The Ohio State University
Taking Charge of Your
Professional and
Career Development
Molly Driscoll
Office of Human Resources
Jamie Mathews-Mead
Fisher College of Business
March 2011
Taking Charge of Your Professional and Career Development
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. There will be times when
your career moves along well and others when progress can be frustrating. But it’s
important to remember that to make the most of your career you have to know about
yourself and spend time self reflecting. What are you good at? What are you interested
in? What satisfies you? These are all important questions to think about.
The following information is a tool to guide you through a successful career
development plan. This career plan model can be used as an individualized selfassessment tool to help you to begin thinking in terms of your own professional
development. You are encouraged to engage in discussions with your supervisor and/or
colleague that you trust and respect to assist you in your plans for your development as
you work through the guide.
The career guide is divided into three sections:

Looking Inward: A self-assessment tool provides the opportunity to review your
accomplishments, as well as your skills, abilities and knowledge. Included is an
exercise to assist you in determining what your preferences are regarding current
and previous skills, activities and tasks. Follow-up questions capture trends,
perceptions, and future interests.

Looking Outward: A planning sheet is provided to assist in identifying areas for
professional development such as opportunities both within and outside of your
human resources unit. Tips for preparing, conducting and reviewing an
informational interview are outlined.

Looking Forward: A process for goal setting is defined with examples and strategies
for your progress. Included is a work sheet on career choices to guide you through
developing the appropriate competencies (skills, abilities, and knowledge) for your
development. Helpful tips for gaining support and overcoming resistance as well as
tips for asking and receiving feedback are included.
To learn more about professional/career development a reference/resource section
includes relevant books, web-sites and additional Ohio State resources. Congratulations
on taking the first step of the journey to professional development!
Tips for approaching your manager to initiate the Career Development
process
 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.
LOOKING INWARD
Part One: Self Assessment – Taking a Look at Myself
In the three areas listed below, describe three major accomplishments that were highly
satisfying and enjoyable to you. These can come from any time period in your life and
can include personal, academic, and/or professional accomplishments. For each
experience, describe what made the accomplishment so enjoyable and list the skills you
demonstrated. Summarize any trends.
Accomplishment One:
Accomplishment Two:
Accomplishment Three:
When the minutes fly by during the workday, what types of things are you doing?
Think of the positions you’ve held at Ohio State or prior to joining the University. What
specific aspects of the position(s) have you enjoyed? What sorts of things did you tend
to put off or dislike?
ENJOY
DID NOT ENJOY
Consider how you spend your time when you are not at work. What interests, hobbies,
and activities do you enjoy? What skills and abilities do you utilize in those situations?
ACTIVITIES/HOBBIES
WHAT I ENJOY MOST
ABOUT THEM
SKILLS/ABILITIES
USED
If you could do whatever type of work you wanted (no restrictions), what would it be?
(Consider pace, type of people you work with, amount of travel, kinds of tasks, location,
academic vs. administrative, etc.)
Summary of Trends:
Looking Inward:
Where I Am Today Profile
To help you think about where you are today in terms of your skills and abilities and where you
think you see opportunity to develop, complete the chart below and answer the questions ~
honestly!
3-4 Strengths
Development Needs
Questions:
Strengths:
1. What are your strengths? Where do you excel?
2. What skills do other people recognize in you?
3. What do you do better than most people you work with?
4. What, about yourself, are you most proud of or satisfied with?
5. What experiences, resources or connections do you have access to that others don’t?
6. What are you passionate about?
7. What energizes you?
Development Needs:
1. What do you try to do that you just can’t seem to master?
2. Are there one or two aspects of your personality that hold you back?
3. What do other people most often identify as an area of development for you?
4. Where do you lack experience, resources or connections where others have them?
Part Two: How Do Others See Me?
Other people can often lend tremendous perspective to your understanding of your talents and
potential. The following questions will help you summarize the feedback you’ve received in the
past from your co-workers, your “customers”, your colleagues and your supervisor/manager.
(Your customers may be internal to Ohio State or external)
1. Think of your past performance and development at Ohio State or other places you may
have worked. What have you been recognized as excelling in? What area(s) might offer
improvement opportunities?
EXCEL
IMPROVEMENT
2. Have you ever been complimented or praised by co-workers or customers? If yes, what
