Taking Control of Your Career: A Workbook For Change

TAKING CONTROL OF
YOUR CAREER
A WORKBOOK FOR CHANGE

Table of Contents
Getting Started.................................................................................................................................................................................................. iii

Your Information.......................................................................................................................................................................................... iii
How to Use This Workbook......................................................................................................................................................................... iv
Activities.................................................................................................................................................................................................. iv
Resources................................................................................................................................................................................................. iv
Purpose.......................................................................................................................................................................................................... v
Overview....................................................................................................................................................................................................... v
MODULE 1: Knowing Yourself and What You Want.......................................................................................................................................1
Reflections on Your Career....................................................................................................................................................................... 1
Thinking Ahead............................................................................................................................................................................................. 3
Personal Assessment...................................................................................................................................................................................... 5
Career Card Sort Activities............................................................................................................................................................................ 6
Values Card Sort....................................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Skills Card Sort......................................................................................................................................................................................... 8
Personality Type Inventory.......................................................................................................................................................................... 10
What Do You Think?.............................................................................................................................................................................. 11
MODULE 2: Ingredients for an Action Plan.....................................................................................................................................................12
Looking for Opportunities............................................................................................................................................................................ 13
All Posts in the UN Secretariat................................................................................................................................................................ 13
Temporary Job Openings (TJOs)............................................................................................................................................................16
International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) Openings.....................................................................................................................18
Generic Job Profiles................................................................................................................................................................................ 19
Reach Out to Your Connections...................................................................................................................................................................22
Options for an Action Plan........................................................................................................................................................................... 23
Getting from Where I Am to Where I Want to Be........................................................................................................................................25
Getting Support for Your Plan..................................................................................................................................................................... 27
Additional Resources................................................................................................................................................................................... 28
MODULE 3: Career Plateaus........................................................................................................................................................................... 29
Types of Career Plateaus.............................................................................................................................................................................. 29
Do You Feel Stuck?..................................................................................................................................................................................... 30
Coping with a Career Plateau.......................................................................................................................................................................31
MODULE 4: Transferable Skills......................................................................................................................................................................33
Your Professional Survival Toolbox.......................................................................................................................................................33
Presenting Your Transferable Skills........................................................................................................................................................ 33
What’s in Your Toolbox?............................................................................................................................................................................. 35
Develop Your Core Competencies............................................................................................................................................................... 36
Building Competencies................................................................................................................................................................................ 37
Communication....................................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Teamwork............................................................................................................................................................................................... 37
Planning & Organizing........................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Accountability......................................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Client Orientation.................................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Creativity................................................................................................................................................................................................ 38
Technological Awareness....................................................................................................................................................................... 38
Commitment to Continuous Learning.....................................................................................................................................................39
Rate Your Competencies.............................................................................................................................................................................. 40
MODULE 5: Emotional Intelligence................................................................................................................................................................ 41

Identify Emotions as They Occur............................................................................................................................................................41
What Is Emotional Intelligence?.................................................................................................................................................................. 42
Taking Control of Your Career

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EI by the Numbers.................................................................................................................................................................................. 42
Emotional Intelligence Skills..................................................................................................................................................................42
What’s Your EI?.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 44
Online EI Assessment............................................................................................................................................................................. 44
EI Checklist............................................................................................................................................................................................ 45
MODULE 6: Managing Your Reputation.........................................................................................................................................................49
Your Reputation...................................................................................................................................................................................... 49
Improving Your Reputation......................................................................................................................................................................... 50
Who Can You Ask About Your Reputation?...............................................................................................................................................51
MODULE 7: Building Career Connections......................................................................................................................................................53
What Is Involved in Building Career Connections?................................................................................................................................53
Who’s in Your Network Now?............................................................................................................................................................... 54
Ways to Expand Your Connections..............................................................................................................................................................55
Informational Interviewing.......................................................................................................................................................................... 56
Initiating an Informational Interview...................................................................................................................................................... 56
Conducting an Informational Interview...................................................................................................................................................56
Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview......................................................................................................................................57
Getting Ready for Your Interviews.........................................................................................................................................................57
MODULE 8: Courage at Work......................................................................................................................................................................... 60
What Does Courage at Work Mean for You?..........................................................................................................................................60
How to Discuss a New Idea with a Manager................................................................................................................................................61
Practicing Courage....................................................................................................................................................................................... 62
Sample Cases.......................................................................................................................................................................................... 62
Discussion............................................................................................................................................................................................... 62
MODULE 9: Understanding the New World of Work......................................................................................................................................64
What Does This Mean for You?................................................................................................................................................................... 65
MODULE 10: Transitioning to a Managerial Role...........................................................................................................................................67
What Are Some Major Differences?.......................................................................................................................................................67
Preparing for Your Transition......................................................................................................................................................................68
Policies.................................................................................................................................................................................................... 68
The Manager’s Checklist........................................................................................................................................................................ 69
Managerial Challenges................................................................................................................................................................................. 71
The Diversity Challenge......................................................................................................................................................................... 71
Other Challenges..................................................................................................................................................................................... 72
Your Development/Learning Plan................................................................................................................................................................73
MODULE 11: Transitioning to Retirement......................................................................................................................................................75
Reflections on a Life Transition...................................................................................................................................................................76
What Does Retirement Look Like to You?..................................................................................................................................................77

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Getting Started
Before you begin, save this document with a title which includes your last name so you can share
it with a counsellor on the Career Resource Centre Team 1 or your manager. After you complete each
activity, save the document again so you do not lose your work.
Your Information
Now that you have saved this document, click each grey area and type the requested information:
First name
Last name
Job title
Office or mission
Number of years you have you been working in your current

position
Number of years you have been working in the UN System
1
To contact the Career Resource Centre Team, call +1 212 963 9500 or email centrec@un.org.

