The Top Career Development Tools in 2026

Career development involves planning and executing a strategy to achieve long-term career goals. Self-assessment, goal setting, career planning, and implementation are critical pillars of career development.

Self-assessment involves reflecting on skill sets, strengths, weaknesses, and values as you choose a career path that aligns with your interest. You can then set goals and milestones to achieve as you make progress.

To pursue career development, you’ll often have to learn new skills, update your resume, draft cover letters, research potential jobs, and network with contacts with similar career interests.

However, these activities can overwhelm you if you don’t have the right toolkit. This article provides an extensive list of career development tools based on their specific functions—remote learning, networking, job search, and mentorship.

Types of career development tools

The career development tools you’ll need depend on what stage you’re at in your career. Career assessment tools are the go-to for deciding which path to venture down. Assessments like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator can help you evaluate your personality and communication and interpersonal style while scouting various career options.

Online learning platforms can help you find the relevant courses and tutors to upskill. Professional networking platforms allow you to connect and build relationships with people in your industry. Career development tools like resume builders and salary calculators have unique uses.

Online learning platforms

Online learning platforms typically host several courses from renowned institutions and allow you to learn remotely at your pace. Choosing a learning tool depends on several factors, like the types of courses available, curriculum and instructor quality, cost, availability of community support, and certifications.

Coursera

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Coursera offers over 7,000 specialization courses, including data science, project management, cybersecurity, and marketing.

In addition to individual courses and specializations, Coursera offers online degrees in partnership with top universities like the University of California and Johns Hopkins University. These degrees typically take one to three years to complete and are fully accredited.

Pros

• Coursera includes peer assessments, where students review and provide feedback on each other’s work.
• The platform provides career services like resume reviews, interview prep, and job search advice.
• The platform contains courses for varying experience levels: entry-level, intermediate, and expert.

Cons

• Although courses are generally free, you must pay for a certificate of completion.

‍Udemy

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Udemy has over 213,000 courses in various categories, from programming to marketing, music, and photography. Upon completing a course, you’ll get a certificate, which you can share on your LinkedIn profile to demonstrate your skill.

Udemy courses require a one-time payment for lifetime access to the course materials. Having lifetime access means you can go back and review the content at any time, even after completing the course.

Pros

• Udemy frequently offers promotions and discounts and adds new courses to its catalog.
• Udemy’s quality control reviews all submitted content and ensures programs meet quality standards before publication.
• Students can also leave reviews and ratings for courses they’ve taken.

Cons

• Udemy doesn’t recommend an order for arranging courses for those learning new skills.

LinkedIn Learning

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LinkedIn Learning is an extension of LinkedIn, the professional social networking platform. The learning platform is fully integrated with LinkedIn’s professional network, allowing learners to showcase their completed courses on their LinkedIn profiles.

The LinkedIn Learning offerings include over 20,700 courses and customized learning paths for learners based on their career goals. The courses are designed and delivered by industry experts verified by LinkedIn.

Pros

• The platform offers courses to prepare learners for industry certification exams, including AWS, Cisco, CompTIA, and Microsoft.
• Video lessons on LinkedIn come with closed captions and transcripts, suitable for learners with hearing impairments.
• LinkedIn Learning provides quizzes and discussion forums to reinforce learning.

Cons

• LinkedIn limits categories of courses to technology, business, and creative.

Professional networking platforms

Before connecting with people, define your networking goals. Are you looking to expand your industry knowledge or increase your job prospects?

Send connection requests to individuals in your field or those with similar interests, explaining why you want to connect with them. Then, follow up with your connections after you’ve met them, virtually or in real life.

Send them a personalized message, thank them for their time, provide valuable follow-up content to any items you discussed, and express your desire to stay in touch.

LinkedIn

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The professional social media platform LinkedIn hosts over 900 million members from more than 200 countries. The platform aims to connect professionals worldwide to make them more productive and successful.

LinkedIn allows users to share photos and opinions on topics. You can also send direct messages and chat with friends, colleagues, and professionals you want to connect with.

Pros

• Professionals can build a reputation by sharing valuable insights through posts and pictures and constantly networking.
• Many employers and recruiters use LinkedIn to post job openings and search for potential candidates—over 20 million according to the platform.
• Members can use the platform to research companies and potential employers.

Cons

• The premium service may not be affordable for all users long term; however, it is available for free for one month.

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GitHub

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GitHub provides a web-based hosting service for Git repositories, which allows developers to store, share, manage, and collaborate on their code in the cloud. The platform hosts numerous open-source projects where developers can form teams and make contributions.

The issue tracker on GitHub allows users to report bugs, suggest new features, and ask questions about a project.
Pros

• Every GitHub user has a public profile that showcases their repositories, contributions, and other activity on the platform.
• Many companies use GitHub to advertise job openings and search for potential candidates.
• The various project management and communication tools available allow teams to work together and manage complex software projects.

Cons

• GitHub is not as effective for networking with professionals outside the tech industry.

