Career Development – Self Assessment & Career Exploration
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Self Assessment
There are many career development models. This four-quadrant model is one commonly used by career counselors. The movement around this career development model is in a clockwise direction starting from the upper left quadrant -- Self Assessment. Some people might need to spend quite a bit of time here doing a variety of self assessment testing to fully understand their interests, skills, values, work style, etc. before they move on to the next quadrants. Others might be aware of these inner qualities and just need to do a quick review. Typical self assessment tests include: Interests: Strong Interest Inventory; Campbell Interest and Skills Survey; Self Directed Search Skills: Values: Skillscan; Accomplishment Stories Values Driven Work; Values Ledger; Values in Action
Work Style: Meyers Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI); Kiersey Temperament Indicator; DISC Most career counselors can administer these tests. Some of them are available on the Stanford website for staff on career development, called COMPASS. The website is compass1.stanford.edu. Go to the Career Resources>Self Assessment section for links to some of these tests. Links to additional career web sites for self-assessment: Job Web: http://www.jobweb.com/default.asp National Career Development Association: http://ncda.org
Career Coaches Coaches Training Institute’s Find a Coach: http://www.coactivenetwork.com/webx?ctiFindACoach@@ International Coach Federation’s Find a Coach: http://www.coachfederation.org/ICF/For+Coaching+Clients/Find+a+Coach/C oach+Referral+Service/
Career Counselors Bay Area Career Center: http://www.bayareacareercenter.com/ National Career Development Association (find a career counselor): http://ncda.org Silicon Valley Career Counselors: www.siliconvalleycareercounselors.com Stanford’s Career Counseling Network: ccn.stanford.edu
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Career Exploration
“If you don’t know what road you’re looking for, any road will do.” It can be hard to find a job if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Spending time doing some career exploration is time well spent to make sure you’re on the right road. There are three basic methods for exploring career areas and fields: 1) read about it; 2) experience it; or 3) talk to people who do that type of work. Here is some more information for all three methods. Method #1: Read about It There are a variety of printed materials available for reading that can provide information on career fields, organizations, and occupations. You can find most of the following resources at a career center, library, or on the Internet. Annual and Quarterly Reports. Annual reports and financial disclosure (10-K) reports can provide a snapshot of an organization including their organizational structure, what the company does, issues the company is facing, strategic plans, and financial information. Career web sites with career exploration information: Jobstar (for samples and career field information): http://www.jobstar.org/ National Career Development Association (occupational information): http://ncda.org NOVA: Career Center http://www.novaworks.org/ Occupational Outlook handbook: http://stats.bls.gov/oco/home.htm Stanford Career Development Center, Career Overviews: http://www.stanford.edu/dept/CDC/students/research/exploring.html UC Berkeley's "Planning Your Future: Evaluate Yourself" site http://career.berkeley.edu/Plan/Evaluate.stm University of Michigan, Career Services for Staff: http://www.umich.edu/~hraa/career/self_assessment.html University of Waterloo's Career Development Manual: http://www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca/
Continuing Education Catalogs. These catalogs are useful in providing information about the latest topics and technologies occurring in different industries. The instructor biographies provide information on their career path and organizations in the field.
