What Are Professional Development Goals?

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Professional Development Goals| What Are Professional Development Goals?With the advent of technology, many careers have been created, and others are destroyed. Do you seek to remain relevant and competitive in this era? You will have to come up with progressive professional development goals.

You should ensure to improve and increase your competencies as well as capabilities. That way, you will be up-to-date with the knowledge and skills needed in the market today. Are you wondering how to achieve that?

You can enroll in learning and training that match your profession within your workplace. Many sources exist through which you can attain your professional development. They include job sharing, mentoring, coach webinars, seminars, and online learning.

Ensure any source you choose can help you meet your professional goals. It should increase your skillset or knowledge.

Have you identified your professional goals? Come up with a professional plan. They will assist you in attaining your goals quickly.

Professional development plan to aid you in achieving your career goals

1. Examine where you are at present

How is your career progressing? That’s an important question you need to answer as you seek to implement your professional goals.

Get to know what you have been doing within the last three or even five years to help grow your career. Assess if you are at the point you have always aimed to be in your career. In case your answer is not, take that as your turning point.

2. Define your specific professional goals

You need to figure out where or what you want to be. It will help you remain on course in any steeps you take to develop in your profession. Don’t rush to find your actual goals. Take enough time and ask your several questions and get answers.

Think of what success means to you. It’s a great way to begin finding your career goals. Can you easily identify activities you move most?

Are they within your present job? How can you change if they are not?

Ensure to identify long-term goals also. Where do you see yourself maybe five years or ten from now?

3. Do the research and get information.

Have you already found where you want to go or who to be? Gather information on what skills you need to achieve that.

4. Measure your present professional skills

By now, you have got your ideal care path. Take some more time and look professional skills needed and match with your current strength. It will help you see what you lack.

5. Decide your strategy

It’s time for you to choose methods that will help you achieve your professional development goals. But that should be after you have areas to have to work on. It could be seminars, workshops, or mentoring.

6. Have a timeline

Up to when you seek to achieve your goals? The time frame is very vital. It will help you stick to your PDP. Ensure to meet each target you set for yourself.

7. Analyze your plan

Before committing to your plant, it will be useful to evaluate it. Is it worth your time and resource?

8. Implement your plan and measure your progress

Execute your professional development plan. Don’t forget to access the results to see if you are heading in the right direction.

Conclusion

Professional development goals are part of your life if you want to grow. Ensure to have a solid plan that can help you achieve your goals. While you got many sources of career development, choose the one that increases your skill set. That way, you will remain relevant and competitive in the market.

About the Author
Naman Modi is a Professional Blogger, SEO Expert & Guest blogger at NamanModi.com, He is an Award Winning Freelancer & Web Entrepreneur helping new entrepreneur’s launches their first successful online business.

6 Ways To Write A Professional Development Plan

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article | 6 Ways To Write A Professional Development PlanWhen writing a professional development plan (PDP) ask yourself two questions: Where are you now? And where do you want to be? Once you get a good idea on these things, you’ll create an effective PDP, can help you on your way to achieving success, both for the short term and the long term.

In layman’s terms, a PDP is like a roadmap: It guides you from where you are now in your career or education to where you want to be; and it comes with a list of actions that you must do to achieve each goal and acquire the right skills.

Regardless if your PDP is for personal reasons, grow a business or expand on your career, it’s a must-have for your endeavors. Here are 6 ways that you can write an effective PDP:

1. Have A Self-Assessment

“It’s important to have a self-assessment before creating a professional development plan,” says Beau Lhotsky, a career adviser at Australian help and Paper fellows. “A self-assessment evaluates your professional interests, knowledge and skills; and it lets you examine your current position as it relates to your career goals. In this way, you can identify the areas in which you can improve them and reach your goals.”

2. Create Goals

When creating goals in your PDP, they should be SMART:

  • Specific
  • Measurable
  • Achievable
  • Relevant
  • Timely

SMART goals are trackable, which makes it easier to update your PDP whenever you complete important milestones. And, they help you determine which are short-term, mid-term, and long-term. Keep in mind:

  • Short-term is within the next year.
  • Mid-term is within the next 1-2 years.
  • Long-term is within the next 3-5 years.

3. Have Strategies

Your PDP strategies define how you achieve goals; and, they involve the following approaches:

  • Experiential learning (learning through doing)
  • Exposure (learning from others)
  • Education
  • Reflection

Just keep in mind: the majority of your strategies should be experiential, so that you get a hands-on experience and develop new skills.

