OSPE - The Voice - March 2018 - 35

careerS

ways of landing a job interview than exclusively applying online.
Some engineers with experience can benefit by connecting
with recruiters. Others could expand their job search through
conducting field research meetings or exploring employee
referral programs. Social science research suggests the best way
to imagine what a specific career is like, is to talk to someone
who has made the decision you are considering. We call these
one-on-one meetings 'field research' (check out the free field
research guide at onelifetools.com/resources).
What next steps can you take to better manage your career
for the future?
Begin by reflecting on your current and past experiences. Name
one experience or story from your career and generate the six
elements mentioned earlier:
1. Desires: What did you like about that story? What didn't you
like, and what do you want now instead?
2. Strengths: What skills or knowledge did you use or develop?
3. Personal qualities: How would people describe you in this
story?
4. Natural interests: What fascinated you during this experience?
5. Other people: Who else played a role in this story? How did
they influence you?
6. Assets: What experience or certification or new skill did you
gain?
Over our lifetime we will spend about 100,000 hours in our
careers, and yet research suggests Canadians spend less than nine
hours engaged in any organized career management process.
Now is the time to start building your career management skills
and knowledge to make well-informed choices.
1.Reference: Franklin, M., Yanar, B. & Feller,R. (2015). Narrative method of practice increases
curiosity & exploration, psychological capital, and personal growth leading to career clarity:
A retrospective outcome-study. Canadian Journal of Career Development 14(2)

A career story that reveals the
power of transferable skills
Career Transition 1:
As Michael Asner P.Eng., was graduating with a degree
in Engineering Physics, it was the dawn of applying
computing in industry. So he began his career with
computer consulting jobs and was one of the first to
gain his P.Eng. license in the new field of computer
engineering.
Career Transition 2:
Eight years later Michael co-founded one of the earliest
computer consulting companies. He was responsible
for much of the procurement and proposal writing in
response to Requests for Proposals (RFPs). As he built
skills in proposal writing, he decided to write a book on
the topic. That book is now in its 5th edition.
www.rfpmentor.com.
Career Transition 3:
With the success of his book, and after 10 years in
computer consulting, Michael used his transferable
skills and knowledge in procurement, law and people
skills, to launch a career in the public sector, negotiating
and procuring computer systems for both the US and
Canadian governments. The creation of NAFTA around
that time supported interesting cross-border work.
Michael still works in public procurement, writing
RFPs for governments and teaching engineers how to
effectively respond to RFPs.
"Looking ahead from my engineering graduation, I
never anticipated this is where I'd end up," Michael says.
"It's a challenging industry combining law, engineering
thinking, and human skills, and it's been great fun."

What can managers, leaders and employers do to support the careers of their employees?
Career conversations at work.
This is an important tool to engage employees, especially
millennials. Managers can schedule periodic conversations,
separate from performance reviews, to help employees
reflect on their progress, identify career possibilities within
the workplace and to support employees to learn more about
those possibilities.
Support career exploration via field research opportunities.
When employees identify internal opportunities, managers
can sanction and set up one-on-one meetings with relevant

The VOICe

March 2018

staff. To get a list of 20 questions that can be asked in a
field research meeting, access the free guide at:
www.onelifetools.com/resources
Internal career development learning opportunities.
Support staff to build new skills and knowledge that bridge
their interests and the needs of the workplace. Learning
opportunities can be provided by an external source such
as OSPE or can be offered in-house. Providing work time
to do online courses through learning platforms such as
Coursera, Edx or Lynda, is also effective.

http://www.onelifetools.com/resources http://www.rfpmentor.com http://www.onelifetools.com/resources

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