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How to Use This Workbook
Activities
Throughout this workbook, you will find activities to do on your own. When you see the computer icon , follow
the instructions to complete the exercise. In some cases, you are directed to a website within or outside the UN. In
other cases, you select an item or box from a list. In most cases, you enter your response by typing.
To enter a response, click the grey box enter the information requested, as shown here:
Resources
At the end of most modules, you will find a list of additional resources, many of which are available on the UN
Skillport site. To access this site:
1. Go to https://un.skillport.com/skillportfe//login.action.
2. Under the login fields, click New users click here at the bottom of the page.
3. Complete the New User Registration form.
4. Click Submit.
5. When you receive an email with your password, return to the website.
6. Enter your email address and the password, and then click Login to SkillPort.

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Purpose
“Taking Control of Your Career” is designed to actualize the UN’s belief that “people are our most valuable asset.”
The goal of the programme is to engage managers and staff in the career development process throughout their
tenure. While you are ultimately responsible for your career planning, this workbook will help you begin that
process.
In particular, “Taking Control of Your Career” will help you:
 Reflect on your career and map out steps to pursue your career aspirations at the UN
 Assess your competencies and how to strengthen them
 Explore steps which may enhance your career development at the UN
 Identify obstacles to managing your career at the UN and ways to remove them
Overview
“Taking Control of Your Career” consists of 11 modules divided into 3 parts:
Part 1: Career Planning and Advancement
 Module 1: Knowing Yourself and What You Want

 Module 2: Ingredients for an Action Plan
 Module 3: Career Plateaus
Part 2: Career Tools
 Module 4: Transferable Skills

 Module 5: Emotional Intelligence
 Module 6: Managing Your Reputation
 Module 7: Career Connections
 Module 8: Courage at Work
Part 3: Career Transitions
 Module 9: The New World of Work

 Module 10: Transitioning to a Managerial Role
 Module 11: Transitioning to Retirement
Each module will take 30 to 90 minutes to complete.

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MODULE 1: Knowing Yourself and What You Want
This module will help you identify your values, occupational interests, strengths
and achievements, skills, and preferences. Module 1 will also help managers
discuss professional development and career aspirations with their staff.
Looking back on your career is the first step toward looking forward. It is a time
to think about what actions have positively influenced your career so far and
whether the same or similar actions might
help your career progress even further.
Reflections on Your Career
Instructions: Answer the following questions. You can enter as much text as you want. At the end of this
module, you may want to send this document to a counsellor on the Career Resource Centre Team 2 and
arrange meet to discuss your reflections.
1. What experiences or actions have positively affected your career? How did you initiate them?
What experience or action How did you initiate it?

positively affected your career?
Your response Your response
2. What types of organizational support helped or would help your career growth?
Your response
3. Who helped you make cross-functional, interagency, or other mobility transitions?
Your response
4. Who helped with your geographic relocations?
Your response
5. Did anyone make the transition easier for your spouse and children?
Your response
2
To contact the Career Resource Centre Team, call +1 212 963 9500 or send an email to centrec@un.org.

1
Thinking Ahead
An important part of your career planning process is visualizing where you want to be professionally in the short-
and long-term future. What would you like to be doing and where? What skills and knowledge do you need to get
there? Your answers to these questions will help you clarify your career goals and develop an action plan to achieve
them.
Instructions: Type your answers in the tables below. You can enter as much text as you want.
1. What job assignment(s) would you like to have or career move(s) would you like to make in the
coming years? Why?
Timeframe Job Assignment/Career Move Why?
1 – 2 years Your response Your response
2. What skills and knowledge do you need to develop to be eligible for these assignments and career moves?
Timeframe Job Assignment/Career Move Skills and Knowledge Needed
3. Who might help you gain the experience you need to get your desired job(s)?
Timeframe Job Assignment/Career Move Who can help?

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4. How are you going to prepare for your desired new job assignment(s)?
Timeframe Job Assignment/Career Move Preparations

3
Personal Assessment
Knowing what you do well in the workplace can serve as a springboard for professional development. Your work
preferences and personal motivators also influence where you want to go in your career and how you want to get
there.
Instructions: Type your answers below. You can enter as much text as you want.
1. What do you do well? What are your strengths? What specific skills do you have which you could use in
other positions?
Your response
2. What is unique about your work experience?
Your response
3. What are your work preferences?
 Do you like to work alone or with others?

 Do you like having a job with a lot or a little structure?
 Do you prefer assignments which are very specific or which give you a lot of room for
imagination?
 Would you prefer to work in HQ or a field location?
Your response
4. In what areas would you like to continue your professional growth and learning?
Your response
5. What values drive or motivate you (for example, achievement, creativity, making a difference, money, or
service)?
Your response

