Introduction
There are several reasons that make professionals idealize career progress. For younger professionals, who are at the beginning of their journey, this is a very natural and common movement. Some of them, when accepting a promotion or a new challenge, see this step as another step on the way to the top and, when reaching the new step, they already think about the next one and so on.
For professionals with a few years of experience, this move may or may not be the way to go. Some prefer the stability of a certain set of activities and responsibilities, and see themselves in that position for several years. Others continue to think about professional advancement, and there are still those who - at a given point in their careers - are thinking about changing their profession partially or completely.
Regardless of age, moment or reason why the professional wants to take the next step in his career, assessing his current moment and planning to get there safely are essential for defining the steps and executing the project.
Based on our personal experiences and also those of professionals mentored by us, we will share with you the 5 main steps so that you can prepare yourself and gain confidence for a great action - an overcoming challenge.
1 - Define your next step.
One of the best ways to get there is to know exactly where you want to go. It seems quite obvious, but in practice we know that the decision is not so simple. Therefore, describe the position or activity you want to pursue. Describe the physical location, the city, the type of company, the average salary, with which "tribes" or group of people and what your day to day would be like in this position. If you have questions, for example, what an Agile Coach does, look for vacancies that describe the characteristics and responsibilities to perform the role.
Describing your next step will be a way of visualizing and feeling like it. If you still have doubts, look for people who hold the position you described, and ask questions about what it's like to hold it. If necessary, repeat this step with other similar activities until you feel sure which one makes sense for you.
2 - Do a self-assessment as a professional.
To be safe in important decisions, we need to assess the scenario. A good start is to self-assess in order to put your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats into perspective (known as SWOT analysis).
You can do this already thinking about your next step. For example, if you plan to become an Agile Coach. It is easy for you to plan and organize work, as well as motivate people to carry it out (strengths). However, you still haven't mastered agile methodologies (weakness). You can do this with all the characteristics and responsibilities of the role and you will be able to see more clearly what is missing to get there.
3 - Think about the activities to get there.
Knowing where to go and "how much" is left to get there, it is already possible to think of activities to cover what is left: courses, training, volunteer work, readings, conversations with professionals, among others.
The greater the opening and detailing of activities, the smaller the number of gaps between where you are and where you want to be, which also reduces undesirable unforeseen events. The idea is to leave only "fine tuning" for the path.
4 - Evaluate the budget.
Assessing the cost to get where you want is one of the pillars of your project. Evaluate the necessary costs for the steps and activities you listed in step 3. If possible, turn the hours you'll invest preparing yourself into value to be invested. Check that the budget is adequate to your possibilities and resources. Having the financial strength to carry on with the project will certainly bring you more security.
5 - Run the project.
You know where you want to go. You already know which vehicle you're going with, the tank is full, you've already fastened your seat belt and, according to the weather forecast, the sun is ahead. If everything "fits", now it's time to step on the gas, what we would say in English "pedal to the metal".
Our goal here at Good Bridge is to help you and your team write amazing stories. We specialize in Recruitment & Selection and Professional Career Mentoring. We are here to help you!
Good luck and success!