to invest in their future. Professional development enhances the skills of the employees and leaders alike. It is a journey many employees want to embark on, but the results are not immediate. Organizations that understand this will benefit the most.

Professional development will easily be noticed in the way employees approach complex problems. It will be seen in the way team members collaborate and communicate within the team and across other teams. Leaders will be more inspiring and encouraging and the execution of tasks will be better. Employees who will see that employers care about their professional development will be more loyal to the organization and will experience a boost in morale. Their job satisfaction will rise and so will their productivity and performance.

Professional development is important because it helps employees and employers alike to grow. And this growth brings only benefits. It is an investment in the future of the business and its people. Keeping up the pace with the knowledge and technology updates will help employees and organizations adapt easier to challenging times and handle complex tasks more efficiently. At the same time, the constantly growing level of expertise within the business will support the complex processes of building the business strategy, executing, and managing it. The business will grow along with its employees who invest in their professional development.

About the Author
StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Tiffany HarperTiffany Harper is an experienced writing guru who’s been working in the B2B sector for several years now. She loves to share her thoughts through blogs and social media, sometimes she helps when somebody needs to get assignment help like SuperiorPapers. For her love of writing, she also provided some consultation while working with the best assignment writing service. Tiffany’s hobbies are playing board games with friends, going to rock concerts, and exploring nature’s marvels.

Let’s Take Your Job Prospects To New Heights

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Are you interested in taking your career to new heights? In doing so, you will be able to obtain a higher income and improve your quality of life. You could also put yourself in the perfect position to manage or even own a business in the near future. If you have the right level of ambition and a strong determination to succeed, there are no clear boundaries on what you might achieve. So, let’s explore some of the best ways that you can boost up your carer.

Fix Your CV

First, you should definitely consider fixing your CV. If you think about it, this could be the first thing that might be blocking you from finding success on the market. Business owners and recruiters could be taking one look at your CV and deciding that you are not the right person for the job. The good news is that there are easy ways to correct your CV and ensure that it is guaranteed to impress any business owner. To do this, you need to start by ensuring that your CV is clear and to the point. It should fit a specific position that you are applying for perfectly which means that you do need to tweak it for each application.

You might also want to think about adding in a USP. This is something that will make your CV stand out from all the other CVs that could be viewed on the same day. Your USP could be anything from a second or third language to a fun example of work experience.

Set Yourself Up For The Right Promotion

Of course, one of the easiest ways to reach new heights in your career is to make sure that you are thinking about how to gain a promotion in a business that you are already a part of. To gain a promotion, you first need to make it known that you are ready for the new challenges and responsibilities that a role like this will include. Once you have done this, you can then think about making sure that you look like the perfect person for the job. It’s absolutely vital that you take the time to go the extra mile for the business and your clients.

Build Your Profile

You should also ensure that you are building up your profile and in particular focusing on your presence online. Be aware that these days it’s quite common for employees to search for a potential recruit rather than waiting for them to apple for a position. They can only do this if you do have a clear identity through social media. While people are often wary of putting themselves out there on social media, doing so could lead to fantastic results and ensure that you can get that call from a company that you haven’t even heard of with a job offer.

Gain new Qualifications

Of course, if you want to make sure that you are more hireable and an option for different positions on the market, then you do need to think about exploring new qualifications. This is easily one of the best ways to grow your career and these days it’s easier than ever to gain the qualifications that you need. You don’t have to spend a fortune or a lot of time getting qualifications. Instead, you can work from home in your spare time while you’re still completing your main job.

Explore Freelancing

Finally, you might want to escape the rat race altogether and instead branch out on your own. It is possible to do this if you become a freelancer. As a freelancer, you will be able to make sure that you can work as much as you like and build a network of clients that love your service. Once you have done this, you could even put the building blocks in place for your own business.

We hope this helps you understand some of the different paths you can take when you are looking to improve your prospects on the job market and in the world of business today. Regardless of whether you are comfortable working for other people or you would like to branch out on your own, there are lots of possibilities available to you here. It’s also a fallacy to say there’s a point where you can no longer pursue a possibility like this. As long as you have the right mindset, nothing, not even your age, should stop you from reaching for new goals in your working life.

The Six Skills Hiring Managers Really Expect of You

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Hiring Manager|The Six Skills Hiring Managers Really Expect of YouJust when the unemployment numbers were looking pretty good, along came the COVID pandemic. The result: millions of people are out of work, trying to make ends meet and wondering how they’re going to land their next professional role.

To make matters worse is with so many people out of work, landing your next job just became that much more difficult because the competition is fierce. Even those applicants who are highly qualified are struggling in their quest to land that new position.