were they particularly pleased with?
3. On the flip side, has anyone ever expressed displeasure with your work, approach, or
manner? If yes, what observations were made?
4. How does your manager/supervisor view your long-term potential? What key strengths
do they see? What (if any) potential barriers to your long-term success do they see?
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Part Three: Collecting My Thoughts
In the matrix below, there are four quadrants:
 Things you like and are good at,
 Things you do not like but are good at,
 Things you like but are not good at, and
 Things you do not like and are not good at.
Consider skills, activities, and tasks you are either currently performing or have performed in a
previous role. Place each skill, activity, and task in the appropriate quadrant below. Review your
answers to all of the preceding questions as well as the information in the matrix and answer
the questions on the next page.
Like – Do Well
Do Not Like – Do Well
Like – Do Not Do Well
Do Not Like – Do Not Do Well
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Follow-up Questions
1. Are there any trends that you see when looking at your answers? Any surprises?
2. Would your managers/peers/customers agree with this assessment? If not, where
would there be variations? What might explain the difference in perception?
3. How do your answers correspond with your current responsibilities? To what extent
does your current role satisfy your interests? What is missing in your current role?
4. Given what you know right now about your abilities in what ways would you like to
contribute more or differently in your current role?
5. What longer-term interests would you like to explore further?
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6. What are the key aspects of your job that you find most satisfying? Why?
7. What are the key aspects of your job that you find most dissatisfying? Why?
8. What are the key aspects of your job that you find most challenging? Why?
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Tips for asking and receiving feedback
 Ask for feedback from a variety of people. Include people you have a good rapport with as
well as those with whom you may not feel as comfortable.
 If you’re interested in receiving feedback about a specific skill or situation, ask for it directly.
 Ask for feedback informally at the end of a meeting or project.
 Seek balanced (positive and constructive) feedback. And then listen to both kinds of
feedback with an open mind. (You may have an inclination to focus only on one type of
feedback).
 If you get only one type of feedback (appreciative or constructive), ask specifically for the
other type (e.g. “How can I be more effective?” or “What do you see as my key strengths?”).
 If you find yourself disagreeing with the feedback, don’t get defensive. Think about what
you can learn from the feedback. Try to keep an open mind.
 If you get conflicting feedback from different people or if feedback from others differs from
your own assessment, think about what might explain the different perceptions.
 Thank the people who offer feedback – they are helping you understand what you need to
do to move forward. The way you react to feedback today may shape the amount and
quality of feedback others will offer in the future.
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LOOKING OUTWARD
Part One: Planning Sheet
This planning sheet is designed to help you summarize the areas you would like to explore
further. List the opportunities you would like to explore in each of the following areas. Then
list the resources (people and information) you can use to help identify opportunities in these
areas.
Interests and opportunities I’d
like to explore in my department/
college/unit
Resources:
Action Steps:
Interests and opportunities I’d
like to explore in other departments/
colleges/units
Resources:
Action Steps:
Interests and opportunities I’d
like to explore outside Ohio State
Resources:
Action Steps:
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Part Two: Networking and Informational Interviews
Networking
Networking is talking to people about their careers and sharing with others your career
interests and aspirations. At the simplest level, building a network refers to creating
connections and identifying resources who can help you learn more about yourself and about
career possibilities.
To determine who is in your network, answer the following and jot down your answers on the
next page.

Who do you know from your previous
employer(s)?

Who do you know because of your current
employment?

Who are your friends?

Who are your relatives?

Who do you know through your friends?

Who do you know because of your relatives?

Who do you know through professional
associations?

Who do you know through your favorite
hobby or sports activity?

Who do you know from school?

Who is your dentist?

Who is your pharmacist?

Who are your children’s teachers?

Who do you know from civic activities?

Who is your lawyer?

Who is your landlord or realtor?

Who are your neighbors?

Who do you know through your children?

Who do you know through your partner?

Who do you know because of your pet?

Who is your optician?

Who is your painter or decorator?

Who serves you lunch?

Who is your physician?

Who does your plumbing?

Who cuts your hair?

