Tackle the future head on

The following questions may help you define your goals:

• What career objectives am I working towards, and what steps would get me closer to achieving them?
• Which tasks and topics are of particular interest to me?
• What aspects am I currently missing in my job?
• Are there any skills in my field that will be in demand over the next few years?
• What kind of feedback do I get on my work from my colleagues and/or my supervisors?
• What would my family and friends say regarding an ideal job for me?

Try to be as concrete as possible when formulating your goals, and to put them on a timeline: What would you like to achieve medium-term and long-term?

Define the skills that are relevant for the development goals you are trying to achieve – professional, methodological, personal, and social. Answer the following two questions:

• What skills do I have that are already well developed and that will help me reach my goals?
• What skills do I need to work on to help me reach my goals?

Think about how you can work on your competencies in a way that brings you closer to your goals. Be sure to consider all of the various forms of professional development. Consider your preferred learning methods. In the ETH external page Lifelong Learning Hub (licence required, see Download instructions (PDF, 465 KB)), you can find a lot of different learning content and also find opportunities for shared learning.
Even though you are ultimately responsible for your own development, you might benefit from having support. Think about your needs and who might be able to support you along your learning journey. Don't just consider your colleagues, supervisors or people in your professional environment. People you know privately – acquaintances and friends – might also be able to help.

Be sure that your professional development measures fit your schedule:

• How much time do you have for your learning and development, either during your working hours or during your free time?
• By when would you like to have achieved your (interim) goals?
  
  

You can fill out your personal development plan independently. However, we recommend that you discuss it with your supervisor. Use the opportunity to discuss your development during your Dialog appraisal interview. Mutually agreed learning and development plans are documented in section 2 of the Dialog form (personal development).

Implementing your development plan can be a challenge. Try to integrate the measures into your day-to-day routine as naturally as possible. Talk to your colleagues about what you've learned, and try to implement what you've learned as quickly as possible. Perhaps you can bring up what you've learned in your next team meeting.

Adjust your methods if you're not making any progress, and don't forget to celebrate your successes! Once you've achieved one development goal, define the next one. You should also do this if the situation changes.