Are you looking for career development ideas that work?
There are lots of career development ideas out there, but only a few of them lead to success. As such, you need to find ways to develop yourself that pay off.
If you want to find career development ideas that will get you ahead, this article is for you. In this article, I will give you 52 ideas that will help you improve your professional skills and enhance your career.
What Is Career Development?
Career development is an umbrella term for any activity that helps people develop their knowledge, skills, abilities, and understanding. Career development may include education, training, mentoring, experiential opportunities, self-development, leadership, volunteering, community service, research, and professional development.
50+ Career Development Ideas That Work
So, now we are here at the part you've been waiting for, 50+ career development ideas. Whether your carer is new or you've been doing this for a while, I hope these ideas will help you create the career of your dreams.
In this post, I will also rate each activity as low, medium, or high. Many of these activities should only take less than a day (low), but some could take weeks or months to do well (high.) Medium activities will take up to two weeks to handle.
Download The Notion Template
Do you want to use these ideas in a Notion template? Click the button below to access a Notion board with all of the ideas I shared today, plus space to plan out when you will tackle all of these ideas. Once this board is copied to your Notion account, you can make updates, add your own ideas, and make it unique to your career development journey. To add this to your Notion account, press the Duplicate button in the top right of the screen once you click the button below.
1. Attend A Networking Event
Activity Level: Low
Whether you are looking for a job or not, networking can be a fantastic way to get to know various people. The truth is, you never know who could be a helpful referral or partner to have in your career journey. We often stop important activities like networking with others when we feel fulfilled in our careers. It's important to keep networking even if we feel secure at work.
Let's be honest, when was the last time you tapped into your network? Do you only network when you need something in return? If you aren't using networking as an opportunity to give and receive, you'll eventually tap your network.
2. Start A Side Hustle
Activity Level: High
Another career development idea is starting a side hustle. Side hustles are wonderful because they make you money while you tap into potential opportunities in the market. You can use your side hustle to test other careers you've wanted to pursue or learn skills that could help you at work. Side hustles take energy, and you need to ensure you aren't breaking any rules with your employer.
I've had a side hustle ever since I joined my company full-time. It can help supplement your income and help you connect with exciting companies. Best of all, you'll get a lot of practice interviewing and chatting about your career accomplishments when handling client calls.
Related Reading: 10+ Side Hustle Statistics You Need To Know
3. Chat With Someone Who Has A Job You Want
Activity Level: Low
Do you have a specific promotion or title in mind? Talk with someone who currently has the job you want. Set up 20-30 minutes with someone you admire who currently works in your desired field. You can easily find someone with your intended job title by using the search feature on LinkedIn.
There are a couple of ways to find a person to chat with on LinkedIn. First, you can type a title directly into the search bar. For example, in the image below, I typed “stock trader.” This search would bring up people who mention stock trading in their LinkedIn titles or summaries.
If you wanted to talk with someone at a specific company, you could use the All Filters approach. For example, you could enter the company you want to work for in the search bar, pull up the All Filters search, scroll to the bottom, and enter the title in the keywords section. While this strategy can be helpful, strangers on the internet might not feel comfortable talking about their specific role to you.
If you decide to use this career development idea, send a brief but polite email or LinkedIn message to the person you want to connect with, asking for 20-30 minutes of their time to discuss their career trajectory. During the call, make full use of your time. Do some research beforehand and draft a good list of questions to make a good impression. Again, you never know how this person might impact your career later on. After your call, send a quick thank you email to let the person you connected with know how much you appreciate their time.
4. Send A Thank You Note To A Colleague Who Has Helped You
Activity Level: Low
Sometimes career development ideas can be quick and to the point. Thank you notes can be a compelling way to connect with someone you admire. Send a physical thank you note to a colleague who has helped you in the last month or so. This quick check-in can make that person's day while also keeping you top of mind during promotion talks at work.
5. Build Documentation For Department Procedures
Activity Level: Medium
Most departments have a lot of policies and procedures, but unless you are an engineer, sometimes these policies don't get adequately documented. Process documentation can be beneficial, no matter your industry, but some people don't like doing it. Encourage your colleagues to create a better system by helping them draft documentation for things you do in your department often. If you have a knowledge base, ask to share your documentation there. If not, you could create a shared folder on Google Drive for all the work you've done to document procedures at work.
