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Chapter 5

Applications of the Career Management Model:

Goals, Strategies, and Appraisal

Key Points in this Chapter

 Career Goals  Obstacles to Goal Setting  Career Indecision  Career Strategies  Guidelines for Developing Career Strategies  Career Appraisal  Guidelines for Effective Career Appraisal

Career Goals  A career goal is a desired career-related outcome

that a person intends to attain  Goals regulate human actions by:

1. Spurring high levels of effort 2. Giving direction to effort 3. Increasing persistence on tasks 4. Helping one develop strategies for accomplishing

tasks 5. Providing opportunities for feedback

 All of these functions are important to career management

Types of Career Goals

 2 Components of Career Goals:  Conceptual goal: summarizes the nature of the work

experiences one intends to attain without specifying a particular job or position

 Operational goal: the translation of a conceptual goal into a specific job or position

 Time Dimension: Short-Term & Long-Term  Short-term goal: has a more immediate focus (1-3

years)  Long-term goal: has a longer time frame (5-7 years)

Career Goals  Long-Term & Short-Term Conceptual Goals

 Long-term: is a projection of one’s preferred work environment into a 5 to 7 year time frame

 Short-term: supports the long-term goal & displays the qualities one hopes to express in work  What work experiences will prepare you for the long-term goal?

 What talents need to be developed?

 Long-Term & Short-Term Operational Goals  Environmental exploration is required to convert conceptual

goals to operational goals  What specific occupation (or job or organization) will provide an

opportunity to meet your significant values, interests, abilities, or lifestyle requirements (i.e., your conceptual goal)?

Career Goals

Obstacles to Effective Goal Setting

 Goals that belong to someone else  Goals that exclude lifestyle preferences  Goals that are overly vague  Goals that are too easy or too difficult  Inflexible goals

Inability to Set Career Goals: Career Indecision

 Individuals are career undecided if they do not have a career goal or if they have a career goal that makes them uncomfortable or uncertain

 Causes of Career Indecision  Lack of self-information  Lack of internal & external work information  Lack of decision-making self-confidence  Decision-making fear & anxiety  Nonwork demands  Situational constraints

Types of Career Indecision & Possible Solutions

 Developmental indecision: stems from limited experience & knowledge  Learn about yourself & the environment

 Chronic indecision: reflects an inability to make career decisions  Break the “paralysis” created by fear & anxiety or

situational constraints

 Hypervigilant: there is a career goal in place, but the goal was made with insufficient information or was quickly contrived due to pressure & anxiety  Reexamine career decisions & gather more information

Career Strategies  A career strategy is any behavior, activity, or

experience designed to help a person meet career goals

 Examples of Career Strategies  Attaining competence in the current job  Putting in extended hours  Developing new skills (knowing how)  Developing new opportunities at work (knowing whom)  Attaining a mentor  Building one’s image & reputation  Engaging in organizational politics

Guidelines for Developing Career Strategies

 There is no one best strategy that is equally effective in all situations  Career strategies should reflect steps to be taken, as

well as areas to be avoided  The effectiveness of a particular strategy depends on

the nature of the career goal & on the organization’s norms and values

 Individuals should engage in a variety of strategic behaviors

Career Appraisal  Career Appraisal: the process by which career-

related feedback is gathered & used  With an effective appraisal process, career management

becomes a learning experience in which one looks for feedback that confirms or disconfirms prior decisions

 The feedback obtained can test the appropriateness of a particular career strategy & goal

 The feedback closes the career management cycle by re- instigating career exploration

Guidelines for Effective Career Appraisal

 Be vigilant in detecting when a strategy is or is not working  See the world clearly & make revisions in goals &

strategies when necessary  Use your career strategies as benchmarks & test the

usefulness of the strategies against these benchmarks  Review the appropriateness of goals in light of new

information that may have been attained  Structure your interactions with your supervisor to acquire

desired information  Share experiences & feelings with trustworthy people  Seek feedback from nonwork sources

Summary

 Career exploration paves the way for the creation of career goals, which represent desired career- related outcomes that a person intends to attain

 Career strategies are actions designed to help individuals attain their career goals

 Career strategies need to be monitored & appraised