The good news, however, is there are things you can to do help yourself standout. There are many characteristics that hiring managers look for in candidates that go way beyond your qualifications.

Here are six things to remember.

They don’t expect you to be perfect

Think about the last time you went on a job interview. You probably spent hours picking out the perfect outfit, preparing the perfect answers and put together the perfect looking resume. Hiring managers do expect a lot of things, but contrary to popular belief, one thing they do not expect is perfection. In fact, one typo on your cover letter, taking a little longer to respond to a question or other little imperfections shows them that you are human.

They are looking for someone with high EQ (Emotional Intelligence)

Being smart in the traditional sense is all well and good, but how do you interact with customers and colleagues? Do you think before you speak? Are you empathetic toward others? Do you make your point known or go with the crowd? EQ has become the new IQ and it is here to stay.

The most important skill they want you to have is being a problem solver

There are going to be many candidates who are just as qualified as you. The most important skill hiring managers look for is what you do when things go wrong and the pressure is on. Will you have a meltdown or be able to think of a potential solution with the resources available to you? Be ready for the question: Tell me about a time when things didn’t go according to plan and how you solved the problem.

It’s not what you say but how you say it

There will be many candidates who are well-qualified for the position. One characteristic that hiring managers look for is presentation skills. In other words, do you speak with confidence? Are you passionate? Do you offer personal experiences and stories to back up your point? Are you persuasive? Do you make and keep eye contact? How you speak is just as important as what you say.

They expect you to have some knowledge about the company

Do yourself a favor before you go on any job interview: learn a little about the company. You can be the most qualified candidate in the room, but if you show up and don’t know anything about the company, it shows that you are unprepared and leaves hiring mangers wondering just what kind of work ethic you really have. Familiarize yourself with the background of the company, what the current market is like, who the key people are and who are the company’s biggest competitors.

They expect you to send a thank you note

Sending a thank you note after your interview is always a good tactic. This must be done within 24 hours of your interview. It shows the recruiter that you appreciate the time he or she took to conduct the interview, and it also shows a lot about your character. It reveals how you may interact with clients and colleagues.

The takeaway

The job market is very competitive right now and candidates have to do everything in their power to land their next role. This means paying attention to the finer details and honing in on what recruiters and hiring managers are looking for. It also means really focusing in on your people skills. To be the next hire, you have to be the total package.

About the Author

Angela Civitella is a business leadership coach. She is founder of Intinde. www.intinde.com

How one can become a successful online tutor

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Online Tutor|How one can become a successful online tutorSchools from pre-schools to universities have turned into online tutoring as most of the interactions have become virtual due to the COVD-19 pandemic. With this shift, online tutoring has increasingly become more common and important.

Moreover, students seeking guidance from online tutoring are becoming increasing worldwide due to the convenience and flexibility offered by online education. As the current spike in online education isn’t going to change anytime soon, it has become the new norm. For the same reason, many online tutors are trying to establish their presence in the online tutoring market.

This blog is a guide to get started and work your way into building an extremely lucrative career in online tutoring and excel as a professional online tutor.

Tips to become a successful online tutor

To become a successful online teaching brand, having valid expertise as an educator is not just enough. You have to be present in the online class and invest your valuable time in communicating with your students and take efforts to make your classes efficient and engaging. Here are some of the tips to become a successful online tutor.

Be available for your students

When running online tutoring classes, understand what your students want to learn and allocate sufficient time to pay attention to them. Pre-announce your class schedules and make sure you are present in the class at least sometime before.

Never make the mistake of communicating with your students through messaging only as this could result in less engagement. Most learners require more intimate support as they need to see and hear from their teacher directly to be truly interested in a subject area.

Conduct regular review sessions so that you can collaborate with your students efficiently and see how their learning curve shapes up.

Implement fun learning

The best online tutors don’t just stick to a particular strategy when taking classes. Instead, they constantly experiment with different strategies to make the learning experience fresh and fun.
Constantly encourage your students to take up new assignments, write blogs about the topics they are learning, participate in different activities so that the learning experience becomes engaging for them. Even the most disciplined students need a change to stay motivated when attending your online classes.

Encourage critical thinking

Education is not confined to learning facts, it must encourage learners to share opinions, analyze ideas, and take steps to implement theoretical knowledge to solve particular problems. A good online teacher not only helps their students to pass an assignment, but also encourages them to be responsible citizens who can make a change in the world.

Allow students to learn at their own pace

Each student has their own learning style and speed when it comes to learning anything. Some learners might take a short time to grasp a subject, whereas others might take a long time. Some students enjoy social interaction, whereas others prefer to participate indirectly.

