Alright, let’s get specific. In order to conquer the art form of professional development you need to be specific about the steps you take when pursuing a goal. You also need to know why and how these specific items should be laid out. Well, this post is going to rock your world with that information. 

I used to live in la la land. All I wanted was to be a star and not think twice about how to get there. Living that way eventually led me to abandon my dreams. Soon all I did was dedicate my time and energy to work and I was reaching crazy accolades in corporate America. Is it that I wanted to win in this new world? No, I was too busy going after it to dream about it.

Here’s the plan. In life, you have to focus on what you’re doing not what’s given to you or what you want. It’s all about putting in the work. And sure that sounds easier said than done but after reading this post you’ll discover that it’s actually very easy to do.

It’s way easier than waiting around for a dream to come true.

This post is all about professional development.

Professional Development

1) Define how many hours you have to dedicate to this area of your life- block it on your calendar

Time can either be your greatest enemy or your best ally. Define for yourself how many hours a day you actually have in order to dedicate your time to your goals. Be specific!

We all need time to wake up and that includes getting ready, eating, and pulling ourselves out of our beds. Don’t underestimate the amount of time you need. I used to try to schedule some items to complete first thing in the morning but it wasn’t a feasible routine for me.

You also need to make time for your meals, your grooming, your job, commuting, and any other tasks that need to get done during the day. Be realistic. A half-hour to prepare and eat dinner is not enough time.

After you’ve isolated your buckets of time, now you have something you can actually work with. Don’t take time away from the things you have to do to live.

2) Define how you work best- do you need breaks in between projects?

Now you need to understand how you like to work. Are you someone who can work two hours straight or someone that needs to take breaks? How long does it actually take you to get into the flow of things? What do you need to keep you engaged while completing a task?

Personally, I spend three days a week just writing one blog. Day one is spent on the outline and creating the intro. Day two is spent writing the body of the blog. The actual content. Day three is spent reviewing and adding graphics and ads. When I first began writing I tried to do it all in one day but I’ve realized that in order for me to enjoy the experience, be proud of the work I create, and follow the timeslots I have available to use each day, it would need to be broken down into three days.

Be honest with yourself and if you need to take breaks, take them. Just make sure that you’ve scheduled time for it.

3) Define an idea of what you want to accomplish or excel at

After we’ve defined the time we have available to use and know exactly how we’d like to work, now you need to know what to work on. If you don’t know where to start that is perfectly fine. Use the time you’ve allocated to do some research.

I had to take a break from writing my book because I wanted to first understand the whole self-publishing process. Strategy is very important to me and I needed to first develop a strategy that covered the process from writing to marketing. But that’s just me. Very result-orientated. You don’t need to go through this level of detail but if you don’t know what you’d like to accomplish, start with some research.

4) Define one specific immediate goal you can obtain – don’t think about anything else, plans change all the time

After you’ve defined your goal you need to look at it again. Split it in half. Make it smaller. Something that is tangible and specific. And don’t think about anything else.

Going back to my book example, now all I care about are the words on the page, finishing my story. Once I’m done I’ll think about the strategy I created and all the steps I’d like to take before printing out a mock copy of my book. However, as of right now, those items do not matter to me in the slightest.

Become laser-focused on this one specific goal. It should be the only thing that matters to you in this world. Sure that’s a slight exaggeration but only slightly.

5) Put this task into your calendar where you’ve defined the free time

Remember that time you’ve freed up on your schedule? Well, it’s time to dedicate it to your goal. To that specific task, you’ve decided to work on.

If you haven’t already, get an agenda or a planner and start jotting this down. My personal favorite is google calendar. It allows you to color code your calendar, it’s easy to use, and you can take it anywhere with you.

Also here’s a piece of advice for you, be consistent. At least to the best of your ability. Try not to spend three hours working on your goal once a week. The only way for you to build a habit is to have a level of consistency.

6) Setup your workspace for success

You’re not entirely ready to work and roll. Make sure you know where you work best. Are you someone that needs to be alone in a room? Maybe you can only work from your desktop? Having an idea of what kind of workspace you need, keeps you motivated and that is imperative.

