Careers_Conference_2009.ppt

Career Planning Scale: Assessing and Teaching

Career Planning

John Liptak, Ed.D., Associate Director Career Services, Radford University

[email protected]

540-831-5091

2009 Careers Conference

What is a Career?

“Career can be viewed as the life course of a person encountering a series of developmental tasks and attempting to handle them in such a way as to become the kind of person he or she wants to be. With a changing self and changing situation, the matching process is really never complete!” (5)

Shocking Stats! (4)

50% are dissatisfied with current job 25% are always actively considering changing

industries 50% would take less money if their jobs would be

more meaningful 75% would take a pay cut for more personal time 50% are experiencing burnout

“Workers today want meaning more than anything else. They crave purpose, a sense of direction, and a feeling that they are contributing to society and making it a better place. Planning is Critical!” (Tarlow and Tarlow)

Need for Career Planning

Only 32% of people planned and chose their job (NCDA)

With planning comes opportunity, but far too many people understand/can implement the career planning process (2)

Impact of career planning is stronger than any psychological influence on people (1)

Courses/programs yield increases in career decision making and career maturity about 93% of the time (1)

What is Career Planning?

An ongoing activity of making small & large decisions about occupations, education, leisure activities, and other life roles.

Process necessary for people of all ages A process that must be turned into a

substantive psychological experience for the client – WOW Factor!

A skill that can be taught

The Career Planning Process

1. Knowledge of WOW

2. Knowledge of Self

3. Occupational Information4. Make Decisions

5. Plan Your Career

6. Implement Plan

How Does it Help?

Makes job change process less scary Orients and organizes life and career Empowers people to take charge and

responsibility for own career development

Teaches skills people can use Enhances maturity (choice is not the

end-goal)

Why the CPS?

Too many career counseling models Need a generic model that incorporated best

aspects of all Donald Super’s influence Conducting group career classes with

offenders (books are intimidating) Many career counselors have no formal

career development theory training

Barriers to Career Planning

Lack of Career Maturity!

What is Career Maturity?

An individual’s readiness to deal with the career planning process and his/her degree of success in coping with current tasks involved in career planning (Liptak, 2001). A developmental process in which people

increasingly gain the capacity to make sound career decisions.

Signs of Limited Career Maturity

“I don’t know how to make a career choice.” “What would you do?” I like too many things.” “Why plan for the future….things are so

uncertain.” “I don’t know what I like to do (or value, or

what I am skilled at, etc.)” “I’m not good at making decisions.”

Influencers of Career Maturity

Age, race, ethnicity, locus of control, SES, and gender (3)

At Radford University – first generation, Appalachian

What does the CPS do?

Measures strengths in a set of skills or tasks that people need to possess in order to make and implement effective career decisions.

Theoretical Basis of CPS

Donald Super’s Research about career development and career maturity People complete developmental stages

(but not all the same time) People must complete tasks within each

stage to move to the next stage Career Maturity is critical in the career

planning process Advised me with this assessment

Super’s Definition

Career Maturity – An individual’s readiness cope with the developmental tasks with which he or she is confronted because of his or her biological and social developments and because of society’s expectations of people who have reached that stage of development (Super, 1990, p 213).

Elements of Career Maturity

Planfulness Exploration of self Information gather about WOW Information gathering about

Occupations Decision Making Reality Orientation & Implementation

Correlation between Super’s model and CPS Scales

Planfulness Exploration of self Information gather

about WOW Information gathering

about Occupations Decision Making

Reality Orientation & Implementation

Career Planning Self-Knowledge Knowledge of the

World of Work Knowledge of

Occupations Career Decision-

Making Career Implementation

Using The CPS

Administer after intake/group introduction Identify career maturity in six skills

Strengths & Weaknesses Look at individual items for information Tailor your interventions Teach the process Use the activities in Step 4 to initiate group

discussions or for homework assignments

The Career Planning Scale

Use Steps for easy administration, scoring, and interpretation

Items are behavioral in nature Written at 8th grade level Women score higher than men on every scale but

the Knowledge of World-of-Work scale Women are much better career decision makers People score highest on the Self-Knowledge scale

and lowest on the Career Planning scale Can be used by itself or in conjunction with a text

STEP 1 – Knowledge of the World-of-Work

Objectives: Prepare people for an uncertain occupational

future. How the global economy will affect their career? Explore employment issues in the workplace of

tomorrow. Prepare people to take advantage of new

technology and new career opportunities. Identify geographic features important to them. Explore the value of lifelong learning.