Who is on your police force?
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My Network
Previous Employers
Current Employment
Hobby/Sports Activity
Friends/Relatives
Contacts from
Friends/Relatives
School
Professional Associations
Children’s Teachers/Contacts
through Children
Lawyer/Civic Activities
Optician/Physician
Dentist/Pharmacist
Neighbors
Haircutter
Plumber
Painter/Decorator
Other
Other
Other
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Informational Interviewing
Once you have your network, you can identify potential contacts for an informational interview.
The purpose of an informational interview is to learn more about your contact’s field, career
and/or business.
Step 1- Planning


Identify the contacts from your network with whom you want to connect.
Phone the contacts to:
 Request an informational interview, making it clear that the purpose is to learn more
about that individual’s field, career, and business.
 Set an appointment. Considerations should include keeping the meeting fairly brief (3040 minutes), setting the meeting at the contact’s convenience and using lunch as
time/location option.
 Prepare questions, using the suggestions from the information interview guide.
Step 2- The Interview




Begin with an overview of your purpose and goal for this meeting.
Ask questions and take notes.
Keep to the agreed time even if you aren’t able to ask all of your questions.
Thank the individual for their time.
Step 3- Follow Up


Send a thank you note to the contact letting them know you appreciated their time and
insights.
Review the information you obtained in this meeting to determine how this kind of role or
the field might fit in with your career plans.
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Information Interview Guide
Area of interest:
__________________________________________
Contact name:
__________________________________________
Phone number/email address:
__________________________________________
Date of interview:
__________________________________________
Suggested questions:

Describe the kind of work you do.

How did you get into this field?

What interested you in this field?

Describe your career path and how it has evolved over time.

What is the most satisfying part of your role? What parts do you not enjoy as much?

What are the most important qualifications for this type of position?

How did your educational and prior work experience prepare you for this position?

What projects are you currently working on?

Describe a typical day in this role.

What are the major opportunities and challenges facing your field today?

Can you suggest other individuals that I might speak with to learn more about this area?
May I use your name as a referral?
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Tips for Conducting an Effective Informational Interview

If your contact is someone you have never met, you may decide to send a letter first,
stating your purpose and mentioning the name of the person who referred you (if
possible).

When telephoning to set a time to meet, always ask your contact if he/she has a moment
to talk. If not, ask about a better time to call back.

Begin your conversation by briefly reviewing your reason for calling: “As you may recall
from the letter I sent, I am interested in talking with you about… John Smith suggested you
would be a helpful resource for me.”

When you meet in person, always explain again your reason for meeting. Do this right
away to eliminate any confusion and to reassure your new contact that you are not there
asking for a job.

Bring a prepared list of questions and paper and pen for note-taking. Ask: “Is it all right if
job down some notes as we talk?” Be prepared to stop doing so if the contact says no.

Ask questions about the person to whom you are speaking. You can help establish good
rapport by getting people to talk about themselves.

If you asked for 30 minutes, keep it to 30 minutes. Say something like: “I promised you
that I would only take 30 minutes, and our time is just about up.” You will get a sense of
whether or not the contact is willing to give you longer.

If you are asked for a resume during the meeting, use your judgment. The contact might
actually be getting quite interested in you, and you could look ill-prepared if you did not
have such a vital job-hunting tool with you. Alternatively, if the purpose of the meeting is
to help you refine your resume, says o, and that you will be happy to send the final version
as soon as you can.

When ending the meeting, give the appropriate thanks and then inquire if there is
someone else they could recommend that might be useful to you to contact for additional
advice and information (thereby expanding your network). Be prepared to prompt for
names by offering categories of people or the names of companies you’re targeting. When
others are suggested, ask if it is appropriate for you to use your contact’s name when
calling this person.

