Career Planning

What is Career Planning?

The Compact Oxford English Dictionary defines 'Career' as "an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person's life, usually with opportunities for progress."

Career planning is a process, not a onetime stake. Career planning does not mean job hunting alone, but job hunting as part of a well-thought, thoroughly studied and periodically updated project, focused on where you want to reach (job satisfaction) and how to get there from your current standpoint, paying special attention to your strengths, but also to your weaknesses and looking for and making the most out of the opportunities that arise to overcome these and reach your set goal.

Career planning is about:

1. Identifying/determining your values and preferences.



2. Identifying/determining your professional goals, in line with your values and preferences.



3. Identifying/determining where you stand professionally, what is the path to follow and what are the skills you have and want to use, as well as the skills you don’t have and want to acquire, in order to achieve your goals.



4. Determining the best way to acquire new skills and to apply your old and new skills to reach your goals.

Career planning includes not only the type of work you do or the hours that you spend at it, but also your personal life, the time that you spend with your family and friends in leisure and community activities, as well as in personal development. Career decisions are a part of that larger canvas: you cannot make career decisions in isolation without seeing how they affect the broader picture of your life.

A career plan cannot guarantee you a better job. However, it can give you the tools to be competitive, seek openings and take advantage of opportunities within an organization.

Career Planning - Your Responsibility

The new career and life realities require new rules. Career progression is not an entitlement, but a responsibility that you have to be willing to take up. Organizations cannot promise career success; rather, they can become a partner to support you along the way.

Role of the Organization

The organization is responsible for building a highly competitive and independent workforce, and managing its talent in the most efficient and effective manner possible to meet the organization's present and future needs.

The organization is responsible for, among others:

• Setting development goals as part of the performance management system (Results Competency Assessment - RCA).



• Providing learning and development opportunities.



• Providing a transparent recruitment system.



• Attempting to match career expectations with organizational needs.



• Maintaining and providing timely, relevant information on job opportunities.

Role of the Manager

Most individuals look first to their manager for career support, advice and guidance.

Helping staff to be their BEST is a critical management skill and responsibility. The Secretary-General expects managers to be accountable for managing the Organization's greatest resource: its staff. Supporting staff to achieve their individual development goals is both a challenge and an opportunity for managers.

Managers are responsible for, among others:

• Encouraging and facilitating communication among the team members.



• Providing, encouraging and allowing staff to attend development / training / information workshops and activities.



• Providing on-the-job learning, coaching and mentoring.



• Analyzing staff development needs and conducting periodic career discussions (through, among other things, the RCA process).



• Providing feedback recognition and opportunities for 'growth in place'.



• Supporting staff mobility.
  
  
• Acting as advocates for their staff to senior management and human resources managers.
  

Role of the Individual Staff Member

You can wait for something to happen or you can 'make it happen'.

As an individual staff member, you must commit yourself to continuous growth in order to keep up or improve your current standards of performance. The work of the United Nations is becoming increasingly complex and demanding. New technology, programmes and demands from our clients and stakeholders necessitate continuous learning and development of staff members.

As an individual staff member, you may be satisfied and want to stay and grow in your current position, or you may feel that you are ready to make a career move in order to feel greater career satisfaction.

At the individual staff level, whatever the situation, individual goal setting, planning and self-development are the keys to improving the chances of attaining career satisfaction.

While there are no guarantees, and many factors over which the individual has no control (availability of positions, downsizing, regionalization, skills and abilities of others, budgets, etc.), career planning at the individual staff level significantly improves your chances of achieving career success.

Career planning allows you to control those elements you can influence - your skills, knowledge, network(s), reputation and experiences.

As an individual staff member you are responsible for, among others:

• Managing and investing in your own learning and development.



• Striving to perform highly.



• Seeking feedback.



• Exploring opportunities and being pro-active.



• Building and maintaining networks.
  
  

Tips on how to create a Career Plan

• Provide direction by moving from long-term to short-term goals.



• Work from the top down: Where would you like to be before retirement? Do you have a long-term objective (10 or 20 years)? What steps would give you the best chance to successfully get there?



• Or, work from the bottom up: If you cannot yet identify your ultimate career goal, how about two years from now? Is there a promotion for which you would like to aim? A different position you would like to pursue? Would you like to transfer to another section or department? Or, perhaps, just a switch to another unit within your current section or department?



• Use the work you have done: You can get ideas for your career from the plans you make to improve your current performance and career satisfaction.



• Knowledge, Skills and Behaviours: List the knowledge, skills and behaviours you need to acquire to qualify for each position, function or responsibility you would like to pursue.



• Brainstorm with others: Do not be afraid to talk over your hopes and plans with friends and colleagues. Come up with suggestions and make a list of ideas. What changes will be required to focus on these ideas, be it in your professional or in your personal life?



• Talk to someone who is already there: Do you know someone who already has the position you would like to be doing? What steps did they take to get there? You do not necessarily have to - or even can - follow the same route, but you might obtain some tips or pointers on how you might get there. (This is one aspect of effective networking). Or, think geographically. Would you like to work in Region X or Country Y? It is always helpful to have feedback from someone on the ground.



• Network: Sharing ideas with others often leads to renewed enthusiasm as well as new sources of information about developmental opportunities or assignments.



• Reviews and Updates: Review your career plan regularly to ensure your goals and strategy are still on target and make corrections as needed .