Step 2 – Self-Knowledge

Objectives: Help people explore their interests, skills, values,

and personality, and how these match to identified occupations.

Help people discover how their personal characteristics translate to the world of work.

Help people envision what they are looking for in their career and what they have to offer employers.

Answer “who am I?” How does work fill needs?

Step 3 – Knowledge of Occupations

Objectives: Help people identify alternatives. Help people explore occupations that

interest them. What are the characteristics of the work? Help people search the Internet, read

books and other print materials, and talk to others about occupations.

Shadow workers?

Step 4 – Career Decision- Making

Objectives: Help people develop a methodical approach to

making career decisions. Look for info on salary, job requirements, etc. Help people collect information, weigh the costs

and benefits of their choices, rank order possibilities based on probabilities of success, and make final decisions that fit their personal characteristics and overall life goals.

Step 5 - Career Planning

Objectives: Help people develop both short- and long-term

goals for their career development. Have people create a specific timeline for

accomplishing these goals and steps they need to take to achieve them.

Have people develop a career plan that will allow them to live a balanced lifestyle consisting of work, family, and leisure activities.

Help people think about choice implementation.

Step 6 – Career Implementation

Objectives: Help people identify how to implement

occupational decisions. Teach people how to look for a job, including writing a

powerful resume and cover letter, networking for job leads, and interviewing effectively.

List and find solutions to barriers (BESI) Explore education and training Entrepreneurship Other

Administrative Uses

Use the CPS as a pre and post-test to determine if your students/clients are developing skills over time.

Use the activities in Step 4 to initiate group discussions or for homework assignments.

Keep a database of test scores that you can use for program review.

Develop a baseline for comparison. Use the CPS as a curriculum guide to teach

Career Exploration and Planning courses.

CPS Career Quizzes*

World-of-Work Self-Knowledge Occupations Decision-Making Career Planning Career

Implementation

Chapters 1-3 Chapters 4-6 Chapter 7 Chapter 7 Chapters 8-9 Chapters 10-12*Liptak, J.J. (2008). Career quizzes: 12 tests to help

You discover & develop your dream career.

Indianapolis, IN: JIST Publishing.

Interventions at RU

UNIV 100/Freshman Orientation Short Programs Individual Coaching Sessions Career Development Courses Senior Seminar Courses

References

(1) Herr, E.L.H, & and Cramer, S.H. (1996). Career guidance and counseling through the lifespan. Glenview, IL: Scott, Foresman.

(2) Lock, R.D. (2005). Taking charge of your career direction. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

(3) Naidoo, A.V., Bowman, S.L., & Gerstein, L.H. (1998). Demographics, causality, work salience, and career maturity of African-American students: A causal model. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 53, (1), pp 15-27.

(4) Tarlow, M., & Tarlow, P. (2002) Digital aboriginal. New York, NY: Warner Books.

References (continued)

(5) Super, D.D., Savickas, M.L., & Super, C.M. (1996). The life-span, life-space approach to careers. In Brown, Brooks, & Associates (Eds.), Career choice & development (p. 140). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Anderson, P, & Vandehey, M. (2006). Career counseling and development in a global economy. Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin.

Liptak, J.J. (2001). Treatment planning in career counseling. Belmont, CA: Thomson Brooks/Cole.

Super, D.E. (1990). A life-span, Life-space approach to career development. In D. Brown, L. Brooks, & Associates (Eds.), Career choice and development. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.