Building A Career
- 1. Building a Career that Matters Presented by: Ellen Moran, Ph.D.
- 3. 8 Career Vision Factors Natural Abilities - These are identified and measured by the Highlands Ability Battery. People are happiest and perform best when their natural abilities are employed to the fullest. Skills - These are those tasks you have learned to do well. They develop over time through study, education, application and practice. To the extent you take advantage of your innate abilities in developing a skill, the skill will be developed more quickly and easily. Personal Style – These are speech patterns, body language, social devices and personality traits unique to you. Because other individuals respond either more or less favorably to a person’s personal style, it’s important to identify how these fit your role and how you best relate to others. Interests - Over the years, each person develops interests unique to him/her. When these are clear you can find those roles which make you enjoy getting up for work every day.
- 4. 8 Career Vision Factors (cont’d) Family of Origin - An individual’s background and family shape his/her life and work ethic in many ways. It’s helpful to understand how these influence our expectations in subtle but powerful ways. Values - People’s values (i.e., their scales for judging good and evil, wise and foolish, moral and immoral) define their reaction to people and events around them. We cannot work for long in a job or business culture that goes counter to these values. We have a strong sense of meaning and purpose when they are supported. Goals - People have goals which direct and guide their activities. They may wish to modify these goals after they learn whether the goals are compatible with their talents, interests and values. Having a clear sense of goals helps you make better choices when career opportunities arise. Career Development Stage - All individuals confront critical stages or transitions in their lives. Some of these are work or career-related. These issues are sometimes self-created and sometimes caused by external forces (e.g., company downsizing).
- 5. Natural Abilities These are what you are naturally good at doing. People are happiest and perform best when their natural abilities are employed to the fullest. You can have a very strong natural talent and be unaware of it. Having to do work which is not aligned with natural talents can create stress and frustration. Many specific talents can be measured by the Highlands Ability Battery.
- 7. Work Sample A - Answer Page
- 8. Work Sample A - “High” and “Low” A high score on this work sample A low score on this work sample indicates that you: indicates that you: • Are able to select among a number • Are happier in study or work that is of options quickly - to see a unifying organized and stable - where there theme is structure in your daily routine • Like change & challenge - a chance • Find it easier than most to persevere to learn new things, and an in acquiring knowledge and environment in which a lot happens becoming proficient in a particular all at once task • Want to solve new problems - “to • Are patient with individual figure things out” development - an important asset for executives whose job is team- • Can see the pros & cons in any plan building quickly and easily. If you don’t exercise self-discipline, this may • May feel stress in work situations cause you to be indecisive that are chronically chaotic and require rapid-fire problem-solving • Can be easily bored by routine or with little data rote tasks or work assignments • Need time for decision-making on • May find it difficult to communicate new data, but can be decisive in your solutions to others your areas of knowledge and experience
- 10. Work Sample B - Answer Page
- 11. Work Sample B - “High” & “Low” A high score on this work sample A low score on this work sample indicates that you: indicates that you: • Are able to arrange ideas quickly • Have an advantage in tasks that into a logical sequence - this require decisive action - when you enables you to communicate ideas must act quickly. This is an asset in and to help others make sense of managerial roles the ideas • Are generally most comfortable in • Are able to see the logical order of situations that have already been events - this helps you to plan organized schedules for upcoming events • Are able to plan and organize when • Can see how all the pieces of a you need to, but do not have a project fit together to make a strong urge toward this coherent whole • Need to rely on external means of • Are able to organize ideas internally, imposing organization, such as eliminating the need for an schedules, lists and calendars organized filing system or desktop • Find it relatively difficult to plan, • May feel the need to complete all the organize and prioritize steps in a project without assessing • Prefer to work in an external the importance of each step environment that is neat and orderly • May hesitate to make a decision before you have all the relevant data
- 12. Work Sample C
- 13. Work Sample C - Answer Page
- 14. Work Sample C - “High” & “Low” A high score on this work sample A low score on this work sample indicates that you: indicates that you: • Are a structural thinker, can easily • Are an abstract thinker who likes to think in three dimensions, and can work with words, ideas, concepts, visualize and manipulate mentally principles, values, information or objects in space theory • Can work in your mind with different • Do not feel a strong pull to use concepts and arrangements without physical objects in your work or to having to see and feel them work in a hands-on occupation • Are driven to work in the world of • Are pulled toward abstract roles, three-dimensional objects and to see jobs and tasks - literature, music, the results of your work in a concrete counseling, teaching, training, way politics, law • Are most at home in work that involves concrete data, products, machinery and tools • Feel a lack of reality in tasks dealing mainly with ideas • Enjoy the touch and feel of tangible objects and tools used in hands-on occupations
- 15. Skills Enhance performance Develop through training and practice Easier if drawn from abilities (musicians/athletes) Transferable from job to job Major ways to compensate for ability gaps Avoid under-utilization and neglect
- 16. Skills: Thought Questions What are my best skills with people, ideas and things? What is the career fit with my best skills? What skills fit with my future direction? What’s the next important skill to learn ?
