My Personal Career Strategy - Essay Example

SELF-AWARENESS REPORT 2009 Demonstrate how to use a range of tools and concepts from this to construct your personal career strategy. As a future employee (or even a manager) of a financing department in an international company, I am cognizant of the fact that I will be entering a world vastly different from where I am right now. With the current financial crisis, increasing globalisation and free trade and rapid technological advances, competition in my future line of work (and other lines of work as well) is growing. To survive in the face of this growing competition, I need to carefully construct a personal career strategy guaranteed to get me through in the future. I recognised that merely picturing or thinking of such a career is not enough. I needed to take concrete action plans and enhance my current skills and knowledge through utilization of various useful tools and concepts. This course has taught me many of these various tools and concepts. In this first part, I will endeavour to expound on the usefulness of such tools and concepts. In the second part of this assignment, I will discuss how increasing my self-awareness will help me build a successful career. In the past, according to M. B. Arthur and D. M. Rosseau (1996), the “dominant employment form” appeared to be the “organizational career”. In this view, “the meaning of careers…was subordinated” to the organizations. However, such a view is no longer dominant. With the rapid changes in the business environment, calls for other forms of career had been rising and have resulted to other forms that are more responsive to the current times. Two of these are the boundaryless career and the protean. Defillippi and Arthur (1994, as cited by Arthur and Rosseau, 1996) defined the boundaryless career as “sequences of job opportunities that go beyond the boundaries of single employment settings”. A boundaryless career “emphasises the organisational perspective on examining the changing nature of careers” (Fernandez and Enache, 2008). On the other hand, a protean career is a career that is “managed by the person, not the organization” with an ultimate goal of “psychological success” (Hall and Moss, 1998, as cited by Sims and Veres, editors, 1999). The protean career emphasises “self-direction and values-driven predispositions” (Briscoe, Hall and DeMuth, 2006, as cited by Fernandez and Enache, 2008). Thus, the individual is the one who is ultimately in-charge of the future direction of his / her chosen career. The organisation is just there to provide the venue for the individual’s career advancement. As someone who is currently shaping up his future career, I have considered how these two types of careers apply to my strategy. With my knowledge of their definitions and my increasing self-awareness, I believe that I am suited for a protean career in the future. The fact that I am studying in a foreign country in a school of my choice signifies that I take charge of my own education and I am able to adapt to a culture different from my own. In the results of my brief strengths test (see Appendix 8), I am described as somebody who is open-minded, curious and loves to learn new things. These are characteristics which I believe jives with the protean career description. With this, I have laid out my plans to obtain a career in an international firm that will let me develop as a person and will increase my marketability in the future. This will provide me the flexibility to make any necessary changes (either within or outside this international firm) that I think will contribute to my success, both financially and psychologically. The second concept is Networking. In a simple definition, Daniell Morrisey, a career writer, defined networking as “all about finding, developing and nurturing long-term contacts, sharing contacts and ideas for mutual success”. The key to networking is not just introducing oneself to as many people as possible but to build good; lasting relationships with people and to make these relationships work to your “mutual advantage”. With this concept, I have taken great care to start building my contacts both in my previous jobs and in this university. Not that I see every person as someone who can help me build my career (doing this will make me a very shallow person). But I wish to take advantage of this opportunity to start building (and even expanding) my network of friends, colleagues, group mates, etc. Each person that I add to my network will not necessarily assure my future success but will ensure that I become a better-rounded person as these persons may give me new ideas, new experiences, new skills and new perspectives that I can use in my future career. Corollary to networking is mentoring. According to Suzanne Janasz, Sherry Sullivan and Vicki Whiting (2003), current managers, who were part of the “organisational career”, credited their professional success to “the guidance of a mentor”. Janasz, Sullivan and Whiting cited that there are known advantages to mentoring, both on the side of the mentor and the mentee. The website of NHS Scotland Mentoring (http://www. mentoring.scot.nhs.uk/) there are several advantages to the one being mentored or coached such as “increased self confidence/belief and awareness, building skills for present and future roles, providing an objective source for advice and personal/career development”. On the side of the mentor, the advantages include “developing skills that are useful in day to day management, gaining another perspective on the organization and improved understanding of their colleagues”. The advantages of mentoring convinced me that I cannot be self-sufficient and pursue my career path all on my own. Despite the fact