Follow these objectives when developing your strategy:

  • For career changes, research possible education and certification courses you can take to work toward this goal.
  • Always seek advice from professionals (i.e. experienced coworkers, a previous employer, etc.), and be welcoming to mentorship.
  • Seek opportunities that can help you build your skillset.

4. Utilize Resources

Resources are essential, especially when it comes to finding professional growth in your career and or life (in general). Whether it’s through networking opportunities or workshops, such resources can help enhance your career path.

Some professional resources include:

  • Graduate schools (and continuing education institutions) offer programs, conferences and courses that help you learn more about specific topics, which can ultimately lead to a certification or degree in a desired field.
  • Professional associations (local and national) offer memberships that help you connect with like-minded individuals and build your professional network, thus helping you advance in your career.
  • Webinars are normally hosted by professionals and businesses that strive to educate people on specific topics (i.e. industry trends, skills, etc.).

While some resources may require tuition, fees, or time requirements, it’s important that you determine which ones are available to you.

5. Create Timelines

“Your professional development plan will always be a work in progress,” says Brayden Georgina, a business writer at State of writing and Boom essays. “Therefore, the purpose of having a timeline is to show how you’re growing and changing over time. You can sprinkle in milestones, and make necessary changes when needed.”

6. Allow Changes

It’s possible that things can change, even as you have an established PDP. Therefore, it’s important to keep yourself accountable, and revisit your milestones often (preferably every quarter) to make sure that you’re on the right track, or even make adjustments as priorities shift.

Should any changes occur, don’t be afraid to implement them in your PDP. This can mean allowing reassessments and setbacks into your plan. For example, if a short-term goal isn’t met by the deadline, take time to reflect on why, and then do something about it so that you can do better next time.

Conclusion

Having a professional development plan is essential in guiding you toward the right path in life, and even help you reach goals by implementing structured steps. As you keep in mind these 6 tips, you’ll be able to create an effective PDP that will act as a roadmap on how you can succeed career-wise and lifetime-wise.

About the Author

StrategyDriven Expert Contributor | Kristin HermanKristin Herman writes and edits at Ukwritings.com and Academized.com. She also freelances for online magazine and blogs, such as Essayroo.com. As a tech enthusiast, she blogs about the latest trends in technology. And as a project manager, she has overseen many writing projects nationwide.

8 Steps to Becoming a Better Leader Within Your Petrochemical Business

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article |Petrochemical Business|8 Steps to Becoming a Better Leader Within Your Petrochemical BusinessWithin oil and petrochemical industries, innovative thinking and strategic planning are key. As a leader in such business, you need to constantly be adapting your way of working, as well as understanding how to inspire the best out of your company and its employees.

Step 1: Encourage Effective Communication

Not only do you need to ensure that you’re effectively communicating with your people, but you also need to make sure that you’re allowing for effective communication throughout the business.
As there are so many roles and branches within a petrochemical business, you need to make sure that all employees and departments can effectually share information.

Step 2: Be Positive

The petrochemical business can be a difficult industry to get into, as well as hitting hurdles. What matters most as a leader is to remain positive and be a source of motivation and inspiration if times get tough.

Step 3: Leadership is Ever Evolving

There’s never a time you should stop learning about being an effective leader. Be sure to keep track of your skills, and where your strengths and weaknesses lie. You can then work to constantly improve your skills and learn new habits to enhance your role.

Step 4: Streamline Your Processes

As an effective leader within this industry, you should be taking all necessary steps to make processes as easy, quick and productive as possible. Making sure that you embrace helpful software and technology, such as field service software for your operatives, shows your employees that you care about proper management systems and anything which can make their jobs a little easier.

Step 5: Recognize Hard Work

No matter whether it’s in-office, out on the field or any other role within your business, recognizing hard work is a must. Be sure to regularly speak with employees to ensure that they know everything they’re doing right, and rewarding hard work.

Step 6: Stay on Top of the Competition

As a business leader, you will need to constantly be aware of what the competition are doing, so that you can effectively communicate with your team how your business can gain a competitive advantage. Employees need to know that you best understand how to help your business succeed over the competition.

Step 7: Pay Attention to Feedback

Being a leader doesn’t mean that you know everything. Being open to feedback from employees, both regarding your own role and the processes of the business, always means that you stand to learn something and gain an outsider’s perspective.

Always be willing to take on board constructive feedback.

Step 8: Stay Organized

It’s hard to trust a leader who is disorganized, who forgets tasks, or whose physical environment is in disarray, such as a messy desk. You can inspire trust by being an organized and tidy leader in everything you do. You need to be a person whom others can depend on, so that begins with being able to organize yourself and your own schedule successfully.

