Successful Career Development

Welcome! Congratulations on your commitment to enhance your career! This course is designed for professionals in various stages of career development and success. So no matter if you are a young professional just starting out, a mid-career manager, a pre-launch executive, or a seasoned professional seeking to re-purpose a career and launch Career 2.0, this course will interest you. Our team of faculty will introduce you to the concept of Career Habitudes, guide you through finding a mentor for whatever stage you are at, NetWeaving your way through networking, and building authentic relationships. As a team of professors and higher education leaders, we are passionate about helping you make the most and best of your career. We look forward to helping you on your journey! In this module, we will introduce the key concepts and principles for developing career-enhancing "habitudes" as introduced by Dr. Tim Elmore, author of the Habitudes series of books. Research indicates that having the "wrong" attitude is the most common reason why young professionals lose their jobs. This module will provide valuable advice on how to develop the kind of habits and attitudes you need to succeed at any career stage.

Establishing a relationship with a mentor can be one of the most beneficial and rewarding professional relationships. Regardless of level of career, a mentor will add value when paired correctly. This module will assist you with clarifying the expectations of a mentored relationship, identifying the areas that you feel will add value based on your personal needs, and introduce the difference between a mentor and a sponsor. Mentors can serve different purposes.

In this module, you will be introduced to the concept of "NetWeaving" as introduced by author and networking expert Bob Littell. One of the most important career skills turns out to be a person's ability to create and maintain trusted relationships, both internally within the organization, as well as externally within the business community. NetWeaving promotes three skill sets, and several action steps, that can contribute to building and maintaining trusted relationships. The three skill sets are categorized as connector, law of reciprocity, and network.

In this module, you will be introduced to the best practices for enhancing your career (and your job search) via LinkedIn. Without a doubt, the best tool for connecting business people is LinkedIn. As of August 2015, LinkedIn has more than 313 million members in over 220 countries, and is adding new ones at the rate of two new members per second. This module offers practical LinkedIn advice and instructions on how to best leverage your skills and abilities online.

In this module, you will be introduced to key principles and best practices in the art of building and maintaining authentic business relationships which is critical at any stage of your career. The module will cover the topics of building trust, asking great questions, and inspiring others. Every action we take with regard to relationships in the business world is intentional. We will describe best practices in building relationships including being authentic, getting personal, being transparent, freely sharing ideas. keeping promises, and having a "pay it forward" attitude.

Professionals often balance the need to solve problems on their own versus asking for help, thus exposing their lack of knowledge and/or experience. This module will assist you in making that determination, understanding their culture of their professional environment, while scanning the environment for style and preference.

In this module, you will be introduced to best practices in how to continuously review their career plans and make adjustments as necessary. This module will illustrate how the career ladder has turned into a rock wall that requires you to be more nimble and adaptable. More often than not, reaching the career of your dreams in not a direct path. You may need to climb sideways or move down the rock wall for a while before you can progress upward again.