6. Find A Productivity Strategy That Works For You
Activity Level: High
Being productive can be a challenge. Many distractions are eating up your day, whether you work from home or go to an office. Find the strategies that work for you and stick to them, even when being less productive feels like a solid plan.
For example, I enjoy the Pomodoro Technique to help me stay productive. I also listen to focus music to get into a flow state at work. Set your surroundings up for success, so you can work smarter, not harder.
7. Get An Industry-Recognized Certificate
Activity Level: High
We'll talk about education a few times on this list. Many millennials were burned by education because many of us got a lot of student loan debt with not much to show for it. Not all education is terrible, especially when you can get your employer to pay for it.
Do some research and find a few industry-recognized certificates. Get a good understanding of the price of those certificates and what getting it would mean for your career. Present this information to your boss and use your professional development budget (or ask your boss to put it in the budget.)
If you can talk through how this certificate will positively impact your work, your manager is sure to see the positive benefits of this experience.
8. Purchase And Take A Class On Udemy Or LinkedIn Learning
Activity Level: Medium
Another way to get educated is by taking a quick course on Udemy or LinkedIn Learning. Courses on these sites are cheap or free. Udemy is always having a sale, and they have a ton of great classes from creators all over the world.
Before you pick a course, think about an area where you are weak. For example, earlier this year, I took a class on Udemy about data visualization with Excel. It was a great course that taught me how to tell a story with data. I needed a refresher on basic data work, and a deeper look into the charts Excel had to offer, so it was a perfect use of my time.
Find the courses that will positively impact you and let your manager know you want to purchase the course and take it during work hours.
9. Take A Look At Lateral Career Moves
Activity Level: High
We'd all love for our careers to be up and to the right. But, the truth is many careers are jagged, weird, and twisty. We could end up taking two steps forward and three steps back. But, it doesn't matter as long as we are happy with our career progression.
Switching careers to do something you love is a smart move. Lateral career moves can give you space to explore new pathways and eventually lead to promotions you never dreamed of.
If you want to develop your career, consider taking a look at a different department. You might just excel at it.
10. Volunteer For A Local Community Organization
Activity Level: Medium
Volunteer work can give you a phenomenal experience that can impact your career. Take time to find an organization that needs a skill you want to hone or offer. For example, if you want to test your content marketing skills, connect with a nonprofit organization that needs content on a volunteer basis. Get some results for this organization and ask for a testimonial from organization leaders. Before you know it, you'll have some stellar testimonials and experience for the work you want to do in your career.
11. Host A Lunch And Learn At Work
Activity Level: Medium
One of the best ways to get seen at work is to showcase your skills. Many companies offer internal lunch and learns to provide skills and knowledge across the company. Sign up to host a lunch and learn yourself. You might be surprised what inspiration you can give other people in the process of teaching a subject that you are good at.
12. Speak With Clarity And Authority
Activity Level: High
Women often struggle to speak with clarity and authority. Instead, we use filler words that cut down on our ability to look absolute in our thinking. The truth is you do make sense, so don't think about it. Reducing filler words takes time. When you are talking, slow down. Choose your words carefully, and don't be afraid of the silence that might come while you pick your words.
13. Turn On Alerts For Job Titles You Want
Activity Level: Low
For the next career development tip, let's turn on job alerts on LinkedIn and Indeed. Thousands of jobs get posted every day, and we need to see those jobs if we want to apply for them. Take a few moments today to turn on job alerts to see who's hiring and what they want from applicants. Then, consider what you can do today to better prepare for when you'd like to apply for a job. Are there skills you could be learning? Connections you could be making? Taking a few minutes to note those opportunities can help you as you consider how to make an impact in your current role.
14. Ask For A LinkedIn Recommendation
Activity Level: Low
Is your LinkedIn recommendation section feeling a little dry? Your colleagues and managers might not think about offering a recommendation, but they would probably give one if you asked them to. Consider chatting about this to your manager the next time you see them. Also, if you have any clients you've worked with as a freelancer, ask them to help you beef up this section of your LinkedIn profile. Having several recommendations on LinkedIn can come in handy as you look for jobs or seek out freelance opportunities.
