Career development involves doing your job well while deliberately growing your skills and experience base. At its best, it’s being conscious of how what you’re doing today is helping to build your resume for tomorrow. After all, continuous learning is the new job security. But what does that mean in daily practice?

Build your resume

Building your resume means thinking about how your tasks and progress are adding value for you and your organisation. Every day. It requires curiosity, initiative, generosity, awareness and courage – not to mention some artful delegation (also known as new opportunities for others). If you go to work thinking “This is good, I’m learning x or y”, then you’re likely on the right track. 

Track your progress in a work journal

To help you stay mindful of your career goals (more on these in a future blog) and therefore where to focus your efforts, try keeping a work journal. Set aside an hour each month to record and reflect on what you’re consciously doing to deepen or broaden your skills and experience. Ask yourself:

What have I done in the last month that shows I’m reaching my goals?
What am I good at?
What can I do more of?
What have I done that shows I’m ready for another challenge or role?

And before you think ‘who has the time to journal?’, consider the potential return on investment. Aside from sharpening your goal focus, you’ll be identifying and gathering concrete examples of how you’re consciously growing – which will help you get ahead of that next performance review, interview or pay rise conversation.

What deliberate action could you take today to help you build your resume?

Even if you think you already know what you do well, it is worth giving this some structured thought. This will build your confidence and readiness to articulate it to others.

Try this exercise

You will need to block out some time and perhaps even try a neutral setting such as a park or café. The aim is to list as many answers as you can under the following headings:

• All the achievements that you are proud of in your career to date.
• All the times when someone has given you positive feedback.
• All the achievements away from work about which you feel proud.

Think behaviours – it’s not just what you did but how you went about it.

Keep adding to the list over the next few weeks. You may be surprised by how it continues to grow.

What does this mean for you – both for yourself and as a leader of others?

In other words, don’t let best be the enemy of good.

Sometimes in our career we need to take a transition step, one that gets us back into the game so that we can plan and prime for our next step. Often, people know they don’t want to stay with their current field of work, but they choose to do so because it’s easier. The important thing is to keep up the research, networking, brainstorming, and learning. That way, you are well placed to take the subsequent step when the time is right.

If you have perfectionist tendencies…

Perfectionists can either achieve loads but run themselves and/or others ragged, or, conversely, they can achieve next to nothing because no one solution is deemed ‘right’. Do either of these resonate with you? If so, we would recommend finding a sensible friend, mentor or coach to support you.

What does this mean for you – both for yourself and as a leader of others?

The signs are all around. You’re ready for that next step. And you’re pretty sure you want to change jobs. But does that always mean heading straight for the door?

No! At least not without first considering your home advantages. You are already known within your current company. You know the culture, the players, and the possibilities. And quite often, moving “up” before moving “on” puts you in a stronger position.

So, before you reach for that door or a recruiter, why not look for internal opportunities to grow and boost your resume? Doing so could be a real win-win for you and your employer.

First, figure out what opportunities you want or need.

Be crystal clear about the type of role you want next and the skills and experience needed. In other words, clarify your stretch goals.

One way to do this is to pretend you’re preparing for the interview – what skills and experiences will you want to have under your belt? List them, research them, look for ones you already have but are perhaps in a different guise. Avoid falling into ‘role trap’ – break your experience down into its component parts rather than just listing roles (like “lawyer” or “mechanic”). And remember, you don’t need to find opportunities to fill every gap. Almost any new experience in and of itself will enhance your resume!

Think broadly about growth opportunities.

Look around your organisation. What IS available? Think in concentric circles: your own team; the broader department; other departments? You might find your organisation has stretch opportunities galore!

Are there group projects you could volunteer for ? What about a team priority that never seems to get off the ground? Offer to crack that nut, especially if it aligns with your stretch goals. What about someone going on leave – sabbatical, parental or even annual leave?  Can you babysit someone’s work?

Don’t forget about formal learning. Seminars, conferences, even courses – attend everything that is offered at your company.

Prepare your approach.

Ideally, your first approach would be to your manager, if they are supportive of people seeking new opportunities. (Otherwise, talk with your People and Culture team.) Who are your mentors and champions? How might they help you plan your approach?

Do your homework too. Ace that important conversation with your manager by preparing properly. Rather than saying “I’m getting ready to leave”, ask what projects might be coming up. Or offer to take something on.

If you’ve already identified an opportunity you want, present a clear business case outlining what’s in it for your manager and the company. And be prepared to illustrate how you’re going to do the extra work or re-distribute your other tasks. Who knows: perhaps your work could even be a stretch project for someone else? (The trifecta!).

Sooner or later, most of us will want or need support from others to pursue our goals or bring about change. Maybe it’s asking your manager for a promotion, or talking to your partner about a career step that could significantly impact your time, finances, or location. Whatever your goal, it’s likely the stakes feel high and you want the conversation to go well. So, how can you maximise your chance of succeeding? Quite easily, in fact. And it all comes down to a little bit of planning and preparation (like oh so many things in life, it seems).

Without further ado, here are our top tips to help you nail your next important conversation.

1. Prepare for it, just like you would for an important meeting or presentation.
2. Stand in the shoes of the other. The better you can understand their point of view and perspective, the more you’ll be able to create the opportunity to influence. Ask yourself “what’s in it for them”? How might they benefit from helping or supporting you? Consider what you want them to (a) THINK, (b) FEEL, and (c) DO after speaking to you. Write it down.
3. Think about your intention for the conversation and the impact you want to have. Write it down.
4. If you believe nerves might be a factor, take time to prepare yourself mentally, emotionally and physically. Make sure you’ve slept, eaten, and breathed deeply … By all means pick a “good” day but don’t let this be an excuse to put the chat off entirely!
5. Break it up if you need to. A conversation doesn’t have to have its beginning, middle and end in one sitting. Better to pause and regroup, rather than go too far or off the rails in one sitting.  It’s very reasonable to say “let’s pause this for now, give us both a chance to think a bit more and revisit tomorrow/next week”.
6. Pick a suitable setting. Sitting in the park might be better than making a phone call while you’re on the bus. Going out for coffee might be better than sitting across a desk.
7. Listen actively to what the other person is saying. Make sure they feel heard, even if or particularly if you aren’t in agreement with them. Show that you are listening – build on their ideas, repeat back to check understanding, let them finish their sentences, keep eye contact, and be warm if appropriate.