You know that saying “for a ship without direction, any wind will do”? When brought into the organizational context, it leaves no room for doubt. So, if you want to take the lead instead of getting carried away in an undefined direction, the career path is the right tool.
In general, we can say that the professional trail works as a kind of map. A compass for you to navigate the most appropriate path and know exactly what you need to do or what is the next step in your career path to get there.
How important is it to build a professional trail?
In an increasingly dynamic world of work, continuous development is essential for anyone who wants to thrive. In this context, companies deeply value employees who have the ability to learn and relearn .
In fact, constant professional development is the key for anyone who wants to keep up with new processes, tools and methodologies that arise all the time.
But what does career path have to do with it? According to Heber Martins, in addition to helping professionals identify what they want, it supports them in mapping out the necessary actions — such as the search for new knowledge — to achieve goals more quickly.
“It is no longer the company that says how the employee’s career will be. The professional is primarily responsible for identifying where he wants to be in a few years and, from there, understanding what needs to be done to get there. You have to be the protagonist of this process.
How to put the career path into practice?
For many professionals, the concept of a career path is already quite clear. But when it comes to putting it into practice, they don’t always know the best way forward.
FIRST STEP: IDENTIFICATION
When we talk about a career path, the most important step is identification . Seek to understand what makes sense to you, what you like to do, what motivates you to work every day. This will help you better understand what you want for your career based on your personal values.
SECOND STEP: MARKET MAPPING
After the first phase, it is necessary to map out what the market is looking for in the professional you want to be .
Suppose you want to work with People Training & Development. Your task, then, will be to list the skills and competencies — technical and behavioral — necessary for anyone who wants to work and be successful in this area.
THIRD STAGE: CONTINUOUS DEVELOPMENT
As we said, the job market is dynamic and changes at an ever-increasing pace — especially due to rapid digital advances and urgent demands coming from consumers and society.
So, after identifying what you want for your career and what are the skills and experiences you still need to acquire to get closer and closer to the position you want to reach, the next step is continuous development. That is, the professional trail is something for life .
Good news: learning has never been easier
If you think you need to invest a lot of money to develop yourself in your profession continuously, know that there are many ways to acquire knowledge.
“There are a number of digital resources that can be used to jump-start your career path. Investing in training is still valid, but it is also possible to develop through tutorial videos, lives, online courses, among other options”, recalls Heber.
Our People & Culture analyst even points out that, in many areas, the ability to constantly renew oneself is taken into consideration much more than specific training. This is what happens with careers related to IT , for example.
“When hiring a programmer, many companies look more at the candidate’s ability to learn new languages than what he already knows how to do. After all, this is an area that changes all the time.”
Organizational practices that encourage professional development
When a professional is willing to learn and develop continuously, most likely he will act with a focus on bringing positive results to the company.
In this sense, some actions are important for encouraging professionals to develop the skills they need to achieve their career goals, such as:
- Performance evaluations;
- Feedback rounds between managers and employees;
- Training and Development (T&D) Programs.
Therefore, take advantage of the actions and opportunities offered by your company to improve skills and competencies and, in this way, follow the professional path that you so much desire and that makes sense to you.
So, did our tips help you build your own career path? Remember that, in such a dynamic world of work, you are the protagonist of your professional life. Therefore, the search for development to achieve the objectives must be continuous. Go ahead!