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Directories. There are a variety of directories that identify companies, consultants, agencies, individuals, associations, and publications for different fields. A few of them are, Standard and Poor’s Register of Corporations, Mood’s Industrials, Occupational Outlook Handbook, Guide to American Directories, Encyclopedia of Associations, Dictionary of Occupational Titles, Ward’s Business Directory, Million Dollar Directory, and Hoover’s Handbook of American Business. The Occupational Outlook Handbook and the Dictionary of Occupational Titles (DOT) are two standards in the field that provide brief overviews of a variety of occupations. Job Listings (for information only during the exploration phase!). You can browse the job listing websites to see what kinds of jobs interest you and the skills required for those positions. The job listing should provide you with information regarding skills desired, nature of the work, qualifications (education and work experience), and maybe a salary range. Use this information to see if there is a match between your skills, interests, values, etc. and what the organization is seeking. These listings can also provide a barometer of who is hiring and what kinds of positions are in demand. Magazines, trade journals, and newsletters. These publications can provide information about an industry and the current issues being faced in the field or by specific organizations. An organization’s newsletter can provide you with inside information about the organization, events they may be offering, and key personnel that you may be able to informational interview. Newspapers. This can be a rich source of information. Here are some uses: 1) the sections of the paper you look at first tell you something about your interests. 2) Look at the business section for new business development opportunities and people on the move. 3) The business calendar might have events worth attending. Method #2: Experience It Another way to explore a position or career field is to try it out. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this. Attending Classes & Conferences: Taking classes in a field that you are interested in, especially if they are experiential in nature, is another way to learn more about the field and see if you have the skills and abilities for that type of work. Job shadowing: Arrange to follow around, “shadow,” a person who is working in the position that you are interested in for a few hours to experience the type of work and work environment of that position. Volunteering, internships, job rotation, and temporary work: These are excellent opportunities to explore the field in more depth as well as providing an opportunity to build skills and experience for your resume and develop a network of contacts for informational interviews and job contacts.
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Method #3: Talk to People Who Do That Type of Work Talking to people who work in the career area you are exploring to find out more about their work is called informational interviewing. Talking with people in the career field to seek employment is called networking. Informal ways to informational interview are: Attending a professional association meeting Connecting with people through social networking websites like Linked In, Plaxo, Facebook, and Myspace. Email groups (i.e. yahoo groups) Meeting people in a class Informal networking can provide you with an opportunity to learn about the terminology of the field, the latest skills and technologies being used, and the current issues and trends in the field. All of this information can you help determine if this field is a fit with the qualities you determined about yourself through self assessment. Formal informational interviewing is when you set up a specific time to talk with someone about their work. You drive the “interview” and ask the questions to learn more about their work, the organization they work for, and/or the career field.
Informational Interviewing 101
What is it? An informational interview is an interview with an individual involved in the work you’re exploring. You initiate the meeting for the purpose of obtaining the information you need to make a career or job decision, or to obtain specialized data about a job, a firm, or an industry before you are a job applicant. It’s a short (2030 minute) meeting, scheduled at your initiative, to ask for information. Since you are initiating the action for the interview, you are in control of how it goes; it is not a job interview. Purpose: To find out more about the work that interests you. To learn up-to-date information about a field of interest. To find out more about the organizations in your field of interest. To build up a network of useful contacts that can help you locate and get the job you want. To develop your skill and confidence in interviews. How to Conduct an Informational Interview: 1. Locating People. The first step in setting up an informational interview is to locate people who are doing the work you are interested in exploring. The following list gives you ideas of sources of people to contact: Alumni (your academic dept., the career center, or the alumni relations dept. should have databases, files, or directories of alumni willing to do informational interviews) Children’s friends’ parents Classmates
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Colleagues College professors Career counselors (at colleges, community centers, and private practice) Electronic bulletin boards or “chat” areas Family and their friends Friends and their friends Human resource and employee relations manager Job Fair company representatives Neighbors People mentioned in newspapers, magazines, directories of employers and career resource books Previous employers and supervisors Professional association members Professional contacts and their colleagues (i.e. your accountant, doctor) Sport teammates Social networking websites (Linked In, Plaxo, Myspace, Facebook) Volunteering - organizations where you’ve volunteered
