Whether you’ve been in the work world for years or you’re just starting out, professional development is the key to a long, successful career. Professional development is how you can continue your career beyond the basic skills that you learn. There are different ways to professionally develop your career, it’s not just based on the skills you know.
Sometimes it’s about the people you know rather than the skills you’ve learned. Other times, certain certifications will make you more qualified to advance your career than other applicants are. Read on to find seven smart tips you can use for professional development.
Common traits when it comes to being professional
All professionals, no matter what industry they work in, share quite a few common traits when it comes to being professional. Some of these traits are as simple as showing up on time and being considerate. Other traits are more valuable, like networking and making connections. It’s important to learn from other professionals about how you can network with others to develop your career further along.
Many times when it comes to furthering your career, you’ll find that it’s more about who you know than it is about what you know. If you know the right people then you’ll have more access to better opportunities. Finding common traits that will improve your professionalism can be done easier if you have a mentor or if you do your own research on it.
Skills
Having the right skills will help your professional development because your skills will make you more valuable to any company. If you can do things that others can’t, then it’ll separate you from the pack of candidates for an opportunity. Having strong skills is important in your professional development, and they are the building blocks of the working world. The stronger your skills are, the more you’ll be able to do, and the better you’ll be able to do it.
Online courses
If you’re looking to advance your career, then online courses might be something worth looking into. These are courses you can take that will add value to a specific industry and make you more knowledgeable in it. Some of these online courses offer information that you won’t be able to find anywhere else.
They also offer networking opportunities with other online attendees and sometimes even certifications of completion. All of these things will make you more valuable in the workplace and will help to develop your professional career.
Certifications
Certifications are a great way to further your professional development by proving that you’re able to perform a certain skill. Doing certifications for subjects that are in trend, such as IT, will make you even more valuable in an industry that is growing and always hiring. Certifications like this include AWS certificates through Amazon, which have become extremely popular and beneficial recently. Getting the right certifications will complement your previous knowledge and give you an edge over any competition for future opportunities.
Higher education
Gaining higher education degrees will help to further your professional development because many of these degrees are considered professional degrees. With these types of higher degrees, you’ll have access to more job opportunities and can market your abilities better. It’s important to make sure you get a degree in something that is related to your current field or something that can boost you further along.
A master’s degree in business administration is one of the most popular higher education degrees because of how it can be used in such a wide range of different businesses. Different writing degrees will also give you a leg up in professional development because they will guarantee that you have effective written communication skills.
Build a great resume
One of the best things you can do is build a great resume with a lot of different experiences and background information. This resume should be comprised of your most recent accomplishments and accolades. Even volunteer experiences will look great on a resume.
Anything that you can use to market yourself and make yourself look better should be included in your resume. It’s important not to forget the basics about yourself, like your education.
Raise your standards
One of the easiest tips to further your professional development is to raise your standards. This can be done on your own, using your mind. It’s how you can change your mindset and way of thinking to make sure you only apply for jobs that meet your raised standards and outlook on yourself.
People with high standards typically wind up being more successful than individuals with average or below-average standards. The higher your standards, the better decisions you’ll make in deciding where you belong and where you want to take your professional career.