- 17. Interests Interests are about people, places, things and activities that grab our attention. Interests may or may not be part of a career direction but can add “juice” to career choice and balance to the work world. Interests sometimes give new direction to careers. Interests can and do change, although some people have life- long interests such as gardening, reading, etc., which greatly enhance their lives.
- 18. Primary Interest Patterns R Doers in manufacturing, industrial or R I outdoor settings (production, construction Realistic Investigative or engineering settings) I Thinkers in research, scientific or academic settings (computer industry, higher education, scientific or medical settings A Creators in unstructured, artistic and self-expressive settings (fine art, design or C A advertising settings) Conventional Artistic S Helpers in collaborative, supportive, interactive settings (education, religious or mental health settings) E Persuaders in fast-paced, business- oriented and entrepreneurial settings (sales, politics or self-employment settings) Enterprising Social E C Organizers in structured information- S oriented settings (finance, government service or office settings)
- 19. Interests: Thought Questions What activities gave/give you the most satisfaction? You are having a dinner party for ten guests. You may invite anyone (living or dead, mythical or real). Who is on your guest list and why? You are invited to a major “hands-on” museum which you can instantly choose to display anything. What topics do you want to explore?
- 20. Personal Style There are many theories and tests of personal style. These are habits and consistent ways we tend to think about things and relate to others. Sometimes they are a good fit for our role and sometimes they are a stretch, e.g., an introverted sales person. While we can’t modify our basic personality we can adopt new behaviors to better fit our role.
- 21. Personal Style: Thought Questions What are the strongest aspects of my personal style that help me succeed? What aspects of my personal style present my greatest challenges to success? What type of career is a great fit with my personality?
- 22. Family of Origin Our family experiences shape many attitudes we have about career success, relating to authority, trusting co- workers, etc. We are often not conscious about how these influence us in helpful and non-helpful ways. Family messages can strongly influence career choices. We can have a sense if our family/friends would approve or disapprove of our choice.
- 23. Values Values are the guiding beliefs or principles that give purpose and direction to our lives. Some values remain with us for life while others change and develop as situations change and we grow and mature. Some people can be so driven by values they need work that embodies and expresses these values; any other work will lead to frustration and tension. Some people are satisfied to express their values on their personal time. In a team or organization, values can conflict. What is the most effective way to reconcile differences? Some values are recognized and followed universally. Some values are unique to the individual.
- 24. Values: Finding What Gives Meaning to Your Life Value Rank according to My Own Rank according to Time Priorities Actually Spent Security Monetary Success Family Time Status Wisdom Health Stability Productivity and competence Creative and artistic work Spiritual fulfillment Authority and decision making Excitement Innovation Physical challenge Friendship Change and variety
- 25. Goals Must come from and be linked to self awareness. Cover different aspects of your life and career at specific times in the future. Are influenced by our natural time horizons—the space of time in which we naturally think. Are influenced by internal and external factors.
- 26. Goals: Four Steps Mining - list the important areas of life Refining - choose those which are primary and secondary Defining - get clear on strategies and milestones Shining - put them into language that inspires and motivates
- 27. Career Development Stages High School to College (17-18) What should be my major? School to Work World (22-25) What job do I want? Will I like it? Age 30 Assessment (28-33) Do I want this to be my career? Modify or change. Fast-track? Moves? Start a family. Mid-Life Transition (40-45) Beginning a new cycle. Have I been satisfied with my first choices? Develop parts of myself that have been missing or overlooked. Age 50 Assessment (50-55) Do I want to modify my choices? Am I living and working true to my values? Retirement Transition (65+) End of the second cycle and beginning a new one. How do I stay vital and engaged with what I’m doing? How do I contribute now? Do I want/need to continue a job/career?
- 28. My Career Stage What are my goals for this stage? What are the challenges of this stage? How do my career and personal life need to connect for this stage? Do I have a mentor(s) for this time in my life? Can I mentor someone in another stage?
- 29. Job Engagement Analysis
- 30. Ellen L. Moran, Ph.D. 10472 Frontenac Woods Lane St. Louis, MO 63131-3423 314-995-6825 [email protected]