Career Assessment – the Case of Barry

Career development begins with a solid assessment of your strengths and weaknesses with an eye toward the future. Utilizing a structured process to incorporate not only your past and current successes, but also your future aspirations is the hallmark of good career development process.

Assess your career options with a fresh eye and new perspective.

• “I’ve spent time developing my technical skills and have been rewarded for my expertise yet. I’m feeling less than fulfilled in my work. I need to take a long hard look at my options.”

Take Charge of Your Career

As you reflect on your career, you may identify certain key points, or places along your career path where a critical milestone was achieved, or significant lesson learned. With our busy lives, it’s increasingly rare to find time to do such reflection. Yet, it is by doing such an assessment that you can find clarity and a sense of purpose in your work.

Reflection Questions:

• What are the obstacles that get in the way of you achieving your next career goals?
• What classes or executive education have you taken in the last 3 years?
• What is your portfolio of skills and experiences?
• What legacy do you want to leave if you depart your current job?

Case Vignette:  Barry

Successful as a regional sales manager, Barry has recently started to rethink his next career move. While he enjoys the perks associated with his job, Barry finds himself feeling less than fulfilled. He thinks about the success he had as a sales person and wonders if going back to a job that involves closer interaction with customers would be just what he needs. On the other hand, Barry thinks that it may be time for a completely new direction: new industry, new job function.

A Coaching Approach for Barry

• Initiate a candid conversation with Barry about his career.
• Utilize assessment tools including multi rater surveys and career profiles.
• Work with Barry to identify several career paths.
• Engage in action planning.

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Melodie Howard’s firm, In Perspective Consulting, focuses on designing and executing sustainable systems for development. Her particular specialties are: succession planning, corporate values, performance management systems, senior leadership competency development, executive coaching, 360o feedback and talent management. Melodie’s previous experience includes serving as the Group Director of Organizational Development for leading international re-insurance company, Partner Reinsurance, Ltd., based in Hamilton, Bermuda. She continues to work with them on a retained consultancy basis. Prior to her role at PartnerRe, Melodie spent 16 years at the Center for Creative Leadership in both operational and profit and loss responsibility roles. Melodie received her Master’s of Science in Organization Development from Pepperdine University in August of 2000 and a B.S. in Psychology from Guilford College in 1980. You can find Melodie’s profile on TheCoachingAssociation.com.