How to Track Your Career Progression

By Priscilla Poirier, Toronto Technology Recruiter

Do you track your career progression? Many professionals don’t. Or they loosely have an idea in their head of where they want to see their career and what they want to achieve. But to effectively track your career progression and make sure you are moving closer to your goals and objectives each year, you need a structured plan.

Why Tracking Career Progression Is Important

Tracking your career progression is important for many reasons. It helps you develop a clear focus for your career, can give you an advantage over other professionals vying for the same jobs, and it can help you make key decisions about jobs, promotions, professional development and all other aspects of your career.

How to Track Your Career Progression

There are many ways you can track or document your career progression. Here are 5 steps to include in a successful career progression plan:

Define Your Professional Self

You need to know who you are professionally to set a baseline for your career:

• What is your passion?
• Who are you professionally?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• What have you achieved? What do you want to achieve?
• What makes you different from other professionals in your field?

Set Career Goals and Objectives

Know your end career goal to begin to work backwards:

• What does your dream job look like?
• What do you want to achieve in your career?
• Which types of jobs and roles do you not want to do?
• What career accomplishments do you want to achieve?

Professional Self vs. Career Goals

Compare your professional self with your career goals:

• How close are you to achieving your career goals?
• What skill and experience gaps exist?
• What education and job experience do you need to attain?
• Do you need additional training?
• What steps do you need to take to achieve your career goals?

Define Ideal Companies and Job Titles

Knowing where you want to work and the types of jobs you want during your career help you shape your career path:

• Which companies are appealing to you? Why?
• Which job titles interest you?
• Would you be willing to move for a job? Is location important?

Start Filling in the Gaps

Once you have an idea of who you are, where you are in your career, and the types of jobs you want, you can start to fill in the gaps to achieve your desired career.

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