The last thing you want is to be ready to work but you can not find a quiet room in your house or your laptop is dead and you can only work from that device. It’s fine to have a preference. It’s actually encouraged. Just make sure it’s available for the times you allotted. Otherwise, you need to find another time or another place.

7) Forget about it until it’s time to work on it

Sometimes we think about something so much that we feel like we’re working on it. And sometimes this thought process really dissuades us from actively working on what we set out to do because it either raises fears or feels like the thought of it, is enough work. Don’t do that. Make sure to make the time and space to disconnect.

You are a whole human being and sometimes we need to step away from things in order to feel refreshed and inspired.

Also from a perspective of efficiency, it’s completely unsustainable because you’re not a robot. Sure you can make the argument that you live and dream this goal and that matters to you. But then my question is what have you been able to complete and are you proud of it thus far?

If you’re happy with how you’re moving forward then keep going. But if you’re like me, at the beginning of this post, and not focusing any time on actually taking action, then stop it. Stop it right now.

8) Be protective of who you share your professional development with

Our friends mean well or at least I hope so. Make sure that as you go through this process you try to protect yourself.

Constructive criticism is important but it shouldn’t influence your goals. People are quick to judge and share their opinions with you and there’s a time and a place for it. Personally, I’ve had many moments where I share something with someone and then they actively begin to try to tell me the best course to take. On an activity, they’re not participating in. They mean well but it’s kind of annoying how much people love to tell others what they should be doing.

Another reason why you may want to be protective is that it makes you vulnerable and not everyone deserves to hear your story. Make sure that sharing your information is a privilege, never feel like you’re lucky to have someone to listen to you. People need to earn a piece of your heart.

9) Repeat this process until it’s complete

Now it’s a rinse-and-repeat process until you’ve conquered all the pieces of your goal. And once you reach your goal you do some more research and decide what you’d like to focus on next.

This post was all about professional development and the bad azz items you need to include in your goal plan.

Unfortunately, you don’t always know how professional a job is until you start working there. However, there are a few questions you can ask to help uncover the truth. And this post will give you those specific 7 questions. The 7 life-saving questions to ask professional jobs when interviewing.

Nothing beats working in a company that has a good employee culture, a strong infrastructure, and room for growth. The only problem is no company will advertise all of its weaknesses when recruiting. Sure you can do some research but there’s nothing like hearing the truth from the horse’s mouth.

I’ve worked in a ton of different environments and within different industries. If there’s one thing I know how to do now – it’s calling “BS”. Please remember when you’re interviewing for a job it’s a two-way street. You’re interviewing your future employers as much as they’re interviewing you.

Asking the right questions can save you from walking into a job that has a bad employee culture, no foundation, and no room to grow.

This post is all about professional jobs and 7 questions to keep in your back pocket when interviewing.

Professional Jobs

1) How long has your team been together? Who’s been here the longest and who’s the newest?

Finding out the turnover rate for a future employer is extremely important. Sure you could find this one out by watching job ads and seeing which companies have a revolving door. However, it’s not always that obvious. Sometimes there’s a high turnover rate because the company hires more than they need. Then they perform a bunch of layoffs. It could also be that you’re applying to work for a manager that’s not very good.

Either way, ask how long the team has been together. It can give you a clue about what your future employer’s situation will be like. Also, you can tell a lot by how long people are with a team. If everyone on the team has been there less than five years it’s concerning. Usually, 5 – 10 years is how long it takes to move on to a more prominent role, and sometimes that’s outside of your immediate team. If someone has been there more than 10 years ask what their position is and if you’ll be working with them. If the person has been there for over 10 years and is not one of the principal leaders on the team, that can be an indication that there’s a good employee culture but no room for growth.

2) Where do you see this company and your team in the next 5 years?

Here’s another question that will lead to a bit more digging. If you’re applying for a startup see if you can define if expansion or having a solid infrastructure is more important to them. If their focus is on growth and you’re applying for a startup then run. It sounds like you’ll find yourself doing a few jobs to keep up with the demand. Unless that’s what you want to do, that could also be a tactic, but then you’ll probably want to gain as much experience as you can for the next two to three years and then leave.