Important Skills That Can Be Learned at Business School

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article | Important Skills That Can Be Learned at Business SchoolAttending business school is a useful path to go down for those who want a change in career but are not sure in what direction. It can help students develop a range of transferable skills used in many different business sectors.

Why go to business school?

There are many reasons why people choose to go to business school. Some feel stuck in their current career, aware that they need a change but are not sure what route to take. Some are concerned that they lack the necessary skills or qualifications for their dream career. And others might want to start their own business, but do not know where to start, or are too nervous to take the risk.

No matter what the reason, business school provides training in a variety of skills and a level of understanding that can help those who wish to seek the start a career or progress to a new one.

Here’s a rundown of the important skills that can be learned at business school.

Impression management

The truism that ‘You only have one chance to make a first impression’ can make people feel nervous, especially when pitching an idea, meeting new contacts, or even closing a deal. Being able to manage the impression that you leave on people is not only a critical skill in business but also an excellent life skill.

An impression has to line up with the intended goal for the engagement, and easy apply to business schools help teach students to manage these impressions, and how to alter them according to their desired outcome. One of the most common types of impression management that businesses undertake is the presentation of merchandise. You need to present the very best version of your product to entice people to buy it. Business schools can help you develop this skill.

Time management

Time management is one of the most crucial skills for business, as it enables much more to be accomplished in a shorter amount of time thereby improving efficiency. Then time can be better spent on new projects and activities that add value.

Business schools advocate an interesting approach to time management. Generally, they do not focus on prioritizing and managing time like most suggestions but instead teach the benefits of multiplying time instead. In this approach, entrepreneurs and business owners create the illusion of multiplying time by doing things today that make tomorrow better. In effect, they are adding in the criteria of significance to the usual ones of urgency and importance. Learning how to do this in business school is paramount to success, and also avoiding burnout.

Communication skills

Communication is vital for day-to-day life, and is much more than just speaking. Communication is about getting an idea, thought or information across in a way that another person understands, which is why it is regarded as such a crucial skill.

It is extremely difficult to teach how to communicate effectively and there are many aspects to think about, such as body language, tone of voice and eye contact, to name a few. Business schools provide plenty of practice, so these skills become second nature.

4 Career Options in the Medical Field

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StrategyDriven Professional Development Article | 4 Career Options in the Medical FieldThe medical field is one of the most stable industries. With a career in the fast-paced medical field, you can earn a great living and make a difference in the world. There are many jobs to choose from so you can find one that suits your preferences and allows you to turn your dreams into reality. Here are four possible jobs in the medical field.

Nurse

As a nurse, you can choose several different career paths. You can work in a hospital setting as a surgical nurse or a caregiver. Some nurses choose to work in doctors’ offices, either with pediatricians, primary care physicians or specialists. Others opt to find jobs in nursing homes or hospice facilities. You can even pursue a career as a chief nursing officer. One benefit of pursuing a nursing degree is there are different programs available. Depending upon your individual needs, you can choose online or traditional degree options.

Anesthetist

An anesthetist is responsible for sedating patients when they undergo surgery. Although it requires a few years of study to earn this degree, you can make a good living as an anesthetist. You may have to work on a rotating schedule if you choose to work in an emergency surgery position, but if a stable work schedule is important to you, you can elect to work in an outpatient facility. This job comes with a great deal of responsibility as you will have to monitor sedated patients to ensure their vitals remain stable throughout the surgery.

Physician Assistant

If you want to be a doctor but aren’t quite sure about devoting so much time to school, becoming a physician assistant could be the right choice for you. You will have to work under a doctor’s privileges, but you can see patients by yourself and diagnose health problems. You can prescribe treatments as necessary. Since hospitals do not typically hire physician assistants, you can plan on having a stable work schedule in a doctor’s office so you have plenty of time to spend with your family. If you want to focus on a specific area of medicine, you can elect to work with a specialist.

Surgeon

Becoming a surgeon is the most extensive path in the medical field. You must first complete medical school and then complete several years in a surgical residency program in a teaching hospital. During the program, you will have the chance to work with different surgical specialties so you can choose which path you want to pursue. After passing an extensive exam at the end of your residency, you’ll complete a year as a surgical fellow before becoming a full-fledged attending surgeon. Although it requires an extensive amount of schooling, surgeons earn a great living and can often set their own schedules depending upon their specialties.

Because the medical field continues to grow, many people want to pursue careers in the industry. There are numerous job paths you can follow if you don’t want to become a doctor. These four career options are all valid so consider choosing one of them.