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You just landed a great role with a company you love. Your success will be defined by your ability to manage the objectives of your role, but your long-term happiness will be influenced by your development and growth. A good insurance for career happiness starts with a thoughtful career development plan. Writer Dayton English explains.
If you’re a superstar, or showed potential, you’d better believe that a hiring manager is going to want to maximize the ROI that comes with hiring you. What does this mean? Quite simply, to keep you happy and productive, if you provide them with a plan that encourages your commitment to supporting the company, they’ll likely do everything they can to help you honour that commitment. Here’s how:
Preparation is key
Treat your career development and planning just like you’d approach any project you manage, and make it as easy as possible for your manager to be involved in your career development. Create a report and include relevant information including accomplishments, goals, objectives, and education and skills interests.
By highlighting where you want to go, you can work with your manager to fill in the gaps you’ve identified within the demands of your role. They may also offer insight that will direct your path.
Go above and beyond
Creating value for your manager builds trust and engenders a mutual effort to support your career development. Prioritize the needs of the company, and reinforce your manager’s insight in selecting you to work with them. If there is a particular interest you have or skill you want to cultivate, ask for opportunities to contribute that will grow these abilities.
If you actively seek out ways to help your manager solve their daily issues, it provides the double benefit of enhancing your value and skillset, while building a strong relationship with your manager.
By highlighting where you want to go, you can work with your manager to fill in the gaps you’ve identified within the demands of your role.
Proactively engaged employees make their manager look good and provide a solid return to the company – it also enhances organizational outcomes and your profile as an employee.
Be an open book
While you shouldn’t use every meeting as an opportunity to remind your manager about your desire to advance, there are appropriate times to do so. The most obvious is your annual review, but beyond the structured employee assessments there are other reasonable times to subtly mention your career goals – like when large (or small but important) tasks are being assigned.
Use your good judgment to ascertain other appropriate and necessary times to raise the topic.
Beyond your direct supervisor it is important to sharpen your networking skills and reach out to others who have long tenure with the company. Ask them about their career path and advancement. Observe the timing and ways that the company tends to promote.
Use this information to guide your approach to career development, and in conversation with your manager.
Employing an engaged and active career development plan, which includes your manager, will create a positive and empowered career path. You’ll feel happier and more engaged in your work, since you will be able to see the connection between your work, the value you bring, and your long-term career goals.
Dayton has a background in marketing and communications and is passionate about the issues that influence professionals in his field. He obtained his Masters in Professional Communications from Royal Roads University.