15. Take Greater Control Of Your One-On-Ones
Activity Level: Medium
When you have a 1:1 with your manager, who takes control? Unfortunately, many employees leave opportunities on the table by letting their managers take the lead on 1:1s. These events are a perfect way to talk about career development, issues you have, and things you need to succeed at work. If you want to take more control of your one-on-ones, start by asking the right questions. Hypercontext has a great list of questions employees can ask their managers during one-on-ones.
16. Read A Book Written By An Industry Leader
Activity Level: Medium
Books are one of the most accessible ways to learn from industry leaders. One-on-one conversations with industry leaders can easily run you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. Many leaders have thankfully taken the time to produce books so that more people can access their thought processes (in a more affordable way.) If you look up your industry on Amazon, at the library, or in a bookstore of your choice, you will find something great to read.
Don't treat industry reading like a marathon. Instead, take your time, jot down some notes, and find one or two things to implement in your life based on what you read.
If reading isn't your style, download an audiobook or listen to a podcast. There are plenty of great resources out there that can be just as powerful as reading a physical or digital book.
17. Make Friends At Work
Activity Level: High
Work is a lot better when you have someone to connect with. Take your time to build some friendships with your colleagues. Friendships don't happen overnight, but they can be beneficial for excelling in the workplace.
Making friends as an adult is challenging. Look through your colleagues and consider asking someone for a virtual or real-life coffee before work. Making a simple connection can create a lifetime bond.
18. Join A Professional Organization
Activity Level: Medium
Next, you'll want to consider joining a professional organization. Organizations like the American Psychological Association or the Society For Human Resource Management can provide a ton of support for their members. These organizations do cost money, but your employer might even be willing to cover the costs of joining these groups.
One cool aspect of professional organizations is that they often have local groups. So, as a career development tip, you can join these local chapters, take on leadership positions, and make a massive impact in your city/state.
19. Take A Personality Test
Activity Level: Low
If you are looking for quick career development ideas, try taking a personality test like 16 Personalities, Enneagram, or any number of free/paid personality tests. While you shouldn't take everything you read in a multiple-choice quiz at face value, these tests can be accurate and helpful for employees trying to learn how to best work with their colleagues.
Take 20 minutes to take a test, read your results, then think about the following questions:
- How can you see your results showing up in your day-to-day world?
- Do you notice any of the quirks of your personality show up?
- What would you guess your colleague's scores are?
- How does your personality get along with their potential personalities?
- How can you shift your personality to be more agreeable with your colleagues?
- Do you need to shift how you approach them based on your results?
Personality tests can help us assess how we might get along with or irritate our colleagues. With this information in hand, we can make decisions that drive our careers forward.
20. Read Your Latest Performance Review And Develop A Plan To Address Deficiencies
Activity Level: Medium
Getting feedback from a performance review can be pretty overwhelming. Many of us get our input and let it collect dust because it's overwhelming. For the next career development idea, I encourage you to look at your latest performance review. Where did you excel? Where could you have done better?
When you read where you could have done better, create a plan to address each deficiency noted in your performance review. Create some SMART goals around those activities.
For example, your performance review might have stated that you had trouble delegating tasks. Therefore, your SMART goal might be to delegate 1 task each month or delegate three parts of your next major project at work.
As you are going through these plans, get your manager involved. Let them know that you take performance reviews seriously. Let them know that you plan to do specific tasks to get better in the areas you lacked.
21. Update Your Resume
Activity Level: Medium
When was the last time that you gave your resume a refresh? If you've been sitting comfortably in a job, you probably haven't touched it in a while. Take a few minutes to give your resume the refresh it deserves. When you update your resume little by little, you end up with a much better-looking resume. Who has time to frantically make updates when you are in dire need of a new opportunity? Do it now, so you are prepared for any career decision.
22. Think Before You Say No
Activity Level: High
When we get into the rhythm of what makes us comfortable, we typically say no fairly quickly. If an opportunity pulls you somewhere you don't want to go, it might be okay to say no. You can't know for sure that you want to say no to all new activities, though.
