Career Management and Self-Employment Competencies

Rank the following from 1 to 5, 1 being “not at all” and 5 representing “mastery.”

Managing Change = Managing Your Career

___ 1. Career Assessment—Today’s knowledgeable worker realizes that career management is an ongoing part of one’s continuous professional development.

• You frequently assess and evaluate your proficiency with skills and knowledge.
• You create learning goals to remain current and informed.
• You are able to identify, create, and communicate with multiple networks from diverse areas for the purpose of advancing career opportunities and maximizing your resources.

___ 2. Self-Management—The personal is professional, and the more authentic you can be in terms of work style and personal values, the better for you. Bringing your spirit to work in the twenty-first century requires the ability to promote yourself through commitment to your purpose and your values.

• You are committed to raising your consciousness.
• You demonstrate initiative and progress through adversity.
• You work independently with increasing awareness of the larger community.

___ 3. Interpersonal and Facilitation—The skills listed in this category focus on relationship-building in acquiring and maintaining work. They are also important in communicating with partners, vendors, and customers across the board.

• You demonstrate insight into motivating human behavior.
• You develop and practice team-building skills.
• You manage conflict and practice negotiation and mediation.

___ 4. Project Management Skills—For the unemployed or the employed, project management skills allow you to work with others to get the job done and to partner with others in accomplishing results.

• You are able to manage and acquire information and resources.
• You broker services through partnering and collaboration.
• You anticipate and practice troubleshooting and problem solving.

___ 5. Planning and Decision-Making Skills—When we are clear on our priorities, we make better decisions, but we also need a clear plan or vision and criteria.

• You possess the ability to visualize, to plan, and to set goals.
• You establish a daily structure that encourages individual responsibility.
•  You are able to identify criteria for success and then review and readjust.

___ 6. Leadership—As a leader to collaborators, customers, and other consultants in your field or business community, you excel at creating long-lasting relationships and are a recognized leader in your field.

• You possess the ability to act as a leader and develop the discipline of building community.
• You are committed to aligning various courses of action that will empower individuals.
• You are willing to cocreate and share the results.

___ 7. Computer Technology—The ability to learn new databases and technology, and integrate the latest social media, is a key determinant of successful employability.

• You demonstrate competence with online resourcing, including social media accessibility.
• You adequately demonstrate database management and retrieval and word processing skills.
• You effectively use online research tools to access career and industry-related information.

___ 8. Growth and Development—There is a need for a plan for continuous self-development and lifelong learning. We need to stay passionate about our subject matter and motivated from within to master these skills as well as others essential to outstanding performance. Mastering this skill set will set you up with a plan for lifelong learning.

• You create a plan and identify resources to acquire new skills.
• You have a plan for developing more personal and professional balance.
• You realize your goals of continuous learning to become all you can be and to reach your potential requires a financial investment.

___ 9. Creativity and Visioning—You’ll need this skill set to initiate new activities and to create a “buzz” of originality to your products and services.

• You quickly respond and act on something so compelling that is right in front of you.
• You intuitively know what can and must be done.
• You possess the ability to initiate, develop, and maintain ideas, and synthesize, adapt, and improve.

___ 10. Time Management—Time is one of the most personal tools for transformation when you are engaged in work that you love and when you are self-directed. The continuum of activities that you are responsible for on a daily basis requires the ability to manage your time.

•  You develop a list of goals on a weekly basis of things that have to be done and somehow stick to most of it.
•  You are comfortable with the balance of time spent working “on” the business and “in” the business (building and delivering products/services).
• You manage to accept there will be days when you don’t get enough done but acknowledge what you did accomplish.