Career development involves a series of movements: across, down, up, over and around again. To progress in your career, you need to think differently about what ‘progress’ actually looks like. Think of your career as a rock-climbing wall, instead of a ladder.

Here are some of Megan’s tips for carving out a career path that works for you:

1. Have a destination in mind

You don’t have to have your next opportunity planned out, but it’s useful to have a broad direction in mind. At CommBank, we have an internal careers tool that allows us to view a range of job profiles across the bank. Our people can use the tool to identify actions they need to focus on in order to move in the direction they want to.

2. Understand your personal growth opportunities

Getting feedback can feel awkward and uncomfortable, but trust me it’s not as uncomfortable as missing out on an opportunity because of a personal blind spot. Getting regular feedback is one of the best ways to build your self-awareness. Our internal careers tool encourages people to ‘request feedback’ at all times throughout the year, not just wait until the review periods.

3. Learn something new everyday

Just like food nourishes our bodies, continued learning nourishes our minds. Learning through experiences gained on the job is one of the most effective ways to learn. We have a ‘Learner Hub’ for our people where they can access self-paced courses related to over 1700 professional skills at any time.

4. Engage the right people and tools

Who is in your professional network that you could talk about your career aspirations? This could include your manager, other colleagues or even a mentor. Be curious about the paths other people have taken, gather advice and be open to trying something new. Our internal careers tool allows our people to keep an internal resume where they can list their skills. This makes it’s easier for hiring managers to find great talent internally, based on skills, not job titles.

5. Enjoy the journey

Think less about the job title you want and more about the type of work that fulfils you, the kinds of problems you want to solve and the people you want to work with. You’ll be much more successful when you’re doing something you love.

It’s your career, how will you navigate it?

Megan – Executive Manager, Learning