The “Right” Professional Development is Crucial for the Development of Every Professional

Continual professional development is crucial to ensure the successful development of every professional. Graduation from your post-secondary school does not signify the end of your education!

In every career choice, training is required. Upon completion of the training, you received your own proverbial toolbox that contained the training you received. At your first position, you began to practice what you had learned, but you quickly learned that there are multiple ways to achieve the end state of tasks and that your toolbox has room for new skills. At this point, you embarked upon looking to enhance your skills and fill that toolbox to keep up with changes in approach and practices in your industry.

 

As a professional services firm, PCGI Consulting Services recruit resources that help our customers get the most from their investments in business processes and information technology. To meet our vision of being the premier supplier of the most trusted consulting professionals to our customers, our resources and their toolboxes are our strongest asset.

 

When reviewing applications for employment, professional development after a candidate’s formal education demonstrates their commitment to continuous learning and the improvement of the contents of their toolbox. Your work experience, positions held, projects participated on and the role you played in them are very important. But so is that section at the bottom of your resume outlining additional professional development and designations earned. This simple section demonstrates all the tools you have placed in your toolbox.

 

While all professional development is good, not all of it provides value. While training for your career, you had many options. You specifically chose courses to help your career. Do the same with professional development. You understood exactly what you needed to graduate school to receive your diploma or degree. Now look to the next level, concentrate your professional development with a goal to achieve industry and customer recognized designations. These designations provide instant credibility to customers and competitors.

 

Professional designations such as Certified BusinessAnalysis Professional (CBAP), Certification of Competency in Business Analysis(CCBA) or other designations such as the Project Management Professional (PMP) and the Certified Management Consultant (CMC) require a certain amount professional development, a demonstration of practical experience followed by an examination in some manner testing those skills. Following the award of these designations, to maintain the designation, you must also maintain a continuation of association approved professional development.

 

Understanding the requirements of these designations when choosing your professional development allow you to both advance your career AND earn a professional designation.

 

At PCGI Consulting Services, we value professional development and we encourage our staff to continually earn additional designations through the creation and review of all of their annual professional development plans all with the goal to improve the contents of their toolbox and ultimately their value to our clients.

Ken Howell is an Executive Partner with PCGI Consulting Services in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He is a lifelong learner as evidenced by his numerous certificates, designations or diplomas received during his ongoing professional development. For more information about Ken Howell, he can be found on LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.

This blog was originally published in the October 2012 International Institute of Business Analysts newsletter which can be found here.