Saying no a lot makes people want to offer you things less. We are all just trying to reduce rejection in our lives, after all.
Take a beat before you say no. What's making you say that? Are you scared to do it? Does it just not align with your career vision? Is the pay terrible? Get exceedingly clear about why you are saying no, so you have fewer regrets about saying it later.
23. Attend An Industry Conference
Activity Level: Medium
Industry conferences are fun and refreshing. Whether you attend in-person or virtually, you are bound to develop some new technique or idea that you can incorporate at work. Find a few industry conferences and talk with your boss about attending. Your company might even foot the bill. During the conference, take copious notes and find new-to-you industry leaders to follow and get inspiration from. Follow up with your manager after the conference and show them all the exciting things you've learned. Finally, pick one or two items from the conference to implement at work.
24. Give A Talk At An Industry Conference
Activity Level: High
Just like lunch and learns can help you develop your teaching skills, so can giving a talk at an industry conference. Giving a talk might seem intimidating, but there are ways to manage this. Don't apply to speak at major industry conferences, at least not at first. Instead, start with a regional, state, or city conference to test the power of your speech. Starting small can have a considerable impact on your confidence. Hopefully, you will have lots of experience speaking on smaller stages by the time you sign up for a national event.
25. Get A Professional Mentor
Activity Level: High
Finding a mentor can accelerate your career growth. Mentors are professionals who can offer advice based on their long-standing experience in your industry. Many mentors provide advice and support to mentees free of charge. Mentors typically meet with mentees once a month virtually or in person to talk about career development goals.
Tap into your network outside of work to find a person you admire. Start by making a simple connection with that person to see if you could find value in connecting with them long-term. A simple coffee chat about a topic that they have expertise in can work. After you've established that baseline relationship, reach out with a well-crafted mentorship ask.
Being straightforward can often lead to positive results for you and your mentor. Make it clear that you don't want dozens of hours per week. Share your career development goals and let them know how their mentorship can help you succeed at work. Do your homework on their expertise so they can take you seriously during your pitch.
Before you know it, you'll have the perfect mentor.
26. Develop Your Personal/Professional Brand
Activity Level: High
You're not an employee, you're a business-of-one.
J.T. O'Donnell
According to ERIN, an employee referral application, “Employee referrals are 4x more likely to be hired..”
One way to increase your chance of getting a great referral is by building your personal/professional brand. The simplest way to do this for your career in 2021 is to start a LinkedIn account (or start using your LinkedIn account.)
LinkedIn is a vast network full of professionals chatting about topics in a vast array of fields. It's personally one of my favorite networks because you can have some nuanced conversations there. There are a couple of things you can do to increase your network there:
- Add people in your industry. You don't have to be personally connected, but it does help if you leave a note and let them know why you want to connect.
- Follow hashtags that are important to you. Keep up with what's being shared on LinkedIn and become a part of the conversation. Leave meaningful comments and you might even get on the radar of someone important.
- Post content and use hashtags/tags to amplify your content. Once you get comfortable commenting, start creating your own content. Don't forget to use hashtags and tag companies/people that matter to boost your content reach.
27. Take A College Course
Activity Level: High
Higher education can sometimes lead to better work opportunities (or sometimes you want to do it for fun.) Earlier, we talked about the importance of taking smaller classes on sites like Udemy. Taking a college course is another education option to explore.
Before you go back for another degree, sometimes taking a single college course on a topic you need help with can make all the difference. For example, if you want to start handling some light financial reporting at work, you could take a beginner-level accounting class at a local college.
Start small, it might be worth it to get an entire degree, but I would take a step back and get some guidance on if that makes sense/would lead to a more profitable experience for you. Sometimes getting a degree just wastes your time and puts you in more debt. Would getting a higher degree/another degree make you more employable? Can you see the value of that degree coming back to you over time with your current employer (or a different one.)
If you have a professional development budget at work, see if your workplace will pay for taking courses or getting a degree. There are fewer downsides if you can get paid for your education.
