We have all been there. We have a deadline to meet and a mountain of work to plow through. We are interrupted, distracted and diverted from critical issues. Working days start with a logical plan and quickly descend into fire fighting.

Busy professionals have a good deal to contend with in their everyday working weeks, to say nothing of the demands of modern life in which the car needs fixing, the shopping needs doing and laundry won’t wash itself! We also we want to unwind and spend quality time with our families and friends.

In addition to these demands of work and life, we are studying for a professional CIPD qualification. We have assignments to write and another deadline to meet.

Remember why you’re studying

Sometimes it’s easy to forget the reason we decided to add to our already overloaded lives by taking on yet another challenge and find it difficult to find motivation, time and space to get started on the all-important assignments. It’s worth reminding ourselves why this is.

This is because we have ambition and drive and wish to progress in our careers. We understand the value of adding to our knowledge and understanding of critical issues and how we can become better and more proficient HR or L&D professionals.  This is why we have decided to embark on a programme of study in which the benefits will more than outweigh the short term ‘pain’ of having to adjust our lives for a short period of time.

The value of a professional qualification

The CIPD tell us of the value of studying for a professional qualification – just some of these include:

• CIPD qualifications are highly valued by employers. You will become fully equipped with the knowledge and skills employers are looking for
• Your earning potential will increase by gaining a professional qualification
• You will gain professional membership and be able to use the highly sought after post nominal assoc CIPD after your name.

These benefits are supported by further independent research:

• Accredited professional qualifications ‘are a must for anyone who is serious about moving their career forward into a more senior HR role’ Professional HR qualifications are proof to existing or potential employers that that you are “up to date with developments in HR and that you are committed to best practice as a HR professional”. (www.monster.co.uk)
• “Among job categories, HR Professionals enjoyed the highest pay rises”, according to Gulf Talent Survey Research 2015  with average per annum increases in the region of 7.3%. This is in excess of jobs in Marketing, Finance and even IT. (www.gulftalent.com)

So – now we have reminded ourselves why we are doing this – let’s look at how we can achieve the results we want.

Tools for assignment writing

You have attended all the classroom workshops, got copies of the presentations, taken good notes and made great contacts. You have all the necessary tools you need in order to now get to work on your assignments. Sounds easy!

However, because of those work/life interruptions which get in the way, we all need a little help to get us started and kept on the right track.

Make sure you read our next blog – Top Tips for the Perfect CIPD Assignment. We have put together a series of tips and hints as to how to plan for and write your assignments. Tried and tested, these suggestions, carefully followed, will get you started and keep you on track.

Contact Oakwood to discuss how our CIPD qualification programmes can help your organisation.  We are also very happy to discuss consultancy or bespoke programmes to help your HR, L&D and senior management teams.

Email us at: info@oakwooddubai.ae