Are you new to corporate training and development? Perhaps your current role came to you as a stretch assignment or due to a gap on your team. Maybe you were “voluntold” to become a trainer for your group, team or initiative? Perhaps you always knew that you wanted to be in learning and development (L&D) and you have a related degree or certification.
No matter how you ended up in the corporate training space, and no matter how early you may be in your career or role, there are several ways to empower your growth in this industry. If you don’t know where to start in this field, then it’s best to search out organizations that serve learning and talent professionals to check out their numerous free resources as well as their certifications and credentialed offerings.
Follow these tips to build your experience and toolbox as a learning professional over time. The investment will not go to waste as you will be able to create a strong brand in this rewarding and sometimes challenging space.
How to Build Your Corporate Training Toolbox
The best way to start is to think more expansively. This means going beyond relentlessly building your knowledge and skills. Since most learning leaders consider themselves to be lifelong learners, the knowledge and skill building is pretty much part of their DNA. No one will have to tell them to continue to learn. By default, you will continue to learn through job experiences, seminars, books, articles and any other form of self-directed learning there is.
Early career learning professionals would benefit from being more mindful around all the areas of focus within the L&D space. There are so many available options that career L&D professionals can never truly get bored. If you use Training Industry’s Training Process Framework as a foundational guide, you’ll see five main areas of focus: Administration, Delivery, Content, Technology and Integration. Depending on your organization and function’s structure and purpose, the learning team’s roles may operate in multiple areas simultaneously or be specialized in various spaces. For example, those that focus on delivery and facilitation of training, may or may not get involved with instructional design. Those in administration may not even touch all the areas shown in the administrative part of the framework, and there could be multiple roles dedicated to administration. There are a variety of ways to approach this space. You might consider specializing in a specific area, wearing multiple hats in a single role, or having a career that jumps from one focus area to another.
The combinations are endless, and you can have an amazing career while continuing to grow your skills and knowledge in the corporate training space. You can customize your career path based on your experience, readiness, business needs and aspirations. And you don’t have to limit yourself to a single function. Many believe that the best and strongest L&D careers are only found through the human resources (HR) or talent development teams. That is simply not true. You can thrive in a company working in a business function that has training needs. Maybe there is a need for a sales enablement trainer or a customer care instructional designer. Or perhaps there is a need for a compliance training manager. Make sure you don’t limit yourself to one industry, either. Corporate training and learning have the same key principles no matter how they are applied. Knowing the risks and needs of the particular industry and organization are critical to application and success. Once you get some experience under your belt, you can seek opportunities to share your knowledge more widely through blogs, podcasts, articles and speaking engagements.
Building Your Network and Fostering Connections in the Corporate Training Space
Your path will also be influenced and shaped by your internal and external network. It’s important to connect with others in the corporate training field and to learn about the latest trends and technologies.
You may benefit from having a mentor and/or sponsor who is well connected and can advocate for you. While connecting with others is key, the natural next step is the reciprocal exchange that happens when we connect with others. Your connections may become trusted advisors and key contacts with whom you can brainstorm, troubleshoot, share and learn collaboratively. Remember to continually expand your network and share your knowledge when you can. A great place to do that is through industry conferences where there are opportunities to actively participate and facilitate or present material of your own.
Build connections in a meaningful way with your network, including (but not limited to) your manager, learning teams, peers and stakeholders. First, learn from people that inspire you, including (but not limited to) your peers, managers and direct reports. Ask them about their careers and their story. How did they get to where they are at, professionally? How do they do what they do? Learn their story and share yours. Make sure every meeting with those connections is engaging and meaningful, as they can and will turn into strong support networks as long as they are nurtured.
Next, stay actively engaged with your network beyond asking questions. This is about bringing your best self to every interaction and your role. Showing up consistently helps to build your professional brand — internally and externally. If you can demonstrate energy, engagement, ownership and accountability in whatever you do, that will be noticed.
One caveat for true career progression is to be real and true to yourself. If you are unable to be engaged with your role over a longer period, take time to reflect. Sometimes the difficult decision to move on before a situation impacts your personal and professional brand is the most proactive thing to do for one’s career journey.
Staying Competitive in the Corporate Training Industry
While the L&D profession is vast, one fact that one must accept is that in many organizations, L&D is considered a “shared service.” Shared services typically do not generate any revenue for the company unless they are doing tasks, providing or selling services and products to external clients. Therefore, unless you are working for a true “learning organization” where leaders are strong supporters for employee learning and where there are considerable budgets set aside for employee development, the L&D function may be quite small. The company may have only a few L&D roles, with little opportunity for career advancement. Additionally, many companies will increase hiring for learning teams when they see strong learning gaps and have major needs like passing specific audits. The same companies will typically downsize when things stabilize. As a result, learning functions are the first to face budget cuts, staff reductions and major organizational shifts. This situation translates to healthy competition for any open L&D roles in the marketplace.
A major question is: How can one stay competitive as a learning professional in this type of environment?
There are several ways to stay competitive within the L&D space. The first was covered above — make sure you show up each and every day and represent your brand along with the value you add to your role, team and company.
Next, try to diversify your experiences. Even if you specialize in a specific area of L&D like instructional design, make sure you explore other areas (as demonstrated by Training Industry’s Training Process Framework). The more you can offer, the stronger of a candidate you will be. The third way to remain competitive is to add other marketable skills to your portfolio that supplement your L&D expertise. For example, if you have studied, applied and practiced using project management skills, consider obtaining a certification for project management. If you are a learning leader working within a specialized business function, leverage the knowledge you gained about how that function and industry work.
For example, learning leaders in pharmaceutical firms are usually required to be familiar with regulations, standards and policies for quality, compliance and learning. This type of knowledge can open doors into other regulated industries. Anything that can set your L&D skills apart from others will add value.
The fourth way to remain competitive is to always keep your resume up to date. Document your work experiences, recognition, community service and anything that adds to your credentials. Create a training portfolio of examples of projects or learning design/courses that you developed and participated or led. The portfolio could be created using multiple formats: a binder with printouts of examples, electronic files of templates, documents, courses, videos or a combination of both. Use professional social media sites with care and optimize use of their features and functionality.
For example, LinkedIn will allow you to collect endorsements from others that you can post to your profile. The platform also has an option for you to post your own content (e.g., blogs, articles, etc.) Continue your exploration of multimedia and use what makes sense for your career path.
The bottom line here is that you are in control of your career and its direction. Continue to fuel endless curiosity while demonstrating your value by “showing up” with flexibility as shifts and transformations occur in the workplace and learning industry. These career-focused habits will contribute to an endless growth environment along with long-term success even as you weather through unexpected changes or challenges that come in your way.
Keep connecting, building your portfolio and distinguishing yourself. Onwards and upwards — here’s to your continued success in L&D!
