A career is intended to be an accumulation of challenging experiences over the course of many years – with each experience contributing to the growth of the individual and the university. A career is a long-term journey – not a sprint. Be intentional about your unique career journey. Realistic and desirable planning involves good decisions. Good decisions are based on good information – about yourself, career options, the university, and industry trends. What are your career goals? Your strengths? What skills would you like to enhance or develop? Reflect and set goals that complement your learning, talents, development and passion.
Initiating the career development conversation
- Keep in mind, career development is about moving toward new goals, not about moving away from something.
- Explain to your manager/supervisor what prompted you to initiate the career development discussion and why it’s important to you.
- Work with your supervisor and develop plans to acquire or enhance skills, assume new responsibilities and prepare for future opportunities.
- Be patient. Don’t expect your manager to have “the answers” to your career questions. Career development takes time, dedication, and creativity – rushing the process will only limit your options.
- Ask for your manager/supervisor’s support in the form of feedback and commitment to looking for appropriate development opportunities.
- While going through a career development process, it is important for you to maintain an excellent level of performance in your current position. Generally speaking, colleges, units and departments will require strong performance in current positions, in order to consider new development opportunities.