CAREER MANAGEMENT - 101
Shoma Sinha, Ph.D.
Research Professional, Quantiam Technologies
Past-President, AWSN
ssinha@awsn.org
WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE
WHEN YOU “GROW” UP ?
It can take time. It can change. And that is ok.
Defy the Labels. Don’t let them define who you are.
WHAT IS CAREER MANAGEMENT?
“ Career management is the combination of structured
planning and the active management choice of one's
own professional career.
The outcome of successful career management should
include personal fulfillment, work/life balance, goal
achievement and financial security. ”
– Wikipedia
Career is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as a person’s
“course or progress through life
(or a distinct portion of life)”
CAREER MANAGEMENT MODEL
Self
Assessment
Exploring
Options
Career
Enrichment
• Research
Life-Long
Process
Goal Setting
Personal
Marketing
• SMART
Implementation
• Skill
Development
Adapted from: https://segunakiode.com
“Knowing others is wisdom,
knowing yourself is
enlightenment’ – Lao Tzu
SELF-ASSESSMENT
• Unique-life
experiences
• Support System:
Family, Friends,
peers, Teachers,
mentors
• Culture
• Life-stage
• Material and
Financial
• Educational and
Training
•
•
•
•
Daily
Activities
Resources
Self
Job, role
Quality of life
Culture, environment
Meaning
• Purpose,
Vision/Mission,
Values
• Passion,
Motivators
• Personality,
Temperament
• Talents, abilities,
skills, knowledge
SKILLS-ASSESSMENT
Hard Skills
• Academic background
• Technical skills, abilities,
experience
Technical
• Emotionalintelligence
• Sense-awareness
• Interpersonal
• Numerical
• Communication
• Leadership
Personal
Transferable
• Logical Thinking
Management
• Helping others
• Physical skills
• Creative capabilities
• Organization Skills
Soft Skills
• Timemanagement
• Money
Management
• Organizational
skills
• Self-as-Business
Skills
• Health and
Lifestyle
Considerations
EXPLORING OPTIONS
Academia
• Research
• Technical
• Teaching
U of T
U of A
Government
• Research
• Policy
• Governance
• Politics
NRC Institutes
(IAR, IMS, NINT)
“If I have seen further it is by
standing on the shoulder of giants.”
-Sir Isaac Newton
Industry
• Research &
Development
• Business, Sales,
Marketing
• Project
Management
• Manufacturing,
QA/QC
• Large
Corporations,
Existing SME,
Entrepreneurship
Quantiam
Technologies
Non-Profit
• Policy
• Advocacy
• Licensing
Science
communication
• Main-stream
media
• Editing/publishing
• Journals, books,
social media
AWSN
Cool Companies
APEGA
Wiley
WISER
MentorUP
BESTT
Technology Alberta
GOAL SETTING
SMART Goals
Self Assessment
Exploring
Options
Career
Enrichment
• Research
Life-Long
Process
S
• Specific
M
• Measurable
A
• Achievable
R
• Relevant
T
• Time-bound
Goal Setting
Personal
Marketing
• SMART
Implementation
• Skill Development
Career Action Plan
Long Term & Short Term
Not “Set-in-Stone”
PERSONAL MARKETING
Career Portfolio
 Personal Profile
 CV/Resume
 Ongoing description of
tools, skills
 Copies of publications,
patents etc
 Descriptions of Community
work
 Descriptions/documents of
Education/training
 Business Cards
Social Presence/Online Identity Management
 Linking-In, Facebook, Twitter etc.
 Professionalism
 Your ‘brand’
Networking
 Existing Network
 New Network
First Impressions & Continuing Impressions
 Dress
 Mannerisms
Be Authentic
 Your Values
 Your Unique Strengths
Personal Marketing can help you achieve your goals.
HURDLES ALONG THE WAY
“Unconscious bias refers to a bias
that we are unaware of…happens
automatically…influenced by our
background, environment and
experiences”
1. Returning to work after a leave (ex. care
giving or illness)
2. Newcomers to Alberta
3. Advanced Degree Holders
https://www.presstimes.co.ke/hurdles-women-must-scale-to-achieveanything/
SET- ‘BACKS’
“Success consists of going from failure to
failure without loss of enthusiasm.”
-Winston Churchill
 Technical Challenges (the ‘science’, equipment etc.)
 Business Challenges (funding, sales etc.)
 People Challenges
 Family/Personal Challenges
 Health and Wellness
RESILIENCY
“It ‘s not how many times you fall that
counts… what matters is how many
times you get back up .”
-Unknown
“Resiliency allows a person to rebound from adversity
as a strengthened and more resourceful person”
“dependent on group support”
“perseverance and passion for long-term goals”
“ effectively balance negative emotions with
positive ones”
“Six main predictors of resilience:
“ Three notable bases for resilience: self- positive and proactive personality,
confidence, self-esteem and self-concept”
- experience and learning,
“look for opportunities of self-discovery after a - sense of control,
struggle with loss”
- flexibility and adaptability,
- balance and perspective,
“engage in many activities unrelated to their
- perceived social support.”
work such as engaging in hobbies, exercising, and
organizing meetups with friends and loved ones” “take care of one’s mind and body”
“can be learned and developed”
The American Psychological Association suggests
“10 Ways to Build Resilience”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resilience
RESOURCES
 UofA Career Centre
 Government of Alberta:
 Alberta Learning Information Service - http://alis.alberta.ca/index.html
Alberta Public Service Career Management Portal
http://www.psc.alberta.ca/Practitioners/?file=learning/careermgmtkit/career
mgmt-portal&cf=9
 Edmonton Public Library
 Books! – ex, “What Color is your Parachute”; “7 Habits of Highly Effective
People”
 Free Workbooks (near front desk areas)
 Networking + Professional Development Groups – ex. CGSC,
MentorUP, Professional Meet-Up’s
 Internet as a whole
QUESTIONS?