Did you know?
- Only one in four employees is confident about their career journey.
- One-third of employees understand how to progress in their career path over the next five years.
- Less than half of employees feel their manager's feedback supports their career goals.
National Career Development Month is a chance for business leaders and managers to build a different work culture that encourages goal-setting activities and promotes personal and professional development.
A workplace culture should support employees to take new or advanced roles. As your leadership team embraces and celebrates this professional holiday, you will see how it benefits your business success and the employees who make it possible.
What is National Career Development Month? 💭
National Career Development Month is a celebration started by the National Career Development Agency. It acknowledges the importance of making and working toward professional goals. The celebration happens every year in November.
The NCDA hosts their own yearly contest or activity. However, the agency also encourages business leaders to celebrate by allowing their employees to take part in career-related activities. These activities should promote well-being, self-awareness, and resilience.
The benefits of career development activities ✨
Learning and development activities can have many benefits for employees and the businesses they work for. They can help:
- Increase employee motivation and productivity 🚀
- Enhance employee skills to benefit the company's heart 💖
- Give employees a sense of self-confidence 😊
- Keep your company in line with best practices 💼
- Attract and keep top talent in a competitive job market 🧲
Investing in your employees with career development opportunities enriches their lives and helps your company achieve its strategic mission.
Here are some ideas to celebrate National Career Development Month:
1. Vision Boarding 💭
For most employees, it's easy to get stuck keeping up with the daily to-do list. When work gets busy, it can be difficult to find time to think about your future career choices. But it's important for your employees to be able to take a step back and think about the big picture.
Every employee needs to keep their long-term goals and the steps they need to take to get there at the forefront of their minds. One great way to celebrate National Career Development Month is to help them meet that goal.
Consider hosting a vision board workshop or party for your employees. While giving them time to slow down and relax, this concept also gives them:
- Mental space to think about their current and future career aspirations 🧘♀️
- A chance to unleash their creativity and have fun in a unique way 🎨
- The tools and empowerment to take control of their own career 💪
- The opportunity to get to know themselves and each other better 🔍
How to get started 👉 Dream big with a Vision Board Workshop! 🤔
{{vision-board="/blog/experiences"}}
2. Host a career panel discussion 🎤
One of the best ways for employees to gain inspiration and direction is by hearing directly from people who have already been down the path they’re considering. A career panel discussion with industry experts can be incredibly motivating, giving your employees insight into different career journeys. They can hear about the challenges, successes, and key decisions that helped shape these professionals’ careers.
Plus, it’s not just about listening. Employees can ask questions, seek advice, and even network with the panelists. It's a great opportunity for them to expand their horizons, think about their next steps, and build connections that could help them in the future.
3. Create ERGs 👥
Starting employee resource groups (ERGs) is a great initiative to take during National Career Development Month. ERGs are special interest groups made up of employees who share a characteristic, goal, or interest. Groups are always employee-led, and participation is voluntary. Every ERG has a leadership structure that is usually voted on by the employees. Members of the group decide roles, meeting times, and activities.
ERGs let employees take part in continuous learning with like-minded coworkers. Participants in the group often ask mentors with experience to help them learn the skills they need to succeed in their desired careers. These groups have the added benefit of helping employees with shared interests connect on a deeper level. They feel a sense of belonging and inclusion when they aren't alone in pursuing their career goals.
How to get started 👉 Take a look at these 5 Employee Resource Group Event Ideas!
4. Throw a networking event 💬
There's an age-old saying about career development: "It's not what you know, it's who you know." Skills and knowledge are important parts of helping employees move into their target roles. But helping them network and build professional relationships with other people in their field is equally important. Networking helps employees to:
- Understand what skills make them competitive in today's job market
- Get mentorship from current professionals in their target role
- Enhance workplace culture by building community with their colleagues
- Increase their visibility to managers and members of senior leadership
Hosting a networking event in honor of National Career Development Month can help your employees grow their interpersonal skills. They might also find the support they need on the path to meeting their goals. Building relationships is an important part of personal growth.
How to get started 👉 Meet up at the Networking Water Cooler!
{{networking-watercooler="/blog/experiences"}}
5. Plan interactive learning 🧠
An employee might be looking for career advancement opportunities, or they might just want to better their communication skills. Whatever the reason, continuous learning is a needed part of achieving their vision.
Unfortunately, not everyone can go to career training workshops, courses, and certificate programs from esteemed educational institutions. Why not help your employees develop their skills by hosting workshops virtually?
These workshops should be aimed at helping your employees with skill development:
- Bring in career development professionals to help employees focus on hard skills that will help them do better in a current role right away.
- Or help them build soft skills that can be applied anywhere. Such skills include working together, conflict resolution, and adaptability.
When colleagues attend learning and development sessions together, it also helps build a sense of teamwork and mutual interest. This ultimately contributes to a more tight-knit team and a positive workplace culture.