that I can be independent and I make my own choices and decisions, I still need a person or persons who can serve as my mentor in the various courses of my career. The more mentors I have the better for me because this will enable me to gain more knowledge and insights, not only in my chosen career, but in other aspects of my life as well. Thus, I have incorporated in my career strategy a plan to seek out and find good mentors who can guide me as I go up the corporate ladder. In turn, if and when I am already capable, I will also coach or serve as a mentor to other people. Such an attitude will, I’m sure, aid me towards a successful career in the future. Another concept that I have learned in this course is the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator or the MBTI. Dr. Kathleen Hanold Watland (2009) cited the MBTI as one of the instruments a person can use to develop his or her self-awareness. Dr. Watland also pointed out that the MBTI can measure and explore a person’s preferred reference in interacting with other people, decision-making and life and work organisation. Based on the results of my MBTI test (see Appendix 10), I was described as an ESFJ or an Extrovert, Sensing, Feeling and Judging person. According to www.e-mbti.com, a person with an extraverted attitude has an energy that flows outward and focuses on “people and things”. As a Sensing person, the same website also cited that I prefer to accumulate data “primarily from the five senses”. The course notes also pointed out that a Sensing person focuses on what is real and values practical applications. As a Feeling person, my actions are guided by my personal values and my desire to maintain “harmonious relationships” (www.e-mbti.com) with other people. Lastly, the Judging person in me indicates that I prefer an orderly and organized environment, I am a decisive person and I dislike last-minute rushes. With the results of my MBTI test showing such traits, I realised that I should explore the implications of these traits (or even develop them) in my chosen career path and in becoming successful. However, in the course of my reflection, I have also realised that I cannot bank on these results alone to become successful in my career. This realisation stemmed from the fact that the MBTI, by itself, has its own limitations. According to Charles Coe (1992), the MBTI “gives no indication of one’s values and motivations”. It also does not “measure how well the preferred functions are performed”. Lastly, the MBTI is not an “except / or proposition” as people can perform the other functions other than those indicated in their MBTI results. Thus, I am careful in ensuring I do not rely 100% on these results when strategising my future career path. Rather, I need to view these results as inputs in my strategies that should compliment or add on to the other inputs that I have obtained from this course and, even, from my personal experiences. Only then can I take advantage of these results to ensure that I build up an effective strategy for my career path. The last two (but not the least) concepts I have learned is receiving and analysing feedbacks and knowing your strengths. I have combined these two concepts in this section because I believe that they are somewhat related. Through receiving and analysing feedbacks, one will know his or her strength and/or weakness. Appendices 1 to 7 show various feedbacks I have received from my co-students and my former employers. Appendix 8 shows the results of my Brief Strengths Test. Knowing ones strength is important because, as Peter Drucker (2005) wrote, “a person can perform only from strength”. With this in mind, I plotted the results of my feedback in a Johari window (see Appendix 9) and compared the results against my Brief Strengths Test. The results of the feedback showed that I am organised, realistic, socially-skilled, reliable, friendly and a team worker. My Brief Strengths Test showed that I am open-minded, curios, enthusiastic, organized and optimistic. These strengths basically affirmed those found in my Johari window (not to mention the results of my MBTI test). Due to the consistency of the results, I am able to ascertain which are really my strengths. Thus, I know that I can make use of these strengths to plot out my career strategy. As an example, one trait that I have is organised. I know then that I have the capability to systematically plot my career plans in the future and I can apply this trait to ensure that I achieve this purpose. Being open-minded and enthusiastic mean that I am not easily dissuaded by the current problems faced by the global economy and I stay positive that I will get my target career in the future. This type of attitude may not be enough to spell success in my future career strategy but it is the first step towards my realisation of this goal. The various tools and concepts I learned from this course will help me achieve the kind of career I want. In the end, however, how I utilise these tools and concepts to strategise my future career plans depend entirely up to me. Recognising that these tools and concepts are useful aids for my future career is only part of the process. I also need to ensure that these are concretely integrated in my career strategy. Studying them and committing them to my mind are part of this integration. Successfully applying these tools and concepts will finish the process and ensure that such integration was successfully completed. 