What is Personal Development Planning?
Personal development planning is a process, which can help you to achieve your goals in three key areas.
– Career and employability
– Learning
– Personal development
The time and effort you invest in planning around these areas will enable you to continue developing effectively throughout your life.
So, what does Personal Development Planning involve?
There are five stages:
1. Identify – First identify your strengths, the skills you wish to develop and then set yourself realistic goals for each area you wish to focus on: careers and employability, learning or personal development. Are there smaller short-term goals that will lead to your larger goals?
2. Plan – Plan what resources you need and when you intend to work on the goals that you’ve set. Think about how much time you have available each week. Be realistic to ensure your plans are achievable.
3. Action – Carry out the tasks you’ve set yourself for each goal, and be aware of any new skills that you’re picking up along the way.
4. Record – Record how the progress is going: the progress you’ve made and the skills you’re gaining. Where might you need to develop further?
Recording your insights will help to inform your CVs, job applications, discussion at job interviews and developmental reviews. It may also reveal other aspects involved in achieving your goals.
5. Review – Take a step back, collate everything you’ve recorded and review what you‘ve learnt. You should be more aware of your skills and also be able to identify the next area or skill for development.
Remember that this process is flexible. You may identify new areas for development at any time, or realise that you’ve gained a new skill through your work or day-to-day activities. It’s important to record what you’ve achieved and use each stage of the process to help you develop further.
This five step process provides you with a structured framework that enables you to:
- become aware of skills you have
- identify and develop skills you need
- work out what you want to achieve and how to achieve it
- focus on potential career options and goals
- develop a source of information for CVs, job applications and interviews
- to support appraisals at work
- to demonstrate your readiness for promotion or for development opportunities.
Further Reading
In addition to this blog post “Personal Development Planning”, you may find the following blog posts useful by The Eventus Recruitment Group:
Job interview preparation
Use LinkedIn
Write Great CVs
Career Networking
Job Interviews
Careers Interview
About Eventus Legal
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