Job search platforms

When choosing a job search platform, consider the types of jobs available, the level of support, and the customization to tailor your job search experience. We’ve highlighted a few in this section.

Upwork

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Upwork is a remote work platform that allows freelancers to connect with businesses for various services, including graphic design, writing, web development, and many more.

The platform’s robust search engine allows freelancers to search for jobs by skill, location, experience, required pricing, and more attributes. This feature makes it easy for freelancers to find the right projects for their skills.

Pros

• Upwork hosts jobs across various industries, disciplines, and skill levels.
• Jobs on the platform offer flexibility regarding when, where, and how freelancers work.
• The platform provides payment protection to ensure freelancers are paid for their work.

Cons

• Upwork charges freelancers a fee for each project they complete or each hour they work, reducing their earnings.

Indeed

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With over 300 million unique visitors, Indeed provides a vast database and frequent updates of job postings for various fields and experience levels. The platform allows job seekers to create profiles and upload resumes, which potential employers can view.

Job seekers can also set up job alerts to receive notifications when new job openings that match their criteria are posted. In addition, Indeed provides salary information for many job postings, which can help job seekers during salary negotiation.

Pros

• Career starters can find internship positions on the platform.
• Indeed provides employer reviews that allow job seekers to read about other people’s experiences working for a particular company.
• The platform hosts additional resources, increasing the learning opportunities available to users.

Cons

• Due to its popularity, there might be a lot of competition for the same job opportunities posted on Indeed.

Glassdoor

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Glassdoor helps people find jobs, advance excellent workplace culture, and tackle barriers leading to pay gaps.

Glassdoor offers insights into the average salaries of various job titles. Employees on the platform can also post anonymous reviews of their workplace culture, career journey, and salaries.

Pros

• Glassdoor has easy-to-use mobile and desktop interfaces.
• Glassdoor provides personalized recommendations based on skills and preferences.
• The platform hosts several learning resources.

Cons

• Glassdoor may not have as many job postings as other job search platforms.

Career coaching and mentoring

Career coaching and mentoring are effective tools for individuals looking to stay accountable, gain clarity, and build confidence as they advance.

Finding an excellent career coach and scheduling times to meet can be challenging. Through Upwork, you can find professional coaches and Human Resources (HR) professionals ready to help you with your career advancement goals.

Alternatively, coaching and mentoring tools can help you. They link you to expert coaches and enable you to schedule remote sessions during breaks in your day. The following section introduces several popular coaching tools to consider.

Coach.me

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Coach.me provides access to personalized coaching services from certified coaches. Users can choose from various coaching options, including productivity coaching, career coaching, health coaching, and more.

Coaches work with users to set goals, create professional development plans, and provide ongoing support and accountability.

Pros

• Coach.me allows reminders and notifications that help users stay on track with their daily habits, such as exercise, meditation, or reading.
• Users can earn rewards and badges for reaching milestones and progressing on their goals.
• Coach.me has a supportive community of users who share tips, advice, and encouragement.

Cons

• Personalized coaching is available only in the paid version.

BetterUp

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BetterUp provides personalized coaching, leadership development, and mental health resources to help individuals improve their performance, productivity, and well-being.

Access in BetterUp applies to certified coaches specializing in fields like career coaching and mental health. The platform uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) to match users with coaches who can help them achieve their goals.

Pros

• Coaches work with users to set goals, develop action plans, and provide ongoing support and accountability.
• BetterUp provides users access to digital learning resources, including articles, videos, and podcasts.
• Users can track their progress and see the most effective activities and habits.

Cons

• While BetterUp offers mental health services, it isn’t a substitute for therapy.

Bravely

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Bravely gives users access to confidential, on-demand coaching from experienced professionals. Coaches work with users to help them solve workplace challenges and improve organizational development.

Bravely places a high priority on confidentiality and privacy. All conversations between users and coaches are through its secure, in-app messaging system.

Pros

• Coaches are trained to handle sensitive issues with professionalism and sensitivity.
• Bravely’s coaching and development program provides organizations with data and insights on the most common workplace challenges and how to address them.
• The platform offers regular check-ins with coaches, which can help employees stay on track with their goals and make progress over time.

Cons

• Employees looking for coaching on personal issues may need to seek additional help outside the platform.

Enhance your career development with Upwork

From online coaching platforms to networking and job search tools, many options are available to help individuals grow and succeed in their careers in 2023.

Identify your goals and find the right career tools to help you achieve them. In addition, be proactive in your career development and use these tools regularly. Make a career development plan, set goals, track your progress, and make adjustments as needed.

For individuals looking to work with a career coach, Upwork offers a range of talented professionals who can help you navigate your career development. They can help draft individual development plans.

If you’re a career coach, use Upwork to find new clients and build your business.

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Upwork is not affiliated with and does not sponsor or endorse any of the tools or services discussed in this article. These tools and services are provided only as potential options, and each reader and company should take the time needed to adequately analyze and determine the tools or services that would best fit their specific needs and situation.