You could host workshops yourself or bring in a speaker from the National Career Development Association. It's important that your workshops are informative, engaging, and positive. They should help employees build their skill sets to enhance their current and future roles.
How to get started 👉 Learn how to be a better listener, collaborator, and colleague in Think Faster!
{{think-faster="/blog/experiences"}}
6. Build leadership and management skills 🦸
It's important for leadership teams to work on their own professional development. That way, they can properly support their employees in reaching their goals. Leaders learn management skills from a variety of sources. Some of them are incredibly helpful for the job, while some of them may not align with your real-world experience. As a leader, you must learn how to consider your own actions, how they affect your employees, and whether your management style is effective.
It's also part of your job to foster leadership development in the employees you supervise. Whether your employees want to move into a management role or not, leadership skills can help them manage their own projects and tasks. It can help them be more intentional with their day-to-day decision-making and more mindful and self-aware when working with their colleagues.
Leadership development workshops are a great way to celebrate National Career Development Month and show your employees that you are invested in their futures regardless of their goals or the paths they choose to take.
How to get started 👉 Help your team leaders and managers learn new skills in a Mindful Leadership Workshop!
{{mindful-leadership-workshop="/blog/experiences"}}
7. Encourage job shadowing opportunities 👥
Job shadowing is a fantastic way for employees to dip their toes into new roles or departments. Let’s say someone in marketing has always been curious about project management, or maybe someone in sales wonders what it’s like to work in product development. Job shadowing lets them experience that role firsthand for a day or even a few hours. It’s not only a chance to see the responsibilities and challenges involved, but it can also help them assess whether a role aligns with their skills and interests.
Plus, it opens up opportunities for cross-departmental learning, giving everyone a better understanding of how different parts of the business work together. Employees feel more connected to the company when they know they have room to grow in unexpected ways.
8. Organize a mentorship program 🧑🏫
Having a mentor can be life-changing, both personally and professionally. By organizing a mentorship program, you give employees the opportunity to learn from someone who’s been in their shoes. Whether an employee is just starting their career planning or looking to take the next step in their career, a mentor provides guidance, support, and personalized advice. They can help with everything from navigating difficult workplace situations to identifying areas for growth.
But it’s not just about the mentee—mentorship programs are also incredibly rewarding for the mentors, who get the chance to give back and reflect on their own career journeys. It’s a win-win that fosters deeper relationships, self-discovery, and promotes a strong culture of learning and development across the company.
9. Create a career development book club 📚
Books have a unique way of opening our minds to new ideas, and when combined with the power of conversation, they can really drive personal and professional growth. Starting a career development book club for your team is a fun and engaging way to encourage continuous learning. Each month or quarter, you can select books that focus on leadership, skill-building, or personal growth—whatever aligns with your team's career goals.
The discussions that follow are not just about the books themselves, but about how the lessons apply to your employees' careers. It's also a great bonding experience, allowing colleagues to share personal insights and strategies they may not have otherwise brought up in day-to-day work conversations. It’s an informal, yet powerful way to keep employees thinking about their development and how they can improve in their roles.
How to get started 👉 Read our blog on How to Start an Office Book Club for next steps!
10. Change your mindset 🏆
To truly excel in their careers, employees need more than just skills—they need the mindset of a champion. That’s why Champion Mindset for Professionals is a perfect addition to your National Career Development Month celebration.
During the session hosted by a professional athlete and motivational speaker, employees will learn how to identify their unique strengths and discover what motivates them. The workshop focuses on practical exercises designed to help participants set clear, actionable goals and develop the focus and concentration needed to achieve them. It’s all about pushing past self-doubt and distractions to cultivate a mindset that drives success in both the short and long term.
To top it off, the workshop concludes with a Q&A, allowing employees to get personal insights and advice on building their own champion mindset from a seasoned professional.
How to get started 👉 Learn how to set goals with your team at Confetti's Champion Mindset for Professionals workshop!
{{champion-mindset="/blog/experiences"}}
Inspire career development With Confetti 🎉
It's important for every professional to have and work toward a vision and goals for their future. Career development is important work. It inspires and motivates employees to get better every day. Thus, it deserves to be celebrated as much as possible. Fortunately, supporting your employees in their professional journey has a way of benefitting all stakeholders.
Provide ways for employees to think about their own long-term goals. You can also let them talk to other professionals who can help them meet those goals. Help them get training and education that can allow them to get to their ultimate professional destination. These steps show them that their leaders and managers understand them, increasing feelings of personal well-being and leading to greater performance. All those benefits can help push your company forward.
If you're ready to help your employees get on the path to solid career development, Confetti is here to help. We have a large collection of learning and development activities designed to get employees thinking about and working toward their futures.
With Confetti, you can celebrate all your employees do by investing in who they want to become. Book a Learning & Development workshop to help your employees get to the next level today!
{{learning-and-development="/blog/collections"}}