28. Pick 5 Sites To Read Regularly To Keep Up With Industry News
Activity Level: Low
If your industry is like most, it's constantly changing and morphing to fit current times. Industries that don't change with the times tend to suffer a long, slow death. Your industry probably has a few sites that provide news and updates. Create a bookmark folder or subscribe to those sites using a service like Feedly to keep up with industry information. Pick a day of the week (like Monday or Friday) to spend 30 minutes reading through the latest industry news and updates. Make sure to bring this information back to your organization during department meetings and 1:1s. How will these industry changes impact your day-to-day work?
29. Create A Goal For Yourself At Work
Activity Level: Low
Next, you might want to create a goal for yourself at work. Chances are you already create quarterly/yearly goals, or someone assigns your goals. But, outside of those mandated goals, you might also develop plans that matter to you and your own larger professional goals. It's essential to think outside of the box and consider what would make your career move forward.
When you only focus on moving your quarterly/annual goals along, it's harder to think about the bigger picture at work. What is your end goal? What would make you happiest once you retire? Then, think backward from that lofty retirement goal: what do you need to do to make that goal a reality?
If you want to create a great goal, it needs to be SMART:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-Bound
30. Do A Mock Interview
Activity Level: Low
If you've been with a job for a while, your interview skills might get a little rusty over time. It's important to subject yourself to a mock interview at least 1-2 times per year. Work is subject to change, and you want to be prepared to switch jobs or do something new with your life when you need to.
Mock interviews can be as simple or complex as you need them to be. For a simple mock interview, look through a list of common interview questions and practice your answers. For more complex mock interviews, hire someone to help you. If you need an example, sites like Interviewing.io allow engineers to have mock technical interviews. You can also use a service like Upwork to hire an interview preparation freelancer. While these freelancers aren't cheap (many charge $100+ per hour), they can help you understand your interviewing strengths and weaknesses.
31. Provide Meaningful Feedback At Work
Activity Level: High
Your colleagues want meaningful feedback at work.
Whether you are an independent contributor or a high-level manager, employees need to know what you think. You have an interesting point of view that only you can bring to the table. Meaningful feedback on projects can make all the difference at work.
The next time a colleague asks for your thoughts, be thoughtful. 😉 Provide feedback in a way that makes sense for you. Write it down, edit the document with track changes, share a voice memo, record a Loom video, do whatever makes the most sense for you.
Going above and beyond can show leadership capabilities and help your coworkers out in the process.
32. Join Your College/University Alumni Network
Activity Level: Low
Your alma mater is full of exceptional individuals who have a lot to contribute. If you aren't involved in the alumni network at your school, now might be a great time to join it. It doesn't matter if you've been out of school for a while.
Join the alumni network, attend events, share your career progress with your college/university network, etc. Alumni from your college likely work all over the world at exciting companies. As you get more involved, your network might be able to find new and interesting opportunities for you if they know what you do for a living.
Connect and keep up to date with what people from your university are doing to see where you might be able to connect.
33. Sign Up For An Industry Email Newsletter
Activity Level: Low
Quick career development ideas are the best, aren't they? For this career development trick, look up “{Industry} email newsletters.” For example, you could look up “marketing email newsletters,” and get results like this:
- 8 Killer Marketing Newsletters That You Need To Subscribe to In 2021
- 14 Of The Best Marketing Newsletters You Should Be Subscribed To
- 20 Of The Best Digital Marketing Newsletters To Subscribe To In 2021
With a few clicks of your mouse and taps on a keyboard, you can be subscribed to several newsletters that deliver industry news to your inbox almost daily. You don't want to drown your inbox with email newsletters, though. Instead, pick a few newsletters that make sense for what you want to accomplish at work. Then, if you aren't reading these newsletters regularly, unsubscribe to make room in your inbox.
34. Do A LinkedIn Posting Challenge
Activity Level: Medium
Are you on LinkedIn? LinkedIn can be a great way to connect with professionals in your niche and your coworkers. Posting on LinkedIn consistently can make a huge difference in your visibility on the platform. Getting into the act of posting regularly can be a challenge, especially if you aren't used to it.
