Career Development: Workshop Approach

Ever wondered why some people just seem to land in their feet when developing their career? Is it luck or are there skills to ensuring you get the opportunities you want and deserve? Well, there are ways of ensuring you have an advantage in the business, and this is precisely what our new career development workshop aims to do. The workshops recognise the changes in the internal employment market and the personal aspirations and demands of our people. A far cry from the traditional paternalistic approach, the workshop encourages our people to take ownership of their career development and be proactive in the internal market.

What’s different about the workshop?

In terms of context, the differences between this and other career development workshops are:

• This career development workshop actually aids your employability within the business context.
• It is targeted primarily at your needs (the ‘me’ factor) rather than the organisation’s needs – and you will notice the difference!
• As well as the usual values, personality, competencies and achievements, it reaches much further to maximise performance within the business context. It provides the tools for personal change within the organisational change framework.
• It is a motivational platform for you to take ownership your career development and job roles.
• We guarantee no embarrassment and everyone feeling motivated when exiting the workshop.

What’s in it for the business?

These workshops were about recognising the changes in the employment market and the personal aspirations and demands of the workforce. A far cry from the traditional paternalistic approach, the workshops encouraged staff to take ownership of their career development and be proactive in the internal market.

The rationale is clear:

• Our use of the ‘employability paradox’. In basic terms, the paradox is that the more you make your staff employable (to the outside job market as well as internally), the more they stay with you. Members of staff know that their personal career interests (the ‘me factor’) are being taken care of so they don’t need to go elsewhere to further enhance their career development or to test their marketability outside the business. They are motivated to stay and take ownership for their change remit.
• As we say internally, for many talented individuals within corporate bodies, the only career development they get is when the head-hunter calls and simply asks them how things are going? How long then before that first face-to-face meeting and subsequent appointment elsewhere? And we all know the costs associated with this.
• Like most businesses undergoing rapid change, staff are working hard to ensure the success of the company, but how long can this commitment to the business endure before motivation is finally lost? What about the ‘me factor’ during these processes of change? Consultancies generally provide organisational change strategies with the focus on aligning structures and processes to market needs. They seem to forget however, that people are not uniform resources that conform in a standardised way; but rather need strategies to enable them to first cope with the changes, and second, take ownership for the changes themselves. This is the area where we have provided some critical keys to personal change.

The workshop itself

The workshop continually mixes four segments. The first are those items that provide an understanding of what you really want from your career (and, to some extent, from life). The second essentially provides you with the tools to understand what you have to sell – to package yourself and self-market. The third part then takes you through strategies for maximising your chances of success in selection. And, finally, personal strategies for ensuring success in your career and beyond. These segments are mixed and matched throughout to ensure continual stimulation.

Workshop objectives

For participants, the objectives are:

• To find the right career development route.
• To understand what you are, what you want and where you are going.
• To enable you to create a ‘yes pile’ (to be interviewed) CV.
• To effectively create and then adapt your interview style to maximise your impact and ensure the right preparation.
• To create the right mindset for realising your career goals and effectively perform throughout the recruitment and selection process.
• To create competitive advantage internally and against external candidates applying for internal roles.

What organisations have used this workshop to inspire change and help their staff?

Client organisations that have benefitted from this approach include:

What do the participants say?

From other businesses, this is what participants have to say:

“Extremely useful workshop which I feel has provided me with a comprehensive tool kit to approach new jobs & interviews in a more ‘scientific’, structured and confident way.”

“Fantastic new tools for my development.”

“Inspiring. Given me the confidence & knowledge to help me to take my career forward.”

“Very worthwhile, well developed & above all very practical in terms of applicability & relevance.”

“The workshop was not only an eye opener but inspiring – please roll it out and let others share the pain.”

“Excellent. Visualisation and mind power brought home to life.”

“Anthony [the facilitator] shows a passion which is infectious. Please don’t let him be cured.”

“Brilliant.”

Have we just picked good quotes? Well, here are all the ratings from a single event.
 

Participants Area of Post-Workshop Rating	Rating Received (mean score out of 10 – all included)
Overall Workshop Satisfaction	9.27
Facilitation Skills	9.27
Facilitators Knowledge	9.63
Workshop Structure	9.18