Every November, National Career Development Month takes centre stage, providing an excellent opportunity to reflect on our professional paths and the importance of career development.

This month-long celebration encourages individuals to explore their ambitions, set goals, and seek guidance to progress in their careers.

Throughout November, organisations, schools, and individuals engage in activities and events that aim to inspire career exploration, personal growth, and the development of essential life skills that reflect the importance of lifelong learning.

The Significance of Career Development

Career development is more than just finding a job or climbing the corporate ladder; it’s a lifelong process of personal growth, learning, and adaptation.

Here are some key reasons why career development is so crucial:

Self-Discovery: Through career development, individuals can explore their interests, strengths, and values. This self-awareness helps them make informed career choices that align with their passions and goals.
Skill Enhancement: Ongoing career development encourages skill acquisition and refinement. It keeps individuals competitive in a rapidly evolving job market and equips them with the tools to face challenges.
Adaptability: The world of work is constantly changing. Career development enables individuals to remain adaptable and resilient in the face of change, whether due to industry shifts or personal life events.
Satisfaction and Fulfillment: When individuals engage in a career that aligns with their values and aspirations, they are more likely to experience job satisfaction and personal fulfilment.

The Impact of National Career Development Month

National Career Development Month’s impact extends far beyond the individual level. Here are some of the broader effects of celebrating this event:

Empowering Communities: By promoting career development, communities can boost their economic well-being and strengthen their workforce, leading to overall growth and prosperity.
Reducing Unemployment: Career development initiatives help job seekers gain the skills and confidence needed to secure employment, ultimately reducing unemployment rates.
Career Satisfaction: By emphasising the importance of career development, individuals are more likely to find work that aligns with their values, leading to greater job satisfaction and reduced job turnover.
Lifelong Learning: Encouraging lifelong learning is a key component of National Career Development Month, fostering a culture of continuous self-improvement and adaptability.

Career Development at Yozu

In 2021, we introduced a personal development initiative to support the continuous professional development of our team.

Getting it right was vital, so we took time to consider the following key elements of defining how we could implement a better way of supporting capability and learning:

Who would be most appropriate to deliver quarterly reviews and appraisals?
What format should they take, and what frequency?
What is the best time to schedule these touchpoints throughout the year?
How can we integrate personal, team and business goals?

We then set up, as a matter of routine, the following activities:

1:1s

A one-to-one is the most frequent of the three touch points, ideally happening once a week or fortnight. It’s also the most casual element of the cycle. It takes place with the line manager and allows the team member to catch up on any work issues, raise points, comments or suggestions, update on training progress and generally check in.

Quarterly Reviews

The Quarterly Review is a short, focused discussion across key areas (within the previous three months). Where Yozuers have the opportunity to:

Discuss progress towards personal goals and achievements.
Address immediate needs within their role and how Yozu can support or help.
Check in early on any burning issues relating to performance, personal development or other matters that are important to raise.
Agree on any specific actions/objectives to achieve by the following quarterly review.
Agree on the following quarterly goals.

Annual Appraisal

The annual appraisal is a more extended discussion of activity in the previous year (rather than the last three months). It is a deeper dive, with more questions of value to complete compared to the quarterly review.

It is a chance to:

Provide recognition for accomplishments and achievements.
Understand the needs and objectives of the appraisee and how Yozu can meet them.
Discuss ways in which the appraisee can add more value to the business and their capabilities.
Discuss any specific skill set or role-orientated development opportunities.
Review pay and benefits.

Training

A structured training and development process presents us with an excellent opportunity to expand the base knowledge of everyone at Yozu.

As part of our employees’ experience at Yozu, we provide them with the opportunity throughout the month to explore, discover and learn about how new technologies or ideas might benefit themselves, their team, and our clients.

If Yozuers recognise a gap in their knowledge or education regarding a particular topic, we will endeavour to support their training. That might be reading a book, undertaking an e-course or perhaps on-the-job mentoring.

If they recognise we can be more effective as a team if we all adopt a new technology or idea, then we’ll help them scrutinise that thesis and, if in agreement, devise a training plan.

If the team think that introducing changes from learning a new technology will benefit a client’s project, we’ll help them build a business case that we can propose to the client.

Explore career aspirations!

National Career Development Month serves as a reminder of the importance of career development for individuals and businesses alike. By emphasising self-discovery, skill enhancement, adaptability, satisfaction, and economic well-being, this celebration encourages us to invest in our professional growth.

So, take advantage of this month to explore your career aspirations and embrace the journey towards personal and professional growth.

Want to learn more about Yozu and how we work?

Visit Yozu Careers