4
Career Card Sort Activities
You can use web-based card sorts to identify and assess your career values and skills.
These activities can help you focus your career plan on areas which excite or motivate
you and which are consistent with your values.
Values Card Sort3
If you are unhappy in and unfulfiled by your current job, it may be because your values and the work you do are
“out of sync.” Aligning what is important to you with your work is essential to finding meaning and satisfaction.
Use this card sort activity to identify what is most important to you in a work setting. This activity helps you
explore what is important to you about what you do, how you do it, where you do it, with whom you do it, and for
whom you do it.
Instructions: Follow the steps below and then enter the results in the table provided.
1. Enter the following address in your browser window: http://oca.cce.umn.edu/prototypes/cardsort/values/
2. Rate the 48 values presented on the cards according to how important each is to you by “dragging” 4 each card
into one of the following categories:
 Most Important
 Somewhat Important
 Not Important
Note that only five values can be rated “Most Important” in order to help you set priorities for your key values.
3. Create a new card if a value which is important to you is not in the card deck. To do so:
a. Click Create a new card.
b. Type the name of the value in the top box.
c. Explain what that value means for you in the bottom box.
d. Click Add New Card.
4. Type your five most important values in the first column of the table below.
5. For each of your most important values:
3
This card sort is made available by the College of Continuing Education, University of Minnesota, MN, USA.
4
To drag a card, point to it with your mouse, click and hold down your mouse button, move the card to the appropriate column, and then let
go of the mouse button.

5
 Explain why it is important to you.
 Describe how you will know when it is being met, in other words, what behavioural or observable
indicators there will be.
 Rate how well the value is being met in your current job on a scale of 1 to 5 where:
1 = Not being met at all
2 = Being met somewhat
3 = Being met adequately
4 = Mostly being met
5 = Being met well
Value Why is it important to you? How will you know when How well is it
it’s being met? being met in
your current
job?
Your response Your response Your response Select a number.

6
Skills Card Sort5
Many people find it difficult to identify their skills. We often:
 Discount or minimize what we are good at

 Don’t think of what we do well as being valuable
 Assume everyone else can do it
 Are overly critical of ourselves
Identifying your skills as well as being able to articulate how you have used them is helpful both for clarifying what
sort of work might be a good fit and for marketing yourself when networking and interviewing.
Note that this card sort activity is not specifically related to UN jobs. Even so, it is a valuable tool for recognizing
and categorizing your broad occupational interests. For example, are you someone who prefers to deal with people,
ideas, data, or things?
Instructions: Follow the steps below and then enter the results in the table provided.
1. Enter the following address in your browser window: http://oca.cce.umn.edu/prototypes/cardsort/skills/
2. Rate the 42 skills presented on the cards according to how much the skill interests and excites you by
“dragging”6 each card into one of the following categories:
 Energizes Me
 Has Little or No Effect
 Depletes Me
Note that only five values can receive the top rating of “Energizes Me” in order to help you identify your
preferred skills.
3. Create a new card if a skill which energizes you is not in the card deck. To do so:
a. Click Create a new card.
b. Type the name of the skill in the top box.
c. Describe the skill in the bottom box.
d. Click Add New Card.
5
This card sort is made available by the College of Continuing Education, University of Minnesota, MN, USA. The list of skills is from
CareerOneStop (http://www.careeronestop.org), which is sponsored by the U. S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training
Administration.
6
To drag a card, point to it with your mouse, click and hold down your mouse button, move the card to the appropriate column, and then let
go of the mouse button.

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4. Type your five most energizing skills in the first column of the table below.
 Identify several examples of when you have used it on the job

 Rate how often you get to use it in your current job on a scale of 1 to 5 where:
1 = Never
2 = Rarely
3 = Sometimes
4 = Frequently
5 = Most of the time
Skill Examples of when I’ve used this skill on the job How often
are you
using it in
your
current
job?

8
Personality Type Inventory
The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is the most widely used personality inventory in the career development
field. By asking you to identify your preferences, the MBTI can help you
determine and learn about your personality type. The MBTI can also help you
find your strengths, recognize possible blind spots, and get your ideas across
more effectively to co-workers and your boss.
In this activity, you take a modified version of the MBTI.
Instructions: Follow the steps below. In step 4, be sure to make a

selection in each drop-down list. Make sure you have at least 10 – 15
minutes to complete the questions. Do your best to answer the
questions honestly, even if you do not like the answer.
1. Enter the following address in your browser: http://www.16personalities.com/free-personality-test.
2. Answer each of the questions by “dragging”7 the circle in the middle of the bar in one direction or another.
There are six positions on the bar, three to the left and three to the right, as shown here:
Note: Be sure to move each circle in one direction or the other; at the end of the activity, none of the circles
should be exactly in the middle of the bar.
3. When you have answered all the questions, click Results at the bottom of the page.
4. At the top of the Results page, a 4-letter code appears after “Your personality type:” Enter the code which
appears by selecting a letter from each of these lists:
Select a letter. Select a letter. Select a letter. Select a letter.
5. Click Learn More About Your Type and review the detailed description of your personality type.
7
To drag the circle, point to it with your mouse, click and hold down your mouse button, move the circle to the appropriate position, and
then let go of the mouse button.

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6. If you see a diagram at the bottom of the description page which looks like this one:
a. Click Careers to read about the types of jobs for which you are most suited.
b. Click Workplace to learn more about how you’re likely to function in the work environment depending on
whether you are another staff person’s colleague, manager, or subordinate.
If, instead, you see a chart at the bottom of the description page like the one shown here:
a. Click Career paths to read about the types of jobs for which you are most suited.
b. Click Workplace habits to learn more about how you’re likely to function in the work environment
depending on whether you are another staff person’s colleague, manager, or subordinate.
What Do You Think?
Instructions: Enter your thoughts about the personality type you were assigned and the descriptions
provided in the assessment tool. You can enter as much text as you want.
1. Does the personality type match how you think about yourself? What resonates with you? What
Your response
2. Did any of the information surprise you? If so, what?
Your response
3. Now that you know your type, how do you think it affects your job performance?
Your response
4. Does the information provided give you any new ideas about the types of positions or work environments
which you might prefer? If so, what are they?
Your response

