What is professional growth?

To stay competitive in today’s job market and realize your career goals, it’s important to always be seeking ways to develop professionally. Those who invest in personal and professional development often benefit from new advancement opportunities, higher salaries and increased overall career satisfaction. In this article, we define what professional growth is, provide steps for development and answer some frequently asked questions about professional growth.
Personal development and professional growth are closely related and pursuing one often encourages the other. Professional growth focuses on gaining new experiences and skills to positively impact your current position and any role you are likely to pursue in your career.

By expanding your skills and thinking ahead, you are preparing yourself to handle more responsibilities. Regardless of your position, there is always more to learn. Investing in your professional growth shows ambition, self-awareness, humility and tenacity.

Here are some examples of actions that can lead to new experiences and professional growth:

  • Taking the lead on a sales presentation
  • Pursuing a role to gain skills, knowledge or experience
  • Volunteering time or resources to help a charity through your organization
  • Gaining new skill sets and qualifications by attending professional training courses
  • Managing a large project, more people or a bigger budget