Build your Toolkit: Developing the Career You Want

As you plan for the next phase of your Career, it is important to equip yourself with great tools. I will be sharing some tools that have helped me grow professionally, motivated me to try new strategies and make bold Career moves.
 
In this blog post, we will explore different tools that can support you on your career journey. Check out previous Her Toolkit posts to help you build your personal and professional development toolkit.
 
What does Career Development mean?

• Career development is the series of activities or the on-going/lifelong process of developing one’s career. It involves training in new skills, moving to higher job responsibilities, making a career change within the same organization, moving to a different organization or starting one’s own business. (Source: Career Development)
  
• The process of learning and improving your skills so that you can do your job better and progress to better positions. (Source: Cambridge Business English Dictionary)
  
• Career development is the ongoing acquisition or refinement of skills and knowledge, including job mastery and professional development, coupled with career planning activities. (Source: Berkeley Human resources - Concepts & Definitions )

 
What has been my experience with Career development?
On my Career journey so far, I have learned the value of taking an active approach to developing my career and learning from my experiences. Some people have a clear vision of what their careers will look like very early. On my career journey, my path got clearer the more I learned about myself and explored different things. Being intentional and investing in my Career development has helped me gain knowledge that opened new doors in the work I do. To ensure that career development is a priority, I include my professional learning goals in my yearly plan.
 
What tools can we use?
Sharing some of my previous blog posts where I shared very useful tools that have helped me

• Own your career development - you are responsible for growing and developing your Career. It is time to take ownership
• Building your Professional Brand - you need to invest in your professional reputation to take your career to the next level
• Find professional Sponsors - cultivate relationships with people who can provide you with career opportunities and exposure
• Find your Mentors - connect with people who can provide guidance and be companions on your career development journey
• Leverage Continuous Learning as a Tool to Build your Career - there is so much you can learn on your journey

 
Great Resources
Check out my videos on My career journey and Unconventional career advice to discover practical career development tips.
 
Call to Action
What is the most unconventional Career advice that you would like to share?