Create a LinkedIn posting challenge for yourself. Keep your first posting challenge brief, for example, 1-2 weeks of daily posting. Take a few days before your challenge to plan your challenge. Will you rely on video content? Slide decks? Written words? Do you need any pictures or stock photos? Get all of your materials and at least outlines of what you want to share. Then, start posting. Don't forget to include a few hashtags to boost the visibility of your posts!
Participating in a LinkedIn posting challenge won't make you a LinkedIn influencer overnight, but it will allow you to consistently share your thoughts with your peers. You might even decide to keep posting after the challenge is over.
35. Take Advantage Of All Company Development Programs
Activity Level: High
If your organization offers any career development programs or budgets, you should always take full advantage of them.
Career development can help you excel at your current career or make a transition to another company. If you are looking for career development ideas, nothing will serve you better than taking advantage of any professional development opportunities your company offers.
Are you looking for ways to excel at work? Like we shared in idea #20, take a look at your latest performance review. Where does your organization think you can succeed? Try finding programs in your company that help you improve items mentioned in your performance review.
36. Get Published In An Industry Magazine Or Website
Activity Level: High
Do you love writing? Well, try getting published in an industry magazine or website. If many people in your niche read this site, you can develop your career by getting on the radar of your industry's best people. Work diligently with your company's marketing team to be able to capitalize fully on an industry publication. Can they share it on social, link to it in a blog post, or send an email with a link to reengage prospects? You would be surprised what a good industry publication can do for business.
37. Pitch And Tackle A New Task At Work
Activity Level: High
Your company probably needs a new perspective or idea.
If you keep up with industry news, you probably have some new tasks or projects you think your company should undergo. For example, maybe you've seen an increase in creating a particular type of asset in marketing teams, or you noticed a new trend shaping with customers that could use additional public statistics and research. Now is your chance to share these ideas with the corporate world!
Take your time to research the new trend you'd like to tackle at work. Then, speak with your manager about the positives of starting this new initiative. Share that you are up for the challenge and give a peek at what your strategy will be. Before you know, you could have a new work task on your hands.
38. Write And Practice Your Elevator Pitch
Activity Level: Medium
What if you were in an elevator with the person who could make your dreams come true tomorrow. Would you know what to say to get their attention?
Elevator pitches are short statements that intrigue listeners and let them know what you are all about. For example, what are you passionate about? What kind of projects do you want to tackle more of? Be clear and precise about what you want in an elevator pitch.
Practicing your elevator pitch can help you hone in on what makes you unique and get you prepared for situations where you might be able to share your dreams with someone else.
39. Shadow A Coworker
Activity Level: Low
Do you need more experience in different fields of your industry? For example, maybe you are a software engineer that needs help with a different coding language or practice? Shadowing a coworker can be a great way to get that expertise.
Talk with a colleague that you admire and ask to shadow them for a day. If you are virtual, you can even do a coworking session on Zoom, so you get to see them throughout the day.
Ask questions, get to know how your team member works, and see if there are things that you can bring back to your work. Shadowing a coworker is a great career development tip because it helps you get to know more people at work.
40. Help New Colleagues Succeed At Work
Activity Level: Medium
Career development ideas aren't just for connecting with older colleagues. New coworkers can be just as helpful for your career development success because they show leadership and management capacity.
If a new employee joins your company, reach out. Let them know that you are there if they need any help. When you have a meeting or opportunity to chat with a new colleague, don't be afraid to speak up and ask them about their day. These friendships can lead to great opportunities.
41. Actively Check-In With Yourself To Address Work/Life Balance Issues
Activity Level: High
Work/life balance isn't easy to maintain. Sometimes you need to dive into work, and sometimes you need to dive into life.
Add a monthly check-in to your calendar when you often feel most stressed. On that day, take a few minutes to breathe and think about what's stressing you out. Then, consider what you can and can't control. If you can't control it, get it out of your mind. If you can manage it, make a plan of how you will tackle it.
As you continue to do this every month, you will create a better work/life balance for yourself.
42. Keep Up With The Skills Needed In Your Industry
Activity Level: Medium
When was the last time you looked at a job description to see what skills employers need today? Keeping up with industry skills can help you get better at your current job while setting you up for success if you want to change careers later.
