CAREER PLANNING &

TEAM INTERVENTION
DANA CALICA
BSLM 4A

CAREER PLANNING
A comprehensive, formalized written plan (that learners use
alone and with the help of others) that relates learning to
career goals. The plan is based on both formal and informal
assessments and should include areas in which a learner
needs to increase knowledge and skills in order to reach
documented goals.

CAREER PLANNING
Rule#1: Choose a career that is something you really like to do.
Rule#2: Do your research and choose carefully and thoughtfully.
Rule#3: Make it meaningful to you.

FACTORS TO CONSIDER:
DONT:

DO:
explore a number of

careers

and majors
get involved
Get advice from people in your

target occupation
follow your passion

Dare to try something new

focus on a major just to get a career

out of it
select a major just because it is
cool or seems to promise prestige
let someone else push you into a
job
Assume that you have it all figured
out

FACTORS AFFECTING CAREER SELECTION:

Interests
Skills

Aptitudes
People skills

Experience
Family traditions
Personality
Life goals and work values

TIP: (KEEP YOUR OPTIONS OPEN)

Its a good idea to have several careers in mind rather than just one in

your first year of college.

Approximately 60% of students change their major at some point during
their college career.
It pays to be knowledgeable about more than just one career field. The
average graduate changes their job seven times in their life.
It also pays to develop a wide variety of general skills, particular those
related to communication.

ASSESS YOUR SKILLS

Academic Strengths
Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening
Math
Creative Thinking
Problem Solving and Decision Making
Personal Qualities
Self-Esteem, Self-Management, Responsibility
People Skills
Social, Negotiation, Leadership, Teamwork

CAREER COUNSELING
The career counselors at your college are trained

professionals who can help you

discover your strengths and weaknesses
evaluate your values and goals
sort through what type of career you want
They will not tell you what to do, they will simply help
identify what factors may lead to successful and interesting
career options.

GETTING EXPERIENCE
Volunteer or service learning

Study abroad
Internships/co-ops

On-campus employment
Student projects/competitions

Research
On-the-job training
Apprenticeships

RESEARCH THE JOB

Identify

the skills and experience necessary to perform the

job you want.
Determine the general requirements of the job.
Learn about the day-to-day tasks and responsibilities.
Research the company and employer.
Determine the companys philosophy.
The more you know about the job, the stronger the candidate
you will become.

EMPLOYER REQUIREMENTS
Potential

employers will look for evidence of your accomplishments and

experiences.
Did you hold leadership positions?
Were you active in campus organizations or extracurricular activities?
Did you have relevant experiences in co-op, internships, or part-time work?
Did you make good grades?
The more you have of these experiences, the better.
Go by incognito and get the lay of the land.
How do the employees dress, interact with each other, look for company policy
wall signs and so on.

JOB INTERVIEW
Be able to answer basic questions:
Why do you want this job?
What are your strengths?

Your weaknesses?

What sets you apart from other candidates?

If

you decide you want the job, you may want to ask for it at the close of
the interview.

Type a brief

follow-up letter to mail within 24 hours.

TEAM INTERVENTION
The purpose of this team is to help Employees /
Members of the team that are struggling in some way.
This usually refers to performance but can include
emotional/behavioral/social concerns.

GROUP vs. TEAM

A work group is :
- a number of persons
- usually reporting to a common superior

- persons have some degree of interdependence in carrying out tasks for the purpose of
achieving organizational goals

A team is :

- a form of group
- has some characteristics in greater degree than ordinary groups
- and a higher degree of interdependency and interaction

DIFFERENT TYPES OF TEAMS:

Cross-Functional Teams: comprised of

individuals with functional home

base (Manufacturing, design, etc.) but they meet regularly to solve ongoing
challenges requiring input from a number of functional areas

Effective Teams: are relaxed, comfortable and informal

High-Performance Teams: have strong personal commitment to each other-

commitment to others growth and success

EFFECTIVE TEAM

An effective team has certain characteristics that allow the team

members to function more efficiently and productively.

An effective team develops ways to share leadership roles and ways to

share accountability for their work products, shifting the emphasis from
the individual to several individuals within the team. A team also
develops a specific team purpose and concrete work products that the
members produce together.

In a study of 569 managers, they reported that they limited their efforts
or input in over 56% of the teams in which they participated. The major
causes for giving up were cited as:
Presence of someone with expertise (73%)--I wasn't needed

Presentation of compelling argument (62%)--I didn't have other

information for an argument
Lack of confidence in ability to contribute (61%)--I wasn't prepared or
there were other "high power" people.
Unimportant or meaningless decision (52%)--why waste my time?
Pressures to conform to team decision (46%) --groupthink at its best!
Dysfunctional decision making climate (39%)--you want me to risk
what?!

This Intervention can be used effectively to:

Engage and align individuals, or cross-teams, to

collaborate effectively
Bring in high energy and charge up the team to
achieve stretched goals
Set up a high performance climate in the
organization

Team interventions usually focus on the following:

Clarify Direction: often facilitate teams, to clarify their visions and goals, and their
understanding of the business environment, market and competitor forces within
their operation.

Inspiring Performance: This involves clarifying individual and team roles, their
interdependencies and communication between them.

Building Relationships and Trust: use techniques such as sharing information, giving
and receiving feedback, as well as practical behavior to help colleagues understand
each other better.

 Conflict

Management: help clarify the rules of engagement and, if

necessary, use conflict management techniques to help protagonists
stand back and take a fresh look at how they are behaving and working
together, and explore options for change.

Relating to the External World: identify the key external stakeholders of

the team, how communication occurs between them and individual team
members, and facilitate changes which simplify and enhance
effectiveness.

-END-