by Daniel Dahlinger
Performance and development season can be a daunting time for many professionals. It’s a time when you’re forced to think about yourself, your strengths, weaknesses, and goals. For some, the open-ended nature of P&D planning can be overwhelming, making it difficult to know where to start. But what if there was a tool that could help you get started and break the ice of P&D planning? Enter ChatGPT. This AI-powered tool is the perfect companion to help you generate ideas, set priorities, and create a solid plan for your P&D goals. In this article, we’ll show you how to use ChatGPT to kickstart your P&D planning and achieve your career objectives.
Setting performance and development (P&D) goals is an essential part of career growth and advancement. These goals help you focus your efforts, prioritize your tasks, and track your progress. In this article, we’ll show you how to use ChatGPT to help set effective P&D goals for work.

Step 1: Type in your job description and responsibilities To begin, type in your job description and responsibilities into ChatGPT. This will give the AI model an understanding of what’s expected of you in your role and help it provide relevant suggestions for P&D goals.
Step 2: Provide information on your skills and areas for improvement Next, provide information on your skills and areas for improvement. This could include details on your current skillset, knowledge, and abilities, as well as any areas where you could improve or develop new skills to enhance your job performance.
Step 3: Ask for suggestions on P&D goals Using the information you provided in steps 1 and 2, ask ChatGPT for suggestions on P&D goals. You can phrase your request in a variety of ways, such as “What are some P&D goals I can set for myself based on my job responsibilities?” or “What are some skills I should focus on developing to advance in my career?”
Step 4: Evaluate and select goals ChatGPT will provide several suggestions for P&D goals based on your job description, responsibilities, and self-evaluation. Evaluate these suggestions and select the goals that are most relevant and achievable for you. Remember to prioritize your goals based on their importance and relevance to your job.
Step 4.5: Give ChatGPT additional prompting and modify goal recommendations If you’re not satisfied with the goals provided by ChatGPT, you can give it additional prompting to help it better understand what you want to achieve. For example, you could ask for more specific goals related to a particular skill or task. You can also modify the goals provided by ChatGPT to better align with your needs and interests.
Step 5: Create an action plan Create an action plan for each of your selected goals. This plan should outline the steps you need to take to achieve your goals, such as acquiring new skills, seeking feedback, or collaborating with colleagues. Include timelines and milestones to track your progress.
Step 6: Review and revise goals regularly Regularly review your progress and revise your goals if necessary. ChatGPT can also help with this step by providing suggestions for adjusting timelines, modifying action plans, or even changing the goals themselves based on your updates.
By using ChatGPT to help set your P&D goals, you can benefit from the AI model’s knowledge and expertise. Remember to keep your goals SMART, prioritize them, create an action plan, and review and revise them regularly to stay on track. With ChatGPT’s assistance, you can set effective goals that will help you grow, develop, and advance in your career.
Don’t forget to check out the latest episode of my podcast, where I interview Marc LeVine, Talent and Development Leader at Thermosystems USA and share his insights on the engineering hiring industry and best practices when trying to find a job or engineering internship!