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MODULE 2: Ingredients for an Action Plan
Module 1 focused on personal assessment. This included:
 Reviewing your current development needs

 Thinking about the professional goals you want to achieve in the
next 5 years
 Identifying competencies, skills, and knowledge you need to
reach these goals
 Taking stock of your major strengths, values, and skill preferences
 Determining what motivates you at work
Now, take some time to review the entries you’ve made up to this point in this workbook to see whether there are
any important omissions or gaps. This reflection will help you shape a short-term personal career plan as you work
through the rest of “Taking Control of Your Career.”
Note: This might also be a good time to contact the Career Resource Centre Team by phone at +1 212 963 9500 or
by email at centrec@un.org to schedule a session with a career counsellor. When you finish the second section of
this module, you may send it to the counsellor via email so he or she may review it prior to your online meeting.

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Looking for Opportunities
Part of your career advancement plan should include regularly scanning for new
employment opportunities. It’s up to you to take the initiative to look for jobs
which are well aligned with your goals.
Depending on the type of job you are seeking, you look on Inspira, iSeek, or the
ICSC web site. The following procedures explain how to find openings on each of
these systems.
All Posts in the UN Secretariat
1. Go to https://careers.un.org.

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2. Enter search criteria by clicking the arrows to make selections.
3. Click Search to view the results.

4. Click a job title of interest to view its description.
Set Up Inspira Job Alerts

13
You can set up an alert so you will receive an email whenever there’s a job opening in Inspira which matches your
search criteria. To do so:
1. Log in to Inspira.
2. Enter or select your search criteria.
5. Click Save Search Criteria.

6. Give your search a name and enter your email address.
7. Click Save Search.
Temporary Job Openings (TJOs)

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To look for TJOs at the UN Secretariat and Offices Away from Headquarters (OAHs):
7. Go to http://iseek.un.org/m210.asp?dept=1614.
8. On the iSeek home page, click Temporary Job Openings under QuickLinks.
Alternatively, click Topics > HR > Careers, Staffing and Learning > Temporary Job Openings.
9. Click the links on the left side of the Temporary Job Openings page to see current openings in your area of
interest.

15
16
International Civil Service Commission (ICSC) Openings
To view all vacancies in the entire UN System:
1. Go to http://jobs.unicsc.org/.
2. Click the arrow above any column to filter the search results on additional criteria:

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Generic Job Profiles
Generic Job Profiles provide an overview of the different types of positions available in the UN system. Each
profile includes a statement of duties and responsibilities as well as a list of competencies required for the position.
These profiles serve as a point of reference to help you determine whether you are prepared for such a position and,
if not, the competencies you need to acquire to be considered as an applicant.
To view Generic Job Profiles:
1. Go to http://iseek.un.org/m210.asp?dept=1614.
2. On the iSeek home page, click Topics > HR > Careers, Staffing and Learning > Generic Jobs Profiles.

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3. Click the occupational group of interest to you.
4. Click the specific job, category, and level of interest to you.

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5. Review the detailed Generic Job Profile.

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Reach Out to Your Connections
Have you connected to key people in your network to share your career interests and get information about possible
job opportunities?
Instructions: Enter the names of people in your network who might be helpful in your effort to advance
or change your career path. You can type as many names as you want in each category.
Note: A “Super Connector” is a person who has many connections. He or she usually knows many more
people than average. For example, a Super Connector’s network might include senior colleagues, fundraisers,
people in public relations, media personnel, and the like.
Who are some of your important connections?
Friends: Names
Mentors: Names
Super Connectors: Names
People outside your friendship circle: Names
Managers: Names
Note: Module 7, “Building Career Connections,” covers networking in more detail.

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Options for an Action Plan
In addition to regularly scanning for opportunities and networking with your contacts, there are many other options
you might consider including in your career action plan, some of which are listed below.
Instructions: Select each option which you want to include in your action plan. You can check as many
options as you want. You can also add options which don’t appear on this list by checking “Other” and
entering them in the box below it.
Which of the following options might be possible to include in your action plan?
Return to school for a higher degree or professional certificate ☐
Participate in a UN or outside training to upgrade substantive skills ☐
Take a sabbatical or Special Leave Without Pay (SLWP) ☐
Take the YPP exam8 (if eligible) ☐
Take on a new developmental assignment within your current department ☐
Research mobility options (for example, undertaking peacekeeping or electoral mission ☐

assignments, moving to a new function, or making a lateral move to a new position)
Seek out mentoring/coaching support ☐
Volunteer for a special assignment (for example, a task force, committee, or project) ☐
Swap jobs with someone else in your department or duty station ☐
Work short rotations in other units to get experience performing new functions ☐
Update your PHP and cover letter9 ☐
Regularly apply for vacant posts ☐
Experiment with a new type of work without making a long-term commitment (such as by ☐
volunteering or by accepting a short assignment in a different capacity)
Enter any additional options you want to include in your action plan.
8
For general information about the Young Professionals Programme, see https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=NCE&lang=en-
US. To find out whether you are eligible for and how to apply to YPP, see https://careers.un.org/lbw/home.aspx?viewtype=NCEA.
9
For help preparing your PHP and cover letter, see the video tutorial Creating Your Job Application/Profile at
https://careers.un.org/lbw/media/jobapplication/en-US/index.htm.