Take an afternoon to view several job descriptions from what you want your next title to be. Then, make a list of what proficiencies companies request in those job descriptions.
Do you want an easy spreadsheet to help you keep track of the skills you need to hone at work? Download a free Google Spreadsheet by clicking the button below. This spreadsheet will let you write down the skill, your current experience level in that skill, your learning plan to hone that skill, and give you space to link free resources you've found on the subject. I have shared an example of how you might decide to use this spreadsheet at the top to get you started. To make changes to the spreadsheet, make a copy and add it to your Drive. All you need to do is go to File –> Make A Copy.
43. Focus On Learning Soft Skills
Activity Level: High
Many of us spend so much time focusing on hard skills that we don't think about the soft skills that make us a great employee. Skills like teamwork, empathy, and dependability can take us far in our careers.
The problem with learning soft skills? It isn't as tangible as learning something like coding or interviewing. Soft skills take dedication, practice, and often it's not easy to show how you've grown in these skills.
Take your time and focus on one soft skill you aren't great at. How can you practice this skill weekly at work? What are some simple tasks that would make you a team player or more empathetic at work? Once you come up with a few activities, implement those strategies at work. Keep practicing, and you will see how your colleagues take notice of your work.
44. Create A Project Plan For Your Next Company Project
Activity Level: Medium
Projects are complicated. There are many moving parts, and the best leaders can get all the moving parts to move together.
If you are running a project, start that experience by setting expectations and creating a project plan. The more detailed your plan is, the easier it is to execute. Use project management software like Asana, Trello, or Notion to make this career development idea a reality.
Start with the end in mind: what steps do you need to take to make that end goal a reality? Start adding potential steps and rearrange/delete as necessary. Walkthrough each step and add substeps or additional main steps as you get stuck in this process.
Next, you need to assign parts of the project and ensure that each person knows their responsibilities, when they should expect further detail, and when these items will be due.
All of these steps that you take to prepare the project will lead to a more direct project experience later on.
45. Engage And Participate In Workplace Meetings
Activity Level: High
Workplace meetings can be tedious, but they are where all the magic happens.
Take time to prepare for every meeting by having all the materials you need like your laptop, a notebook, pen, and some water nearby. If you are working virtually, give yourself as much quiet space as possible (but obviously, life happens sometimes.)
Come to each meeting prepared to listen and provide valuable feedback when you can. There are people who need to know what you think.
46. Talk To Your Manager About What You Want In Your Next Career Move
Activity Level: Low
When was the last time you talked with your manager about career progression? Hopefully, you have frequent conversations about your career goals with your manager, but that might not always be the case.
Block off some time during your next one-on-one to talk about your future. Let your employer know what you are looking for and how you'd like to serve the organization long-term.
Having a conversation is the first step, but you'd be surprised about what opening that door will do for your relationship with your manager.
47. Consider Your 1-,5-, and 10-Year Plan
Activity Level: Medium
Being forward-thinking is largely important at work. You can't always be thinking one quarter or one week ahead of you. If you don't have a larger vision, you can't align daily, weekly, monthly, etc., tasks to anything. People who don't have a central vision often get stuck and work on projects that don't align with their larger goals.
Sit down one afternoon and create a document. Where do you see yourself in one year? How much are you making? What projects are you working on? What job title do you want to have? Are you still working at your current job? Get as descriptive as you can.
Once you are done with your one-year vision, do the same for your five-year and ten-year visions.
Before you put pen to paper or hand to keyboard, think about where you were one year, five years, and ten years ago. There is a considerable chance that you were living a completely different life. You can do more in these time frames than you think. Dream big!
48. Volunteer For A Committee At Work
Activity Level: High
Does your work have a committee you could serve on? Many large organizations have built successful workplace committees to help with environmental impact, hiring/firing practices, benefits, and more. These committees are a powerful way to showcase your leadership abilities while getting to meet new people.
Instead of shying away from committee appointments, consider volunteering for a committee instead. You never know, you might even find a cause you are passionate about while volunteering.
49. Create An Online Portfolio
Activity Level: High
Where do you keep the fantastic projects you've been working on? Creating an online portfolio or resume site can help you immensely. Don't make this complicated. Creating a 3-5 page website can make all the difference. So, what pages should you add to your online portfolio?
