diff --git a/_posts/2025-02-10-managing-your-career.html b/_posts/2025-02-10-managing-your-career.html new file mode 100644 index 00000000..b4fd49b9 --- /dev/null +++ b/_posts/2025-02-10-managing-your-career.html @@ -0,0 +1,280 @@ +--- +layout: post +title: "Managing your career journey: How to build a career development plan" +date: 2025-02-10 +author_name: Julia Babahina +author_role: Lead Risk Specialist at Swift and a Director at Women Coding Community +blurb_img: /assets/images/blog/2025-02-10-manage-your-career/2025-02-10-manage-your-career.png +blurb_img_source: Created by Author with Canva +description: "The beginning of a new year is an exciting time and a great opportunity to take a step back and reflect on +your career journey. A great tool to capture your reflections and close any associated gaps is a Career Development Plan +(CDP). CDP is your personalised strategy which you define and use to achieve your career goals. It outlines skills and +actions necessary to progress a career over a specific period." +category: Career Management +--- + +
+

+ Happy new 2025 year to Women Coding Community! + +

+ +

The beginning of a new year is an exciting time and a great opportunity to take a step back and reflect on your + career journey. A great tool to capture your reflections and close any associated gaps is a Career Development + Plan (CDP). CDP is your personalised strategy which you define and use to achieve your career goals. It + outlines skills and actions necessary to progress a career over a specific period. +

+

In this blog post I am sharing ideas on how to build one to ensure it adds value to your career journey.

+ +

There is no one set approach to building CDP, but it is a common practice to include the following steps: +

+ + +

The above steps are reflected in the below template which we are going to fill in together as we go through the + steps in more detail: +

+
+

The CDP template was created by the author in PowerPoint, which can be accessible + here. +

+ +
+ +
+ +

Step 1: Determining a type of CDP

+ +

Start with reflecting on what you are trying to achieve to determine a type and elements of + your CDP. +

+ +

There is no perfect template for a career development plan. It’s type and content depend on what you are trying to + achieve. Some of the types of a CDP could include: +

+ + + +

A common recommendation is to use different types as a combination. For example (see the table below), you can + create an annual CDP that captures your personal aspirations, skills you are looking to develop in your current + role, skills relevant to your wider organisation, and more general industry related skills. +

+ +
+ +
+ +
+

Step 2: Self-assessing
+

Assess your current skills, strengths, interests, values, and areas of improvement. +

+ + +

+ In our CDP below I include public speaking which I want to improve on a personal level. As a part of my role, I + want to continue developing my coding skills. I also acknowledge that in my organisation risk management is taken + very seriously and to succeed on organisational level I should work on practicing risk management more + proactively. I also acknowledge that when it comes to my career goals, I see myself working in the financial + services sector in the long run, hence I must be more immersed in it and understand associated trends and + innovations. +

+

+
+ +
+
+ +
    + +
  • Continuous improvement: a steady and incremental enhancement of skills, processes, or + performance over time + building upon existing strengths +
    • +
  • + Stretch: taking on a challenge which is moderately above your current skill level requiring effort, + adaptation, + and learning. +
    • +
  • + Out of comfort zone: operating in unfamiliar or highly challenging settings which demands a leap in + capabilities, + adaptability, and mindset. +
    • +
+
+

+ Step 3: Setting objectives
+

+ Define what needs to be done, when and how it is measured. +

+

One of the most common approaches to setting objectives is SMART criteria. SMART goals are commonly used in + project management, performance evaluations, and personal development to ensure that objectives are well-defined + and attainable. +

+ SMART stands for: + +

+ I have formulated a SMART objective for public speaking, which is a skill we determined for personal dimension of + our CDP, as following: +

+

I will improve my public speaking skills by attending three workshops, and practicing + regularly over the next 12 months, and delivering five presentations to audiences of 50+ people, with measurable + improvements tracked through peer feedback and self-assessment. +

+

Let’s break it down according to each requirement to ensure it is SMART: +

+ SMART stands for: + +
+ Below I summarised high-level SMART objectives for the rest of skills included in our CDP. + +
+ +
+ +
+ + Step 4: Identifying actions
+

Outline specific, actionable steps to achieve your career objectives. +

+

Break down your objectives into smaller, manageable actions or milestones. Brainstorm actions that are required + to achieve your objective and close the gaps identified during your self-assessment. If you are building a + detailed plan, you also may find it useful to consider sub-actions. +

+

When deciding on actions consider the following depending on each skill improvement: +

+ +

Then prioritise and set up a timeline for actions, organise them by week, month, or quarter.

+ +

The below example provides quarterly actions against each objective.

+
+ +
+ +
+ +
+

Step 5: Monitoring and tracking progress

+

Regularly review and update the plan to ensure it stays relevant and aligned with changing + goals. +

+

Tracking is key as your CDP and associated objectives and actions are not static and need to be updated on a need basis. +

+ +

When you track your progress consider the following: +

+ +

You can track using different methods including by achieving milestones, measurable indicators (e.g. number of presentations and workshops), benchmark of industry standard or past performance, quantitative metrics such as percentage completed and productivity levels, and qualitative metrics such as positive feedback and customer satisfaction. +

+

For our CDP I am using quantitative metrics of percentage completed for each skill requiring improvement. +

+
+ +
+ +
+
+

Additional overarching step which needs to be considered is collecting feedback. Using your network to get different perspectives, seek input, encouragement, and advice adds an immense value to your CDP. Think about your formal and informal mentor, managers, peers, and your friends. Schedule regular meetings and 1:1s to discuss your plan and aspirations. Continuously ask feedback especially considering any changes to determine areas for growth, share learnings, experience, and common challenges and opportunities. +

+

At Women Coding Community we have numerous initiatives to support your career journey. One of such initiatives is a Career Club which we are running every month – we are looking forward to having you there. +

+

Good luck with your plan! +

+ If you have any questions, feel free to connect with me via LinkedIn. + +
+
+ +
+
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