2. Critically evaluate the role that your self-awareness will play in making your career a success. The term “self-awareness” was defined by Fletcher and Baldry (2000, as quoted by Watland, March 2009) as “the extent to which individuals accurately perceive their strengths and limitations”. According to Koonce (1996, as cited in McCarthy and Garavan, 1999) self-awareness is “the most important ‘emotional competency’ required in the creation of a successful career”. Without such self-awareness, the manager or the employee becomes a “walking disaster” (Koonce, 1996, as cited in McCarthy and Garavan, 1999) in his place of work. In order to become successful in my chosen career, I need to gain a more thorough knowledge and awareness of myself. I need to take stock of who I am, what are my strengths and my weaknesses, which areas do I need to improve or enhance and which do I need to maintain or even dispose of. Only by becoming aware of these facts will I be able to build up the portfolio of my skills that will make me competitive in the future. Without this, I may become someone who will just lead my organisation astray. In increasing my self-awareness, I have considered the various feedbacks I have received, my Johari window, as well as the results of the various personality tests (i.e., Strengths Test, MBTI) found in the Appendix to this report. Through the Johari window, I was able to affirm my personal characteristics such as reliable, trustworthy, friendly, responsible and realistic. I have already considered these various descriptions in my chosen career path. However, a few surprises (positive ones) were also included. I was cited as positive, self-motivated, punctual, organised, analytical, socially-skilled and enthusiastic. I was also described as a team worker. As shown in my Johari window (see Appendix 9), these are descriptions that are known to others but are not known by me. These are very positive comments that I am glad I received and I have started to incorporate in my future career plans. My awareness of these facts will help me plan for and enter in a career where I can apply them. As an example, I was described as self-motivated, organised and analytical, three traits which I believe are needed to make me an efficient and effective employee when I will work for the financing department in an international firm. Being socially-skilled and enthusiastic will help me develop my network of friends, colleagues and contacts in the future. In turn, I can expand my skills and even my employment opportunities through this developed network. The MBTI results (see Appendix 10) and the brief strengths test (see Appendix 9) confirmed the results of my Johari window. Both results cited that I am good in organizing people to get the job done. The brief strengths test indicated that I am open-minded and enthusiastic (also found in the Johari window). I was also described to have a natural curiosity and love of learning. These signify that I can be flexible in my chosen career and in gaining new knowledge and skills in the future. I can also work with various people and assimilate into various cultures. With this, I am assured that I, at least, already possess some (if not most) of the traits necessary to become successful in my chosen career. Self-awareness does not end with my college days. It is an ongoing process which I need to always undertake to ensure that I deepen my understanding of myself, my knowledge, skills and personality. Only by ensuring that I always set out to discover new things about myself will I be able to obtain assurance that I am continuously working towards a successful career and, ultimately, a happy and fulfilling life. Bibliography 1. Arthur, M. B. and Rosseau, D. M. (1996). “The Boundaryless Career: A New Employment Principle for a New Organizational Era”. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. Pages 4, 43 and 45. 2. Drucker, Peter (2005). “Managing Oneself.” Harvard Business Review. January 2005, pages 100 – 109. [Online] Available at http://www.sld.cu/galerias/pdf/sitios/ revsalud/managing_oneself.pdf. (Accessed April 29, 2009). 3. Fernancez, V. and Enache, M. (2008). “Exploring the Relationship between Protean and Boundaryless Career Attitudes and Effective Commitment through the Lens of a Fuzzy Set QCA Methodology”. [Online] Available at http://www.intangiblecapital.org/ index.php/ic/article/viewFile/68/70. [Accessed April 30, 2009]. 4. Fletcher and Baldry (2000), cited by Watland, Dr. Kathleen Hanold (March 2009). “The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator as a Tool for Leadership Development in Management Education Programs: What’s Type Got to Do with It?” [Online] Available at http://kwantlen.ca/TD/TD.2.3/TD.2.3_Watland_MB_for_Leadership_ Development.pdf. [Accessed April 29, 2009]. 5. Janasz, Suzanne C., Sullivan, Sherry E. and Whiting, Vicki (2003). “Mentor Networks and Career Success: Lessons for Turbulent Times”. Academy of Management Executive. Vol. 17, No. 4. [Online] Available at http://www.fbe.hku.hk/Programme/Undergraduate/doc/courses/2008-2009/BUSI00 75/ Mentor.pdf. (Accessed May 1, 2009). 6. Koonce (1996), as cited by McCarthy, A. M. and Garavan, T. N. (1999). “Developing a Self-Awareness in the Managerial Career Development Process”. Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 23, No. 9, pp. 437 – 445. 7. Morrisey, Daniell (2007). “Get Networking for Career Success”. [Online] Available at http://www.journalism.co.uk/7/articles/53456.php. (Accessed April 30, 2009). 8. Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Available at http://www.e-mbti.com/. (Accessed April 30, 2009). 9. NHS Scotland Mentoring. http://www.mentoring.scot.nhs.uk/. (Accessed April 29, 2009). 10. Sims, Ronald R. and Veres, John III (Editors, 1999). “Keys to Employee Success in Coming Decades”. U. S. A.: Quantum Books. Page 186. [Online] Available at http://books.google.com.ph/books?id=uJT_Mfgwcr8C&pg=PA183&dq=protean+career+hall+and+moss+1998&hl=en#PPP1,M1. (Accessed April 30, 2009). Read More