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Getting from Where I Am to Where I Want to Be
Create a personal career plan for the next 6 months based on your self-assessments and the ideas presented so far in
this workbook. First, identify up to three career-related goals you want to accomplish in the coming months. Then,
list up to five steps you plan to take to reach those goals.
Use the SMART paradigm as a guide when setting your goals. SMART goals are:
 Specific
 Measurable
 Achievable
 Realistic
 Time-sensitive
Include as much detail as you can about what you want to achieve, how you want to achieve it, how you’ll know
when you’ve achieved it, and by when you want to achieve it.
Instructions: Enter your goals and action steps in boxes below. You can type as much as you want in
each box.
1. Within the next six months, I will accomplish these career-related goals:
a. Goal
b. Goal
c. Goal
d. Goal
e. Goal
f. Goal

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2. To accomplish these goals, I will:
a. Action
b. Action
c. Action
d. Action
e. Action
f. Action

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Getting Support for Your Plan
Most people need help creating and implementing their career plan. You may seek and get such support by having
extensive discussions with a manager, mentor, career counsellor, or trusted peer. This dialogue may provide you
with different perspectives on your goals, other strategies for achieving them, resources (such as finances) to enable
these activities, and ongoing feedback on your progress.
Instructions: Type your answers below. You can enter as much text as you want.
1. Who will you seek out for feedback on your plan?
Your response
2. Who can you ask to support you in implementing your plan?
Your response

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Additional Resources
Skillport Courses
 Career Development
 Managing Your Career
 Creating a Plan
 Getting on the Right Track
 You and Your Boss
 Managing Your Relationship with Your Boss – Simulation
 Planning Your Career
 Self-Development
Skillport Books
 Chapter 9, “Twelve New Rules for Career Success,” in Career Intelligence, Barbara Moses.
 From New Recruit to High Flyer: No-Nonsense Advice on How to Fast Track Your Career, Hugh Karseras.
 Get Yourself Promoted: How to Move Up the Career Ladder, A & C Black (publisher).
 Up Is Not the Only Way, Beverly L. Kaye.
Other Books
 What Next? The Complete Guide to Taking Control of Your Working Life, Barbara Moses.

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MODULE 3: Career Plateaus
Many employees experience being “stuck” at some point in their career when movement up the career ladder slows
or seems to stop altogether. Such a “career plateau” is usually caused by the pyramidal structure of the
Organization, which typically has fewer positions than aspirants at each higher level.
Types of Career Plateaus

There are five common types of career plateaus:
 Structural – You have progressed to a point where the Organization’s structure prevents you from moving
up because there is a shortage of rungs on the promotional ladder. Note that individuals usually have little
control over this type of plateau and most, if not all, staff members will end up here at some point in their
working life.
 Content – You have mastered your job and there is no longer a sense of challenge. You’re no longer
interested in taking on greater responsibilities or transferring to another department.
 Contribution – You are unable to effectively respond to changing job situations, acquire technological
literacy, or effectively discharge the responsibilities associated with the next level up the career ladder. You
feel like you have done everything you can to grow professionally, develop new competencies, and add
value. Note that individuals usually have a lot of control over the forces which create this type of plateau. It
is not inevitable, reduces a staff member’s value to the Organization, and should be avoided at all costs.
 Damaged reputation – Negative behaviours or events temporarily stall your career progression.
 Life – Not just your job but your life feels predictable, monotonous, and without meaning. If you find
yourself at this plateau, you may need to seek professional help.
While a career plateau is often accompanied by feelings of boredom, frustration, loss of enthusiasm, and lack of
commitment, it can also be a valuable opportunity to regain perspective and digest new ideas.
People respond to career plateaus in different ways. Typical reactions include:
 Despairing that nothing will change

 Feeling angry, bored, and frustrated a lot of the time
 Losing enthusiasm for and interest in work
 Blaming the Organization
 Resorting to unhealthy behaviours
 Accepting the plateau and using it as a motivator for change

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Do You Feel Stuck?
Instructions: Answer the following questions. You can enter as much text as you want in your response
1. Do you feel like you’re at a career plateau? If so, what type of plateau and how long have you
been there?
Your response
2. What have you done so far, if anything, to try to move off the plateau? Why hasn’t it worked yet?
Your response
3. Sometimes being “stuck” is related to being “invisible” in the office. Senior colleagues are not aware
enough of what you are doing. What could you do to make yourself more “visible” in your current job?
Your response
4. What could you try in the next 6 months to help you move off the plateau?
Your response
5. What support do you need and from whom to take action?
Your response

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Coping with a Career Plateau
The following strategies, many of which are addressed in this workbook, often help individuals move off a career
plateau:
 Taking stock of your existing work experience and skills, your reputation, your interpersonal style, and
your “blind spots.”
 Preparing a plan for acquiring new knowledge and skills, enriching your current job by adding more
challenges, and eliminating problem behaviours. Put “moving off the plateau” actions in your calendar!
 Experimenting with new types of work or responsibilities by volunteering for “stretch” assignments within
or outside your work unit.
 Acquiring new knowledge and skills by going back to school, obtaining a professional certification, or
taking advantage of other training courses.
 Ramping up your networking efforts—putting networking events on your calendar, attending social events;
expanding your circle of contacts beyond people you already know, making yourself more “visible,” and
regularly setting up “informational Interviews.”
 Dedicating time each week to looking for new opportunities to change roles within your current
department, make a lateral move to a new department, or work for a different UN agency.
 Restructuring your view of success—moving on doesn’t always mean moving up! Regular promotions
aren’t the only way to achieve satisfaction. Pursuing interests and adventures in other aspects of your life
may enhance your professional self-esteem and happiness.

