Step 1

Before you plan a new career path, it’s important to determine where you’re starting from. This step is about creating a foundation for the work ahead. You will take stock of your skills, experiences, interests, and values. Knowing this information will help you prepare for the next steps.

There are numerous ways to explore where you are in your career. Below are some tools and resources to help you.

A professional development plan is a roadmap designed to help organize and guide your career growth. This tool will help you uncover insights into your career goals and create clear steps you can take to achieve those goals. A development plan will also help you document your strategy and progress. You may find that talking to your leader (your manager or supervisor) can help you identify skills and resources that can support your career growth and also how your growth could align with your team or organization’s goals and needs.

Do this:

• Complete the first page of the plan.
• Ask other people who know you well to contribute.

Ask yourself these additional questions, and don’t forget to ask the people who know you well to share their thoughts:

• What do I do well?
• What skills come to me naturally?
• What experiences have I had?
• What do I enjoy most?
• What are my strengths/assets? Think about your skills, knowledge, talents, or interests.
• What skills would I like to develop?
• What are my values in work and life?
• Is there anything getting in my way of achieving what I want?

Get to know yourself better through self-assessments. These vary widely, but all of them can help you identify your skills, experiences, interests, and values—and in turn—help uncover areas of opportunity.

Please note some of these resources may ask you to create an account and may charge a fee for access.