Career Development in UNDP

JPO Service Centre

Unlocking your Future

Important Components of Career

Qualifications & CVs Networking Reputation Management Think Competencies Opportunity Scans Job Satisfiers Values Mentoring Luck ?

Qualifications and Documents

Having the appropriate qualifications and applying for positions with polished documents are an important aspect of career development.

All applications should be tailored to the position you are applying for.

Be prepared to augment qualifications with specialized learning to meet career goals.

Networking

Networking is the obtaining, sharing and managing information, knowledge and resources to achieve desired goals.

90% of jobs in international organisations are secured through some form of networking

Formal and informal networking have been a feature of every culture – it is not a ‘North American’ Concept.

Networking (cont)

…is reciprocal, if you are willing to share information, knowledge and develop relationships, you will be rewarded.

! Do not fall into the trap of only networking upwards.

Networking is an ongoing process – not an event.

With whom, how and where do you network?

Three Tiers of Networking

Tier I – Actively creating networks (2%) Tier II – Actively participating in existing

networks (28%) Tier III – Passively participating in existing

networks (70%)

Reputation Management

Your professional reputation (how others see you – not how you see yourself) can be a very powerful career accelerator/inhibitor.

How do others (managers, supervisor, peers, and clients) see you?

What is your reputation? How is your current performance rated?

Competencies

Competency refers to a combination of skills, attributes and behaviors that are directly related to successful performance

Competencies are inherently embedded in HR, for vacancies, interviewing, performance management, succession planning, promotions

Opportunity Scans

Requires you to look beyond the current job but rather look at how your organisation (or the one you want to be in) is changing.

What is my current situation – self assessment? How is the organization changing? What future opportunities may exist in this or other

organisations? What are the skills, competencies and experience required for

other opportunities? What do I have in my professional armory and what do I need

to remain relevant and current?

Job Satisfiers

Job satisfiers are the work or job elements which you prefer

Knowing these will assist in matching your options for work with your preferences.

The more you are satisfied with your work, the more likely you will reach full potential and demonstrate effectiveness in your work.

What are the top five elements necessary for you to have job satisfaction. Are you satisfied now?

Values

In the context of the UN, values are defined as common principles that guide actions and/or behaviours.

Knowing how our own individual values match those held and practiced by the organisation/people we work for (or are seeking to work with), will help us to make more informed employment decisions.

It is also necessary to know your values – what is important to you, as your personal value system underlies the choices you make about your life and career.

Success Factors in Mentoring

Same gender Same race Same location Serendipitous matching of mentor and mentee Organizationally ‘two up’ Established goals at the start of the programme Defined end point Regular face-to-face communication No fault termination

Final Thoughts

The most important person in your career is you – take that responsibility seriously.

If you feel you are in a career plateau (or rut) seek professional guidance

Think about doing a career mapping exercise, looking at the elements discussed today

Be persistent!