Employees
Successful career development is a shared responsibility between the employee, the manager, and the University that collaboratively manages performance for success. Part of your responsibility is to set your own career and learning goals. In order to be successful, employees need resources and support as to develop their careers.
What is your Career Direction?
What people want out of their careers – their goals – can be very different. When career goals differ, the approach to get there – the direction – differs too. In fact, an individual employee’s career direction may change several times due to external circumstance, or changes in values, interests or abilities. Consider what career directions you have had in the past and what your career direction is now. There are three major career directions that people tend to experience over their lives:
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Enrichment
- Perform current job duties and responsibilities in current career path and participate in professional development activities to keep skills current.
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Progression
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Grow in one’s current job, in the current career path, by acquiring additional skills or additional/or different duties and responsibilities, resulting in promotion/s; OR
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Move through the competitive hiring process, to another job in the same career path, with different duties and responsibilities, resulting in promotion/s.
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Transition
- Move, through the competitive hiring process, to another job in a different career cluster or career path, with different duties and responsibilities.
We have on-going career development workshops and services that may help you assess your skills and interests, network to uncover opportunities, write a resume, interview to get the job, etc. Please check these frequently as they are continually updated.
Our assessment tools can help you identify you skills, interests, values and preferences and assist you with the process of Enrichment, Progression or Transition. And, we provide valuable career development resources that offer additional tools to help you.
Career Paths and Competencies U.Va has identified over 75 Career Paths. Most have many individual jobs that would fit into each path. Often employees have capabilities in more than one career path.
UVa Competencies represent key competencies, or behaviors, that have been identified and are associated with employment success across every career path at the University.
There are three steps to setting career goals and developing a career enhancement plan:
Step 1 EXPLORE - Reflect on who you are, what you do well and when you are most alive and energized!
Step 2 THINK - Set career goals and map out a strategy to achieve them.
Step 3 ACT - Take actions to accomplish your goals and manage your career.
Keep in mind that the University’s performance management system is closely integrated with career development. For University Staff, compensation is also tied to career development and can lead to increased compensation and/or promotion.
Learning Opportunities
Our Educational and Professional Development site offers resources to help you develop your career.