If you’re applying for a job that oversees brand partnerships then get an idea of the kinds of brands they work with and who they’d like to work with in the future. See if their taste matches yours and if what they have to say excites you.

Ultimately if you’re not excited by what they say, then you probably don’t want to spend your time trying to grow there.

3) Do team trainings or off-sites occur regularly?

Do you want to work in a stale environment where everyone is following historic processes? Most likely not. There are a lot of advancements in every industry thanks to technology. If the team you’re trying to join doesn’t offer these kinds of opportunities and doesn’t continually work to better themselves, then you’re applying for a job that will eventually go out of business.

Think of the companies that made the leap to e-commerce way too late in the game, where are they now? It would be best if you always looked into getting some training. It could act as a form of security. And if the company doesn’t offer it, then that’s alarming.

Also, see if off-sites occur regularly. Offsites are when a team gets together to talk about the advancements in their space, brainstorm about potential opportunities and develop strategies or plans of action. If you’re applying for a large company then it could also perform as a networking opportunity. If a company doesn’t run these kinds of events, they either do not care about their employee culture or they can’t afford it. Two minor red flags.

4) How has your team’s work been valued in the past?

Do not find yourself in a position where your team is not respected. Where you’re not given the resources you need. And one where your opportunities to collaborate with members of other teams are limited to nonexistent.

I’ve been in positions where my boss was always creating and pushing for our projects to be accepted by the larger departments and in turn, they would recreate what we had accomplished and call it their own. This left you with no room to develop, wasted your time because your work was barely acknowledged, and led to tensions between the different working relationships you were a part of.

I’ve also been in positions where your work has been shared with the larger team, and you have the opportunity to become a subject matter expert and take the lead on projects.

Those are two completely different work dynamics that you want to be aware of when entering a new space. Also if you’re not working based on commission it’s important to understand how you could financially benefit from your work in the long run. Does your work influence your bonus or your promotion salary?

5) What benefits does the role offer?

The beautiful thing about having a job is being able to provide for yourself and your loved ones. As someone who grew up with no health insurance or any understanding of retirement accounts, I value them tremendously.

Ask about your potential employer’s 401k plan. Is there one available to new employees? Does the company offer a match? What’s the vesting period? Vesting refers to the amount of time you have to stay with a company before you can pull out the company match from your 401k and roll it over to a future job. Lastly, ask how long you need to work there before you receive these benefits. If they don’t offer a 401k, then you want to make sure you make enough to at least max out the Roth IRA for yourself. The current contribution limit is $6,500 if you’re single and under 59.5.

You’ll also need health insurance. I suggest not accepting a job if health insurance is not available to you. Health insurance is very expensive and very necessary to have.

6) Can you show me examples of what the team has created in the past?

This is sort of an undercover question. If you ask for examples of what’s been created and they reference materials that were not created in the past year, then the company you’re interviewing for is more concerned with maintaining what they’ve done in the past than creating something new.

It means there are some obstacles you are not seeing. These barriers can include that their competitors are beating them, your team doesn’t have the time or resources needed and spend the majority of their time performing admin work, or they currently don’t have the talent to create fresh products or services. All of which are red flags.

You want to work for a company that is always striving to become better and has examples of how their succeeding in their space. Only in the movies does a total newbie come in and completely change the company. You need a team of people to make things happen.

7) What do I need to accomplish within my first year here in order to be considered for a promotion?

It is completely justified to think about step 2, before starting step 1. Sometimes we become shy and don’t want to advocate for ourselves. If you don’t advocate for yourself, you will only be able to react to what’s being given to you instead of making things happen for yourself.

I’ve worked in companies where people complained about their lack of opportunities but never ask what they need to do to be considered for something new. They spend their lives complaining. Don’t do that to yourself. You should ask from the beginning what your career trajectory could look like and what they expect from you. Then you can measure your value and see if you’re really being taken advantage of.

Also, you want to be reasonable with the expectations you set for yourself. Sometimes it doesn’t matter how hard you work. Your employer may only offer promotions after someone’s been in a position for more than a certain period of time. Make sure your expectations align with theirs.

This post was all about professional jobs, examples, and questions to ask when interviewing for a job.