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Skillport Courses
 Get Your Career on the Fast Track (particularly “Career Killers”)

 Conquering Career Stagnation
Skillport Books
 The Career Lattice: Combat Brain Drain, Improve Company Culture,

and Attract Top Talent, Joanne Cleaver.
 Career Moves: Be Strategic About Your Future, Annabelle Reitman and Caitlin Williams.
 Getting Ahead: Three Steps to Take Your Career to the Next Level, Joel Garfinkle and Marshall
Goldsmith.
 Make It Work: Navigate Your Career without Leaving Your Organization, Joe Frodsham and Bill Gargiulo.
 Manage Your Career: How to Develop Your Career in the Right Direction, A & C Black (publisher).
 Up Is Not the Only Way, Beverly L. Kaye.

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MODULE 4: Transferable Skills
Transferable skills are key capabilities and behaviours which are used
throughout the Organization and readily applied regardless of location. The
stronger and more varied your transferable skill set, the better your chance for
mobility and long-term employability. Enhancing transferable skills is a key
ingredient of most personal development plans (PDPs).
Your Professional Survival Toolbox
Transferable skills serve as a toolbox which you can carry with you throughout your career. Highly valued skills
include:
 Meeting deadlines
 Implementing agreed goals and expectations
 Managing projects
 Facilitating meetings
 Building team spirit and being a cooperative team player
 Getting along with others
 Building lasting relationships
 Being results oriented
 Having a desire to learn and improve
 Being punctual
 Attending to details
 Enlisting help when needed
 Accepting responsibility
 Managing your time
 Recognizing and reorganizing priorities
 Working well under pressure
 Speaking effectively, writing concisely, and listening attentively
 Identifying, analysing, and creatively solving problems
 Developing rapport with, being sensitive to, and providing support for others
 Taking initiative
 Being able to quickly adapt to changing circumstances
 Multi-tasking
 Identifying and resolving ethical issues
 Tolerating ambiguity
 Managing resources
Presenting Your Transferable Skills
Developing transferable skills is not enough—you must be able to use them to become a highly attractive job
candidate as well as a valued member of a team. Here are a few effective strategies to try:
 Pinpoint the match between your skills and the Organization’s needs
 Describe how your experience is applicable to a department or mission’s goals
 Group your skills to create a stronger impression, especially for a move to a new field
 Provide specific examples of how you have used your skills, especially as related to your achievements

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What’s in Your Toolbox?
Instructions: Review the list of transferable skills on the previous page. Identify up to three skills which
are already in your toolbox. Then, list up to three skills which you need to develop or improve. Finally,
write a five-minute script you could use to verbally describe your
transferable skills to a potential new manager.
Note: This may also be a good time to contact a counsellor on the Career Resource Centre Team by calling +1 212
963 9500 or sending an email message to centrec@un.org.
Skills You Already Have in Your Toolbox Skills You Need to Add to Your Toolbox
Skill you have Skill you need
Pretend you just met someone new at a conference. If you have five minutes to tell the person about your
professional self, what would you say?
Enter your script here.

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Develop Your Core Competencies
Competencies include skills, attributes, and behaviours to
developed and strengthen throughout your career with the UN.
Managerial competencies are the additional skills, attributes,
and behaviours required of those who oversee other staff.
The UN competencies evolved out of interviews and focus

groups with a cross-section of staff at all levels throughout the
Secretariat, including the Deputy Secretary-General, all heads
of Departments and Offices, and several hundred staff in
Offices Away from Headquarters (OAHs).
Acquiring or developing a competency is not the result of a

one-time event but of an ongoing process. While participating
in training courses is one important way to develop
competencies, experience, coaching, feedback, and a blend of
individual learning activities are also necessary.
The eight UN Core Competencies are:
 Communication
 Teamwork
 Planning & organizing
 Accountability
 Client orientation
 Creativity
 Technological awareness
 Commitment to continuous learning
For more information about the UN core competencies, download and review the following publications:
 United Nations Competencies for the Future at

https://careers.un.org/lbw/attachments/competencies_booklet_en.pdf
 UN Competency Development: A Practical Guide at

http://www.un.org/staffdevelopment/developmentguideweb/image/
ohrm_cdg.pdf

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Building Competencies
Identifying and pursuing developmental and learning-oriented assignments which build UN competencies is crucial
if you want to enhance and expand your career opportunities in the Organization.
 Volunteering
 Job shadowing
 Part time assignments
 Further education
 Training programmes
 Self-reading
 Skillport
Here are some examples to consider:
Communication
 Write a proposal for a new policy, process, or mission

 Write a speech for someone higher up in the Organization
 Give speeches or presentations about the Organization on the
outside
 Handle a tough negotiation with an internal or external client
 Prepare and present a proposal to top management
 Sell something to a tough audience
 Persuade someone to do something when you do not have sufficient formal
authority to make it happen
 Offer to represent your work group on a task force
 Prepare talking points
 Present a report or briefing after completing a mission or training
 Organizing a brownbag lunch on an interesting and relevant topic for your team
Teamwork
 Help manage a group through a crisis

 Build a multifunctional team to tackle a common organizational
issue
 Manage a project team of people who are older and more
experienced than you are
 Assemble an ad hoc team of diverse people to accomplish a
difficult task
 Work on a crisis management team

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Planning & Organizing
 Plan and start something

 Launch a new process
 Plan an offsite meeting or conference
 Organize and manage the renovation of an office, floor, or meeting room
 Assemble an ad hoc team of diverse people
 Plan and organize others to accomplish a difficult task
 Produce a scenario for a high-level event
Accountability
 Deliver on your work plan goals

