At the start of the year many people’s thoughts turn to career development, and how to get to where they what to go. To get this right, it’s important to take the time to think about your career and the goals you want to achieve. Then, our Rising Star Awards can provide grants to help achieve these goals. We’ve compiled some top tips to help you take charge of your development.
Talk to your employer
Having an open conversation with your line manager or HR department is a great place to start. They can provide you with insight into what areas you might want to develop, or offer advice if you’re not sure what direction to take. If you don’t quite feel confident talking about the subject, here are our tips for asking for development opportunities at work.
Personal development plan
Where are you trying to get to? What’s your career goal? If you have an end goal in mind, you can start to build a personal development plan with the clear action points. By setting mini milestones along the way, you can make the tasks more manageable and measure your progress. To help, former Rising Star, Jem Collins, gave us great advice on how to put together a personal development plan.
Build your Network
Networking can be a great way to develop your professional skills. Getting to know people in a range of organisations and roles can spark ideas and open the door to different opportunities. It’s also a great way of practising your self-presentation and social skills. Don’t forget that LinkedIn is a great online tool that can help you reach your career goals.
Seek out opportunities
Keep up to date with the news and events in your sector. This way you learn about current developments and opportunities, as well as other people’s career paths which can act as inspiration.
Sector awards are also a great way to help you gain recognition and advance your skills. Our Rising Star Awards champion the sector’s young talent, with winners receiving funding to support their career aspirations. If you’re working in the wider print industry and aged 18-30, sign up to our newsletter to learn more and be first to find out when applications open at the start of February.