2. Initial Contact. In your initial contact with the person you are hoping to interview, introduce yourself and mention the name of the person (if any) who referred you. Explain that you are exploring options for the next step in your career. You’re talking to knowledgeable people to learn more about this kind of work and the organizations which do it. Be clear that you are only asking for information, not a job. State that you would like to set up a time to talk with them (preferably in person) for 20 to 30 minutes at their convenience. You can initially contact someone by telephone, in writing, or email. 3. The Interview. Prepare a list of questions that you would like to ask prior to the interview. Questions usually focus on the job function, the organization, or the field. Some general questions are: What is involved in a typical day on your job? How did you get into this position/field/job? What do you like best/least about your work? What important developments/trends are occurring in this field? What advice would you give to someone who wants to do this kind of work? What are the key skills and competencies required to do this kind of work? What are job titles for entry-level positions? Salary ranges? Is there a career path for people in this field? What is the overall philosophy of management in this organization? What associations do people in this field usually belong to? Could you refer me to someone else in the field whose job is slightly different? At the beginning of the meeting introduce yourself and give a brief overview of your background (education, experience, skills) and why you are in the career exploration process. Express that you will keep the interview brief (and be sure to respect the time limits of the interview). Start by asking some of your initial questions and allow the person to share their expertise with you. You will need to balance guiding the interview to receive answers to your questions with allowing the interview to flow freely into topics that may be of interest to you
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that you weren’t aware of. But it’s your interview so structure the time to work for you. At the end of the interview, ask if they could suggest other people for you to talk with for more information. This starts the process of you building a network of contacts. You can also ask if they would like a copy of your resume so that further contact can be made with you if appropriate but don’t thrust your resume on this person at the last minute in a way that implies that you are, in reality, asking for a job. 4. Follow Up Immediately after an interview, debrief yourself by taking notes on the interview. What positive and negative information did I learn? How does what I learn fit my skills, values, and interest? What else do I need to know? Who else do I need to talk with? Next steps? Be sure to record the name, organization, title, phone number, address, and date of the interview on your notes. a) Send a personal thank you note within 48 hours expressing your appreciation for their time. b) Keep your network of contacts informed as you go along. Write briefly to tell them that you’ve contacted the people they recommended, that you have learned something new, that you have changed your direction or job target, taken a job in the field, etc. Do’s and Don’ts of Informational Interviewing Do respect your interviewee by sticking to your time limit. Do interview more than one or two people about the same issue/job Do be objective but pay attention to your personal feelings. Do realize that the information provided is one person’s opinion and experience. Do prepare a brief summary of your background. Do stress that you are seeking information, not a job. Do ask for the names of other people to contact. Do prepare a list of questions to ask before the interview. Do keep the focus of the interview on the interviewee. Don’t keep your interviewee waiting. Don’t ask for a job. Don’t send your resume beforehand. Don’t forget to send a thank-you note.
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Things to Consider When Exploring Career Fields
When you’re exploring and researching a new occupation you may want to consider the following aspects of the work: Nature of the Work: duties and responsibilities, activities, any physical requirements, equipment used, psychological aspects, values, ethics, typical workday. Working Conditions: physical aspects of work environment, hours, psychological aspects (with others or alone, nature of supervision, climate of work setting), composition in terms of age, gender, and race in industry. Qualifications and Experience: abilities, skills, competencies, personality traits, licenses/certifications, education, training, or experience essential or desirable. Preparation: education, apprenticeship, part-time work, length and cost of preparation, scholarship and loans, schools offering preparation locally or elsewhere. Entry: getting first job, establishing a business, examinations, union affiliation, discrimination issues Location of Employment: geographic distribution of employers/positions, large or small firms Advancement Opportunities: promotional ladder, usual time before promotion, additional education or training or experience, horizontal mobility. Benefits & Disadvantages: current and future earnings, fringe benefits (vacation, sick leave, health insurance, etc.), personal satisfaction, lifestyle, commute, travel, overtime. Outlook: demand for the workers (present and future); expanding, stable, or declining occupation; stability in face of depression; employment prospects upon completion of training; prospects locally and elsewhere. Related Occupations: What are related occupations? Sources of Information: What are good sources of information about this field?
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Career Lattice Concept
When you’re exploring career options, keep in mind that there are many ways to develop your career.
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