Successful people are not passive. They don't wait to see where life takes them next. Discover the steps to pursue for promotion in your instructional design career.
After about four years' experience as a junior designer, you could apply for a senior position.
What does a senior instructional designer do?
“The difference between great people and everyone else is that great people create their lives actively."
- Michael E. Gerber.
Job description
The senior/lead instructional designer plans, creates, implements and manages training and development.
A junior instructional designer merely discharges the training within the stipulated schedule.
The senior designer also functions as a project manager. He/she helps build and manage eLearning solution architecture.
A bachelor’s degree is enough to enter the field of instructional design. Upgrading your education can help you get a promotion.
Consider a master’s degree in Visual Design, Instructional Design, Organization Performance, and Workplace Learning or Education Technology. Get equipped to be a lead instructional coach or an instructional design manager.
Many premier universities offer eLearning solutions and Capstone projects. These courses are very practical. Such hands-on education can improve your prospects for career advancement.
You should also stay abreast of the trends in employee talent management and instructional design.
To be a senior instructional designer, you need extensive hands-on experience using:
Apart from technical certifications, you also need project management skills. Some of the tools you need to master are:
As a senior instructional designer, a large part of your job will involve managing groups of junior instructional designers. Even temporary experience in managing a team can add great value to your application.
Get involved with team management roles. Volunteer to take ownership of a part of or an entire project.
You could also double as a buddy for new hires or offer to train new teammates.
These responsibilities or show your entrepreneurial spirit and leadership skills. They also highlight that you are a team player This will enhance your résumé for job applications.
Learn how to handle monetary and non-monetary resources
Junior instructional designers need to learn how to plan, allocate, and manage resources for entire projects. These resources may include things like:
As a senior instructional designer you will function as a manager. You will take important decisions about matters like:
For this, you will require in-depth insight into how your resources are being utilized.
Tools like Resource Guru, 10,000ft Plans, eResource Scheduler and Float are convenient. Use them for managing teams and resources.
To be eligible as senior instructional designer you must master simulation and scenario-based eLearning techniques. Self-directed eLearning courses are being used increasingly. The main reason is that they are very hands-on, personal, and immersive. They help learners use their memory and common sense to solve problems in a safe, controlled environment.
Simulation and scenario-based eLearning both support self-directed eLearning. Employers often judge their junior instructional designers based on this expertise. They are more likely to choose applicants who can, over those who can’t. Finally, applicants who are proficient in designing simulation and scenario-based eLearning modules are often paid more!
Feon Ang, LinkedIn’s vice president for talent and learning solutions in Asia Pacific asserted: "It’s important for companies to continue to invest in their people so that they are upskilling and reskilling their people to keep up with the roles that are in demand. But, at the same time, people need to continue to invest in themselves and have a growth mind set,” she said.
Don't be passive. Take the next step towards career promotion today.