 Set a 100% attendance and on-time record
 Meet or beat deadlines
 Work with colleagues toward a common goal
Client Orientation
 Conduct a customer satisfaction survey in person or by phone

 Handle a tough negotiation with an internal or external client
 Manage a dissatisfied internal or external client
 Spend time with internal or external clients, write a report of their observations and present it to people
involved with them
 Train customers and clients in the use of your Organization’s products or services
Creativity
 Prepare a proposal for improving an existing programme and present it to senior management
 Summarize and sell a new idea to a key stakeholder
 Prepare and offer ideas for reducing administrative costs in your department
 Organize and summarize a brainstorming session on steps to create a more inclusive
work environment
Technological Awareness
 Find an in-house “expert” to help you learn new technology

 Join a professional association
 Read journals and online newsletters
 Take weekend courses at a local college
 Take courses online

35
Commitment to Continuous Learning
 Work short rotations in other units or functions

 Volunteer to fill an open job until it is filled
 Attend a self-awareness/assessment course
 Train someone in something you are an expert in
 Obtain feedback from a peer and act on it to further your job competence

36
Rate Your Competencies
What are your strongest competencies? What are your weakest ones? Rank the following competencies from 1 to 8,
with 1 being your strongest competency and 8 being your competency needing the most improvement.
Instructions: Enter a number in the box to the left of each competency. Be sure to use all the numbers
without duplicates. When you are done, respond to each question. You can enter as much text as you
want.
___ Communication
___ Teamwork
___ Planning and organization
___ Accountability
___ Client orientation
___ Creativity
___ Technological awareness
___ Commitment to continuous learning
1. How can you best promote your strongest competency?
Your response
2. What is one thing you can do to strengthen your weakest competency (#8)? By when do you plan to do
this?
Your response and a date
3. What is one thing you can do to strengthen your next weakest competency (#7)? By when do you plan to
do this?
Your response and a date

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MODULE 5: Emotional Intelligence
I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did,
but people will never forget how you made them feel.
—Maya Angelou
Managing emotions well in ourselves and in our relationships is an important issue. Research has shown that a
major cause of career derailment is the inability to:
 Recognize our own feelings and those of others

 Understand how our emotions impact others
 Stay composed, positive, and unflappable in trying moments
Our emotions not only affect our own behaviour, but can also affect the behaviour of others—whether your
manager, colleague, or direct report. For example, a staff person who has a critical, insensitive, or even bullying
manager may be less motivated and energetic, diminishing his or her productivity and performance.
Identify Emotions as They Occur
Instructions: Answer the following questions. You can enter as much text as you want.
1. Think about a time when you were excluded from something at work or in your personal life. What was
the situation? How did the exclusion make you feel?
Your response
2. Think of a time when your emotions flared. What was the situation and what were your resulting
emotions?
Your response
3. What did or could you have done to keep your disruptive emotions and impulses in check and maintain
composure?
Your response

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What Is Emotional Intelligence?
Emotional Intelligence (EI) is the ability to recognize and understand emotions in yourself and others and then use
this awareness to manage your behaviour and relationships.
Your degree of Emotional Intelligence may affect:
 Your job performance – High EI helps you communicate better and forge stronger relationships with
others.
 Your physical health – Low EI can cause stress, which can lead to serious health problems.
 Your mental health – Low EI may make you more vulnerable to anxiety, depression, and mood swings.
EI by the Numbers10
 Emotional Intelligence accounts for 58% of performance in all types of jobs. It is the strongest driver of
leadership and personal excellence.
 Only 36% of people are able to accurately identify their emotions as they happen.
 About 2/3 of all people are controled by their emotions, unaware of or unable to recognize them, and
therefore, unable to use them to their benefit.
Emotional Intelligence Skills
There are two primary areas of EI competence, each of which consists of two skills:
Personal competence focuses more on you Self-awareness is your ability to stay aware of your emotions
individually than on your interaction with other and manage your behaviour and tendencies. A high degree of
people. awareness requires a willingness to tolerate the discomfort of
focusing on feelings which may be negative.
Self-management is your ability to use your awareness of

your emotions to stay flexible and direct your behaviour
positively.
Social competence is your ability to understand Social awareness is your ability to accurately detect
other people’s moods, behaviours, and motives in emotions in other people and understand what is really going
order to improve the quality of your relationships. on with them.
Relationship Management is your ability to use your

awareness of your own emotions and those of others to
manage interactions successfully.
10
From “Emotional Intelligence 2.0”, Travis Bradberry and Jean Greaves

39
What’s Your EI?
Instructions: Follow the steps below to take a 10-minute online EI assessment. Alternatively, complete
the EI checklist on the following pages by clicking the box to the right of each question to which your
answer is “yes.”
When you have finished either the online EI assessment or the EI Checklist, answers the questions which appear
after the checklist.
Online EI Assessment
1. Enter the following address in your browser window: http://www.maetrix.com.au/meit/eitest.html
2. For each item, select the statement which describes you best.
Note: Try not to over-analyse the questions or think of "exceptions to the rule." Be spontaneous and choose the
statement which comes closest to the way you are.
3. Click Score test to view the results.
4. On the results page, a score appears which indicates your level of each of the EI skills measured by the test.
The higher the number, the higher your skill level. Enter the number shown for each skill:
___ Self-awareness
___ Self-management
___ Social awareness
___ Social management
5. Beneath the table with your scores, click the here link in the sentence “For more information about interpreting
your MEIT scores, click here” to see a more detailed explanation of the results.

