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We all have different career goals, and achieving them can be a long-winded journey. No matter how talented and driven you are, there are still factors that can make career progression difficult. To take the stress out of your career development journey, what you need is a clear plan. To help you design a workable career roadmap, try using these handy apps and advice.
Apps to support career progression
1. One Million Cups
With the One Million Cups app, you can view presentations, hosted by talented entrepreneurs from around the globe. It’s easy to find out about the latest entrepreneurial events in your area or find networking opportunities on the web. The One Million Cups National community welcomes suggestions from app users, allowing you to have a say in the future of the organization. Once you’ve downloaded the OMC app, you can connect with other members using social media. Whether you’re a current or aspiring entrepreneur, you’ll find plenty to inspire you here.
2. SCORE
SCORE is an organization that offers education and mentoring opportunities, for small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs. SCORE is run by a huge network of volunteer business mentors, they’ve supported 11 million + entrepreneurs since back in 1964. Perhaps you run a business that’s struggling. If so, check out the SCORE Small Business Resilience Hub. The hub provides remote mentoring, training, and resources, to help businesses deal with tough times.
With the support of these apps and tips, you’ll be able to create a detailed career progression plan. While you’re at it, don’t forget to ask for performance feedback from your current employer. Click To TweetPerhaps you’re an aspiring entrepreneur looking for some advice. In this case, SCORE can help you to create a helpful roadmap to take your first steps. When you’re looking to start your own business, it’s important to build a good support network.
3 . LinkedIn Learning
Perhaps you feel that you’ve come to a standstill in your career. You’d like to make progress, but you’re unsure of how to make it happen. The important thing is to keep on learning, the more knowledge and skills that you have, the more doors you’ll open. The LinkedIn Learning platform provides a huge range of learning courses, all created by experts in the industry. To use the platform, you can first provide details about your industry and goals. Next, the platform will offer up personalized recommendations, helping you to choose the right course. LinkedIn Learning has courses in a variety of subjects, including graphic design, data analytics, and digital marketing.
LinkedIn Learning provides over 10,000 business, technology, and creative skills development courses.
4. Invitly
Invitly is a professional networking community that can help you to work towards your professional goals. Once you’ve input what your goals are, the application can connect you to the right people. Simply swipe through the profiles and choose suitable contacts to expand your network. The app curates a personalized selection of twenty-five profiles on a daily basis. Design your perfect networking profile, using your professional goals, education, industry, interests, and work history. You can also get access to online coaching, events, and workshops. With the right networking opportunities who knows how you could supercharge your career?
5. Good&Co Culture Fit
Good&Co is a job search application where you can look for roles with a company culture that suits you. First, the app provides you with a personality test, and then using this data, Good&Co searches for a good fit. Using this application, you can find a business that matches your ethos, values, and traits. The app also offers insights about interacting and relationship-building with your new peers. Having the skills for a role doesn’t mean you’ll gain job satisfaction in the long-term, but with the right company culture, long-term satisfaction is far more likely!
6. GiveGab
When you’re feeling stagnant in your career, and want to gain some new experiences, volunteering is an excellent way to branch out. With a volunteering project, you can help your local community, and enhance your professional development. The GiveGab application can help you to look for nonprofit organizations, based on your current goals and interests. With GiveGab, you can keep a record of your volunteering hours and experience, and use the news feed to connect with like-minded do-gooders! Perhaps you’ve been out of work for a little while? If so, volunteering is a fantastic way to give
Tips to support your career progression
7. Build your personal brand
Building your personal brand is a worthwhile step if you want to advance in your career. You can do this by creating a website, a blog, and several professional profiles, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Post content that’s related to your industry, search for suitable contacts and reach out to other professionals for advice. Whether you’re writing educational blog articles or hosting a webinar, there are plenty of ways to build a personal brand. With the right online presence, you’ll improve your opportunities for career progression. Keep your online profiles up to date and post as regularly as you can.
8. Define your goals
If you’re looking to progress in your career, it’s important to define your professional goals. With clear career goals in place, it’s easier to steer yourself in the right direction. Your goals might involve progression in your industry, a career change, or starting your own business. They might be monetary goals or goals that involve an industry-based course. Whatever they are, write them down, break them into smaller steps, and track your progress. It can be useful to set deadlines to motivate yourself.
9. Seek professional support
When you’re not sure what you want out of your career, it can be helpful to seek out professional support. A careers advisor can help you to establish your skillset, brainstorm your goals; update your resume, and consider ideas for your personal branding. With the right kind of professional support, you’ll be able to streamline your career progression journey.
While you’re going through this process, it can be useful to use a career journal. Here you can keep track of everything from your goals to your progress. If you prefer a digital journal, try using Reflectly. Another useful app is ‘Way Of Life’; it’s essentially a habit tracker app that can help you stick to your goals, (whether personal or work-related).
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10. Consider company culture
When you’re in the process of looking for a new role, search for a company with a strong company culture. These kinds of companies generally have more satisfied employees, but how can you spot these companies? Here are a few things to look out for:
- Businesses with a strong company culture have a great social aspect to their workplace. They provide plenty of opportunities for their teams to build healthy relationships.
- Companies with a strong company culture often provide great perks, whether health insurance, flexible working arrangements, or well-being packages.
- These companies promote equality between management and employees and listen to employee feedback.
- Look for companies that hold your values and your ethics, whether it’s through their CSR efforts or employee benefit programs.
It’s important to note that many smaller companies may not offer health insurance, but this doesn’t mean you should rule them out. To search for lower health insurance coverage for yourself check out the TrueCoverage subsidy calculator.
11. Further training
When you’re looking to expand your career horizons, further training could be the best option. It could be a short course via your current workplace, a separate online degree, or otherwise. Pursuing further education doesn’t have to mean giving up your day job; most courses are flexible enough to fit your lifestyle commitments. For short courses in a wide variety of subjects, sites like Udemy can be useful. Here you can check out courses in everything from coding and web development to data science and marketing.
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12. Seek a mentor
When you’re looking to progress in your career, it can be helpful to have a mentor. Talk to your manager about the possibility; they may be able to pair you up with a more experienced colleague. A workplace mentor can help you with advice, tips, and action plans. You don’t have to schedule lots of meetings; you’d be surprised how much a short catch-up per week can make a difference!
13. Retain a work-life balance
Even if you’ve found a career that you love, you’ll quickly come unstuck if you do not retain a good work-life balance. Keep to a healthy schedule, and adopt flexible working arrangements if you can. Take the opportunity to telecommute, and ensure that you take regular breaks throughout the day. Once you’ve established a healthy work-life balance, it’s far easier to remain productive and work on your career goals. Set yourself a workweek self-care routine, to avoid becoming lethargic and burnt out. When you’re working from home it’s particularly important to ensure that you retain a healthy schedule.
The research upon which this book is based shows overwhelmingly that people want satisfaction much more than they want balance.
With the support of these apps and tips, you’ll be able to create a detailed career progression plan. While you’re at it, don’t forget to ask for performance feedback from your current employer. Focusing on your strengths and weaknesses can help you with your career development. Turn your weaknesses into opportunities to challenge yourself and develop further.
