Pulse Check: What Is Your Career-Boosting Resolution?

After nearly two years of uncharacteristically high levels of organizational change and employment instability, workers are looking to solidify their futures with professional development opportunities. According to one study, 87% of millennials say professional growth and career development are very important, and 76% of all employees are looking for opportunities to expand their careers.

To learn which professional development plans are popular in 2022, Wellable asked the large, growing, and dedicated community of human resources professionals, wellness practitioners, and organizational leaders what one career-boosting resolution they would make. About a quarter (26%) of respondents said they would grow their professional network, 59% said they would enhance their skills and expertise, 8% said they would read career development books, and 7% opted for an unlisted alternative.

If you could choose only one career-boosting resolution for 2022, what would it be?

Grow Professional Network

Building and maintaining relationships with other professionals in related fields can boost one’s career in several ways, including gaining a supportive group of like-minded individuals, learning from others’ success and failures, or finding a safe space to share one’s ideas.

Professional networking is often easier said than done. Some individuals effectively network by developing a large following on social media, but this takes a significant amount of time and energy. Others find success by reaching out directly to industry experts, but in many cases, these leaders have been inundated with messages and don’t have the time to respond. Networking events are another popular choice as they are purpose-built to help professionals develop valuable connections. Unfortunately, they have been in short supply during the pandemic.

To simplify the networking process for the wellness industry, Wellable Labs, the thought leadership and research center at Wellable, will be launching a free online community for wellness professionals to improve their skills and expertise. This virtual crew of like-minded peers will share and collectively uncover insights on industry trends, developments, innovations, and best practices, facilitating the shift from knowledge to action and creation.

Enhance Skills And Expertise

While networking can help one create meaningful connections and learn first-hand from others in the industry, other career-boosting strategies can achieve the same aims and more.

One popular tactic is to enhance one’s skills and expertise. Enhanced skillsets can improve one’s ability to complete complex tasks at work, removing a significant source of stress. Relatedly, the Society For Human Resource Management (SHRM) reports that employees with stronger skills are likely to feel more confident and complete their tasks more efficiently. Thus, by enhancing their skills and expertise, employees position themselves to boost their careers to the next level.

Enhancing skills and expertise isn’t just about self-actualization; it can have many prosocial effects. This is particularly important in the wellness industry as organizations reach out to wellness professionals to better manage the well-being of employees. The more expertise the wellness professional has, the better the wellness outcomes will be.

By accessing free online educational content and webinars, wellness professionals can stay abreast of industry trends, learn from thought leaders and experts, and remain informed on the latest developments in corporate wellness.

Read Career Development Books

Career developments books can cover anything from general strategies for boosting one’s career (e.g., advice on networking or enhancing one’s skillset) to field-specific topics that excite and inspire industry professionals.

With so many great options to choose from, picking the “best” career development books can be exhausting. Once the list is compiled, the real work can begin. Chipping away at the looming stack of books can feel like a monumental task requiring superhuman motivation!

Wellable Labs recently launched its Book Club to solve both of these problems. Books are hand-selected to cover a broad range of topics that will help professionals advance their careers. Each selection is covered at length in community discussions and quarterly virtual events. Best of all, the Book Club is an open community, entirely free of charge for all professionals interested in the field of human capital management.

Takeaway

As the new year begins, many employees have their sights set on pushing their careers to the next level. Wellable Labs offers several resources to support them throughout their professional development journeys.