- About page
- Contact page
- Resume page
- Portfolio of items you are proud of (especially if you are a writer, graphic designer, etc.)
You can add your portfolio site to your business card. Then, as you hand out these cards, people will have a place to visit to learn more about you and your career progression.
50. Get A Professional Coach
Activity Level: High
Like we shared in #25 of our career development ideas list, getting professional help can be essential. Mentors are great for building organic connections, but sometimes you also need a career coach. Career coaches are different because you typically pay for coach support. You can often meet with your career coach more consistently because you pay them for their time.
If you get the right coach, they can have decades of career experience. Ask questions, get advice, and see how they can help you get results at work.
Professional coaches aren't for everyone, unfortunately. They can be pricey to hire, but if you are going for an expensive promotion, coaches can help you succeed.
51. Create A Wins & Praises Folder At Work
Activity Level: Low
It's easy to forget about all the fantastic things you do.
Do this for me: go back two quarters at work. What were you working on? What was exciting to you at the time? Do you remember any challenges? Do you remember any positive feedback that came in during that time? You probably didn't have a solid answer for this. If you are looking for concrete career development ideas, create a wins & praises folder at work.
Go through all of the places you might get praise: performance reviews, peer recognition programs, emails, Slack, etc. Screenshot messages from all of these places and put them in a digital folder. You can also create a document to track wins throughout the quarter. Then, whenever you have an incredible success at work, write it down in that digital document.
Before you know it, you'll have a ton of fantastic stories of how you crush it at work. When you go up for a promotion or write a new resume, return to all of those wins and praises.
52. Spend Time On Physical And Mental Wellness
Activity Level: High
Last but not least, spend time on your physical and mental wellness. You might have heard of the phrase, “you can't pour from an empty cup.” This phrase is so salient for everyone. You can't pour from an empty cup in your career, personal life, hobbies, etc. If you aren't taking care of yourself, getting proper sleep, and prioritizing things that give you energy, you will never win long term. Take a step back and give yourself time to focus on yourself.
- Take a mental health day.
- Get an adequate amount of vacation time, even if it's just a staycation.
- Make sure that you are getting your annual physicals and check-ups.
Frequently Asked Questions: Career Development Ideas
Before we wrap up today's post, I wanted to walk you through a few questions you might have after reading this extensive post.
How Do I Make Room For Career Development In My Life?
When you look at this list, it might seem a bit overwhelming. Instead of getting overwhelmed, take a few minutes to block off an hour of your life every week for career development. During that hour, you can tackle one of the low activity tasks or start work on a medium/high activity task.
I would suggest picking the day/time you will do this career development and adding it to your calendar so that other people don't schedule over it.
Before you know it, taking time for career development will just make sense for you. You might even want to increase the amount of time you spend on career development each week.
How Do I Get Buy-In From My Boss To Make The Most Of Career Development Opportunities?
There are some strategies that I shared today that clearly set you up for looking for a new job. You can't expect your boss to give you time off to update your resume. There are specific ideas that I shared today that will make you a better employee, like keeping up with industry trends and shadowing a coworker. You need to know the difference between the types of career development ideas I shared. Some will be work-appropriate, and others won't be.
Approach your boss with ideas that are work-appropriate. Let your boss know why going after these certain activities will make you a more adept employee. Show how you will use the skills you gain from these events to benefit the company. How do these career development opportunities help you improve the company's bottom line?
Many employers want more successful employees, but you have to sell these ideas to your manager the right way.
Which Career Development Idea Should I Tackle First?
I gave you a large list of 50+ ideas, and that can seem overwhelming. Scroll through the list again and make a short list of your own when an idea jumps out at you. From your small list, pick a few that seem doable to you. You can use the Notion template to easily schedule which items you want to tackle first.
Conclusion: Career Development Ideas That Won't Take Forever
Are you ready to take your career to the next level? Today we shared 50+ career development ideas that you can use. Of course, some of these ideas are more complex than others, but we hope that we've given you various ideas to try at work.
Which Of These Career Development Ideas Will You Try First?