Always send a personal thank you letter immediately after your meeting. It provides an
additional opportunity to maintain contact with the individual.
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LOOKING FORWARD
Part One: Possible Outcomes for the Career Planning Process
In deciding what goals you want to pursue, you may consider many alternatives for change,
including:
 Building capability and expertise:
- in your current position, and/or
- in some external, non work activity
 Adding responsibilities or challenges in your current position
 Changing positions:
-
moving to a new position inside your college/department/unit
creating a new role that meets a new, existing, or anticipated business need
 Changing aspects of your life outside of work
Other outcomes could include:
 Continuing to clarify what you are most interested in
 Researching additional options
 Working to build support for long-term goals
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Part Two: Making Informed Choices
Before you begin this worksheet, review the work you have previously done. If desired, go back
and highlight key points of interest.
1. List the competencies (skills, knowledge and ability) that apply in each quadrant:
Competencies I would like to continue to use
Competencies I would like to use less often
Competencies I would like to use more often
New competencies or experiences I would
like to gain
2. What have you learned about how you would like to contribute differently?
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3. What competencies (skills and knowledge and abilities) do you currently have that would
enable you to contribute in these ways?
4. What competencies would you need to or would you like to develop in order to contribute
in these ways?
5. What might stop you from contributing in these ways? Consider barriers related to your
current level of skill, knowledge, and/or experience, as well as other types of barriers. For
each barrier, write down your thoughts for overcoming or removing the barrier. (Be sure to
focus on barriers you can control or influence.)
Barrier
To overcome/Remove barrier
6. What competencies or experiences do you need/or want to develop to prepare yourself for
future opportunities? (List any ideas that did not surface in questions 3 and 4)
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Part Three: Goal Setting
List your long-term career goals. For each goal, list two or three development strategies to help
you achieve the goals.
Goals
Strategies
List your short-term career goals. Keep in mind that your short-term goals are the building
blocks that will lead you to your long-term goals.
Goals
Strategies
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Looking at your short and long-term goals, indicate the highest priority goals by placing an
asterisk in front of these goals.
1. List the possible barriers you may encounter in working to achieve your goals. Also, describe
your strategy for preventing or overcoming each barrier.
Barrier
Strategy to Overcome
2. The people who will support me in the pursuit of my goals are:
3.
The resources I can use to achieve my goals are:
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REFERENCES AND RESOURCES
Books

What Color is Your Parachute? by Richard Bolles $17.95
A practical manual for job hunting and career changes.

How to Find the Work You Love by Laurence G. Boldt $12.00
Teaches you how to proactively take control of your career by setting your feet in the
direction you’ve always wanted to go.

The Right Job for You by J. Michael Farr $9.95
An interactive career planning guide to help you make better decisions about your
career and life.
Web Sites

The CareerBuilder Network located at www.careerbuilders.com
Offers advice and information on career planning as well as resume writing.
Check out: Advice and Resources

Career Development Manual located at www.cdm.uwaterloo.ca
From self assessment to making sure of being successful on the job, this step-by-step
career planning guide covers it all.
Check out: Self assessment and help with decision making

Richard Bolles’ Net Guide to Career Counseling located at www.jobhuntersbible.com/
The well-known Richard Bolles has been offering career development assistance for
several decades. His site includes links to self-assessment tools, career advice, resume
development and more.
Self Assessment Web Sites
The following is a list of career interest inventories most often used by career counselors.
Taking one of them provides you with valuable insight into your unique skills and abilities, and
helps you identify careers that are compatible with your interests:

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) located at www.careers-by-design.com/mbti.htm is
a personality inventory used to help people identify personality preferences. This
information can be useful for career exploration and decision-making, as well as helping
you improve work and personal relationships. $55.00 – 125.00
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
Campbell Interest and Skill Survey (CISS) located at www.profiler.com
Measures self-reported vocational interests and skills. CISS interest scales reflect an
individual’s attraction for specific occupational areas. $17.95

Strong Interest Inventory located at www.careers-bydesign.com/strong_interest_inventory.htm. Helps you understand your work interests
and describes different kinds of occupations in which you might be comfortable.
$55.00 – 125.00.
Professional Development Opportunities
 Career Exploration Office 292-3503
http://www.continuinged.ohio-state.edu/ceo_main.html

The Association of Staff and Faculty Women: http://asfw.osu.edu/

University Staff Advisory Committee: http://usac.osu.edu/index.php

Culture Transformation Initiative: http://www.osu.edu/eminence/

Women for Economic and Leadership Development: http://weldoh.org/

Art of Hosting Meaningful Conversations: http://womensplace.osu.edu/art-of-hostingmeaningful-conversations.html

President’s and Provost’s Leadership Institute:
http://womensplace.osu.edu/leadership-programs.html

The OSU Staff Professional Development Mentorship Program:
http://womensplace.osu.edu/leadership-programs.html

The Women’s Place Staff Leadership Series: http://womensplace.osu.edu/leadershipprograms.html

National Association of Women Business Owners:
http://www.nawbocolumbusohio.com/
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