It is important to communicate with students who are not interactive in classes as well. These students might be leaning fine, but they might need a bit of support from your side to progress. Keep track of their progress by setting regular assignments to make sure they stay top of the learning process.

Make learning personal

As already said, each student has different learning interests and styles. To cater to your online classes to suit the individual needs of your students, try to understand your students and their requirements.

Some students like to learn through interactive activities, whereas, some are reflective learners who like to read through the learning materials and process it. Good online tutors would offer online classes according to the learning style of each student by deciding what approach to follow in each scenario.

Keep your video tutorials short

If you are offering video tutorials to your students, make sure you keep your videos short instead of delivering long lectures. Videos no longer than 15 minutes can cause distractions and slow downloading.
If you have to include a lot of points about the same subject, consider recording two or more short videos. Also, be precise when crafting the content on your videos, never drag the topic.

Craft great presentations and learning materials

Educators must be aware of how poor presentations can affect the reputation of their online classes negatively. Use online tools that are present in your online tutoring website to create engaging presentations that will not only add a professional look to your classes but also helps in advancing the pace of learning among your students.

To facilitate the same, use professional virtual tutoring software that features essential features and functionalities to create professional-looking and functional learning resources.

For example, you can use a software like Pinlearn that is blended with the tons of the best features that allow you to create an online tutoring brand. Make sure you use modern technology to grow your online tutoring brand in a way it makes the learning process convenient and efficient for your students.

Provide interactive learning activities

Most online tutoring platforms feature a wide range of functionalities to create engaging learning activities like assignments, quizzes, and puzzles.

Along with creating interactive activities for your students, provide step-step guidance to your learners on how to complete them successfully. Creating engaging activities for your student will help to foster their academic and creative skills.

Set reasonable expectations

When you create assignments and learning activities for your students, make sure you set reasonable expectations. Ensure that all the assignments can be successfully completed by your students by referring to the given learning materials.

Also, ask your students to write a summary of your video classes. These kinds of small tasks will help to bring the best responses and results from your learners.

Leverage group communication carefully

Group collaborations should not be used for general teaching sessions regularly. Use group communication carefully. Use group classes to offer support to your students and to check if there are any issues that need to be addressed.

These sessions can also be great to collect learner feedback on your online classes and teaching style as well. You can either make group classes mandatory or optional according to the interest and requirements of your students.

Conclusion

Online education has grown leaps and bounds since its inception. These days’ educators are looking for how to create an online course and take their business forward. Students across the world are looking for online teachers who can deliver personalized learning experiences to suit the personal learning objectives and learning styles of students.

For becoming a successful online tutor, you must be able to customize your classes by adapting to the strengths and weaknesses of learners along with delivering classes to the learner’s medium of interest.
Following the above-discussed tips will help you evolve as a successful online tutor. Hope this blog has helped to gain some significant insights on growing your online tutoring brand. Please share your valuable feedback as comments below. We would like to hear from you.

About the Author

Kathy Alameda works as leading expert on building and implementing learning strategies. She has led learning & performance improvement projects form last few years. Currently marketing consultant at https://www.pinlearn.com/

What Are Professional Development Goals?

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Professional Development Goals|What Are Professional Development Goals?OK, many of you will ask –

So, what is professional development anyways?

Here’s a short answer.

Professional development can give you the chance to grow and expand your knowledge on the subjects that matter to you. It can offer you access to the outcomes that you want and help you evolve personally.

Why set goals?

Career development is quite challenging to achieve without goals. If you can set the right ones constantly, you might actually get exactly what you need. Gaining more experience must be planned to figure out the next step of the way. You will become more motivated and determined to succeed by having a clear objective in mind. If you want to expand your skills in a specific domain, you must learn more about the topic and then, practice. For example, expanding your computer skills could be associated with taking a Photoshop course.

Setting career goals encourages constant development. You will soon learn that you have skills that stand out in other industries. To continue on our example, if you are a computer scientist, you might as well work in the digital arts field now.

If you don’t know how to set goals, don’t worry about it. That’s okay. You’re here to learn how to do it right. Take a look at some of our ideas and let us know what you think.

Complete a leadership program

Completing a leadership program will offer you the tools that you need to become empowered. If you are not in a leadership position as of now, you might be after you’ll graduate from such a program. Leadership programs are appealing to new companies as well as new roles within your company. So, if you’re tired of doing the same job and want to attract new potential opportunities, a leadership program might be what you’re looking for.

“Leadership training can empower you to succeed, teach you valuable skills, can help you get to the next level, teach you how to work with people (and influence them), how to build a team, and how to avoid major mistakes,” according to dissertation help specialist and the team leader, Christina Wanger.

StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Professional Development Goals|What Are Professional Development Goals?Complete a professional degree or certificate

Another useful career development goal is earning a certificate or professional degree in your field (or any other field for that matter). Continuing to develop your skills shows persistence and determination and can be an extraordinary asset. If you’ll want to change careers or apply for a promotion, your resume must stand out, and you must show willingness to improve. You could sign up for Marketing or SEO training to expand some of the most valuable skills on the market.

Tip: some companies agree to invest in professional development programs for their employees, so you must want to check with your firm on that.

Get out of your shell

Knowing your department only can be limiting. If you have no idea how other departments in your office function, you’ll never be able to contribute more to the company. Learn what roles each person has within the company and how habits can determine outcomes. Shadow each department over the next quarter or so and build a wider understanding of what it means to work in a different field. You will gain lots of experience!

Ask for constant feedback

Receiving transparent and honest feedback is one of the best ways in which you can professionally develop. You must know what you can improve in order to make the changes. Getting your team’s and employer’s perspective on your practices can have a crucial impact – it can teach you what works and what doesn’t. As long as you focus on correcting the don’ts and improving the do’s, everything’s good.
Get feedback on your behavior, work practices and ethics. Ask your colleagues and boss about your skills – where could you improve, writing skills maybe? Check on them at least once a month and take on new projects to exert those skills and improve them. For example, see some essay writing service reviews when you’re specializing in IT, where there is no direct connection with the content writing. It can only broaden your perspective and sharpen your mind.

Improve your performance

Improving your work performance could be an outcome of the actions that you’re taking towards your goal, but it could also be a mindset. If you know that you can succeed, then prove it to yourself by increasing work performance. Some of the ways in which you could do that:
Set milestones on all of your projects to stay organized.

  • Plan and prioritize your work accordingly to stay on top of it.
  • Plan your meetings effectively.
  • Get those difficult assignments out of the way first.
  • Eliminate disruptions.
  • Have a well-defined schedule.
  • Acknowledge your weaknesses and strengths.
  • Finish what you started.
  • Get promoted

If getting promoted is on your bucket list, now it’s the time to plan it out. Applying for a promotion can be random but it’s definitely more effective when prepared for. After you’ve completed your desired training and got your certificates, you can start thinking about getting promoted. Make a list of all the projects you’ve accomplished, don’t forget to mention how essential you are to the team (performance metrics!), and show how many new skills you’ve learned. Make sure you know WHY you want a promotion – what is the reason behind it? Personal development is, for example, a really good one. Remember, only those excited can lead!

Network

You must already know that improving your networking skills can increase your chances of accessing new opportunities. If you can begin to network ahead of time, you will be able to have quite a wide range of new contacts before changing careers or applying for a promotion. The best way to network is by attending conferences, professional development events, and being present on social media (especially LinkedIn), EssayWritingLand advises. LinkedIn can actually be one of the best ways to reach out to people, especially during the pandemic!

Enhance your communication skills

Delivering clear information is crucial to advancing professionally. So it’s receiving it. Thus, consider enhancing your communication an essential goal. You could sign up for public speaking classes or debate courses. You could also take notes on how to deliver better PowerPoint presentations. Verbal communication should be your first goal; but that doesn’t mean you should forget about your writing skills.

Making sure your e-mails and letters are error-free is important. It will show professionalism and might increase your chances of getting promoted even more. Keep your content concise and use professional writing tools to stay on track.

Learn to collaborate

Learning to collaborate with your colleagues is another important objective to keep in mind. Working adequately within a team shows your advisor that he or she can depend on you. If you are, for example, working on a project right now, taking initiative would be priceless. You could start organizing the meetings and discussing the progress with your team as well as your boss. Make sure you listen to everyone carefully and thoroughly. If you disregard someone’s view from the very first start and then offer your opinion, that conversation will not be productive.

Volunteer to learn something new

We’ve already discussed this but learning a new skill is essential to your progress. If you work in the advertising industry, teaching yourself a new programming skill can be super valuable. It shows an ability to embrace the new and take on challenges. It also shows courage and determination, as well as strong willpower!

Conclusion

Your goals are an important part of career development, so make sure you set them right. The above goals are just some examples, but feel free to come with new ones if you feel like it. Integrate these new habits into your routine and then, watch it happening. Good luck!

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Tiffany HarperTiffany Harper is a training guru who’s been working in the corporate sector for over a decade now. She is a management graduate and loves to share her experience through blogs and articles. If you want to find an essay writing service in the UK, she also provides some freelance help with lab report writing service. If you need a consultation from a trustworthy source like Dissertation-today.com, Tiffany is your go-to.