Throughout your career, it’s important that you keep up on your professional development as you journey along. It’s easy to get caught up in the day-to-day operations of our businesses and forget about learning the latest tools and technologies available to us. By keeping ourselves confined to our immediate surroundings, we are neglecting opportunities to grow and flourish as business leaders.
As you establish yourself as a leader, you will discover new areas to focus on and improve. The best and most effective approach you can take to enhance your skills is to expand your professional development. This may include networking opportunities, course enrollment, volunteering, and mentorship, to name a few. You’ll also want to cut out time to evaluate best practices and plan out your next phase of action toward strengthening your presence as a leader.
Let’s take a closer look at how you can make your resume more attractive by actively engaging in personal and professional development.
Networking opportunities. When it comes to networking, you want to be as strategic as possible. Unfortunately, there are many loosely run networking events that may not suit your long-term goals. Ask around for suggestions within your industry. You never know what opportunities are right in front of you that would give you and your business a big boost. If you really want to enhance your resume, find a group that you can chair or help out in some capacity. You may even consider starting your own networking group or event, even if you start on a micro-scale. Remember to keep things simple for yourself and others. By taking initiative to participate in and/or organize these types of events, you are showing your zest for learning and growing with others.
Professional development. The most successful people have committed to being lifelong learners. If you want to stand out as a dedicated leader, you may choose to further your learning by enrolling in a program specifically targeted to your needs. As a business leader, an interesting mini-MBA program may be the perfect answer for you. As part of your program, you can further expand your business knowledge and networking community, and begin applying new skills immediately. Not only will a new certification look great on your resume, but you will increase your value as a business leader. Professional learning is a valuable asset across many industries.
Mentorship and volunteering. We all know how tough it is to find any amount of extra time when we are knee-deep in our jobs. However, If you want to increase your value by adding something noble to your resume, volunteering is a great way to make that happen. By talking to your colleagues and extended network, you may be able to pair an area of strength and passion that you can offer outside of your workplace. This may be an opportunity to speak to students at their schools, partner with a charity of your choice, or ask around for ideas to help you narrow down your choices. Find out where the needs are and go from there. Another option is to serve as a mentor to someone following a similar path. You have knowledge, expertise, and experience that can be invaluable in someone else’s professional journey. Both mentoring and volunteering are selfless ways of giving back and serving a need.
There are many ways to continue building your skills as a leader. Oftentimes, your resume is the only chance for you to make an impression on potential employers and because of this, it is important that you present an impressive profile. Your skills, education, and experience will all help demonstrate who you are and the skills you bring with you. By having the latest business skills, being service-oriented, and having a consistent track record of self-initiated growth and development, you will stand out among the crowd.
Typically, people look forward to graduating from school and beginning their new careers. Once there, however, they get comfortable and ignore opportunities for ongoing development. In the fast-paced and constantly evolving world that we live in, it would be wise to keep up with the latest skills and advances. Returning to the classroom, for example, is a great way to gain an edge over the competition because you are opening yourself up to specialized instruction, powerful new connections, and the chance to immediately begin implementing new skills in the workplace. Your resume should reflect your best skills, interests, areas of strength, and recent endeavors that demonstrate your commitment to learning and growing.