40
EI Checklist
This checklist will help you reflect on the four emotional intelligence skills. Do any of these points require your
attention moving ahead?
Instructions: If your answer is “yes,” click the box next to the question.
Self-Awareness Yes
Do you understand your emotions as they happen? Do you feel them physically? ☐
Do you recognize the impact of your behaviour on others? ☐
Are you able to describe your emotions in specific situations? ☐
Do you realize when others influence your emotional state? ☐
Do you realize and admit your contribution in creating a difficult circumstance? ☐
Do you know who and what pushes your buttons? ☐
Self-Management
Do you handle stress well? ☐
Do you embrace change early on? ☐
Do you resist the desire to act or speak when it will not help the situation? ☐
Do you avoid doing things when upset which you might regret later? ☐
Do you tolerate frustration without getting upset? ☐
Social Awareness
Do you recognize other people’s feelings? ☐
Do you demonstrate empathy? ☐
Do you accurately pick up on the mood of a person or a room? Do you understand body ☐
language?
Do you listen well and hear what the other person is really saying? ☐

41
Are you withdrawn in social situations? ☐
Do you understand non-verbal communication cues? ☐
Relationship Management
Do you show others that you care what they are going through? ☐
Do you handle conflict effectively? ☐
Do you describe your feelings to others? ☐
Do you listen effectively and communicate clearly? ☐
Are you open to other people’s perspectives? ☐
1. Were the results of the EI test or your responses to the checklist what you expected? Why or why not?
Your response
2. Did anything surprise you? If so, what?
Your response
3. Now that you know more about your EI, how do you think it affects your job performance?
Your response
4. Does the information provided give you any new ideas about the types of positions or work environments
which you might prefer? If so, what are they?
Your response

42
Tips for Dealing with an Emotional Event
 Be careful. Strong emotions are usually caused by your interpretation of an event, not by the event
itself.
 Before you react, take a deep breath, count to 10, and then try to decide how to react. If possible, “sleep
on it” before you respond.
 Reframe the problem. Are there hidden opportunities? Lessons learned?
 Accept what you can’t change.
 Reduce overreacting. Increase your frustration tolerance. Tell yourself, “I can handle this.”
 See the humour. Laugh a little.
 Take a moment to analyse the event before you respond to it. What really happened? Is it worth the
feelings you have about it?
 Recognize and manage your “cognitive distortions.” For example, do you:
 Tend to see things as “all or nothing” or “black or white”?
 Jump to conclusions?
 Blow things way out of proportion?
 Over-personalize situations?
 Dwell only on negative perspectives?
 Always blame yourself or always blame others?
 Claim you’re right even in the face of contradicting information?

43
Skillport Courses
 Defining Emotional Intelligence

 Emotional Intelligence Abilities
 Emotional Intelligence Competencies
 Emotional Intelligence at Work – Simulation
 Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace
 Emotional Intelligence and Teamwork
 From Self-Awareness to Self-Management
 How High Is Your EQ?
 Improving Your Emotional Intelligence Skills: Self-Awareness and Self-Management
 Increasing Emotional Intelligence
 Increasing Your Emotional Intelligence
 Introducing Emotional Intelligence
 Managing Relationships with Emotional Intelligence
 The Power of Emotional Intelligence
 The Two Types of Intelligence
 Using Emotional Intelligence on the Job
 Using Self-Management and Social Skills
 What Is Emotional Intelligence?
Skillport Books
 Emotional Intelligence for Dummies, Steven J. Stein.

 The EQ Edge: Emotional Intelligence and Your Success, Steven J. Stein and Howard E. Book.
 Understanding Emotional Intelligence: Strategies for Boosting Your EQ and Using It in the Workplace,
Neilson Kite and Frances Kay.
Other Books
 Emotional Intelligence 2.0. , Bradberry, Travis and Jean Greaves. , Talent Smart, 2009.
 Social Intelligence: The New Science of Human Relationships, Goleman, Daniel, Bantam Books, 2006.
Videos
 “Daniel Goleman Explains Emotional Intelligence” AllenGregg, 13-March 13-2012,

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NeJ3FF1yFyc (26:37 minutes).
 “Daniel Goleman Introduces Emotional Intelligence,” Big Think, 23-April- 2012,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7m9eNoB3NU (5:32 minutes).
 “Social Intelligence and Leadership,” Harvard Business Review, 11-August11-2008,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Qv0o1oh9f4 (10:16 minutes).

44
MODULE 6: Managing Your Reputation
Character is what you are. Reputation is what people think you are.
—Henry T. Saunderson
It is generally much more shameful to lose a good reputation

than never to have acquired it.
—Pliny the Elder
How does your reputation affect your career? What might you do to build your personal reputation in the
Organization?
Your Reputation
1. What you would like your professional reputation to be?
Your response
2. What would you like people to say about you?
Your response
3. What are some things you have done which positively affected your professional reputation? Are there
any things you have done which may have negatively affected your reputation at work?
Positive Negative
1. Your response 1. Your response

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Improving Your Reputation
The professional reputation a person develops depends on many factors, including his or
her attitude, people skills, appearance, experience, and credentials.
Here are some behaviours which tend to enhance a person’s reputation:
 Meet deadlines.
 Do more than what is asked.
 Take directions without complaining.
 Follow through on commitments.
 Be visible—chair a committee, organize an event, etc.
 Seek additional responsibilities; go the extra mile.
 Volunteer for difficult assignments.
 Become an “expert,” in other words, the person whom others go to for help.
 Offer assistance without being asked.
 Keep within ethical standards; watch “grey area” decisions.
 Have the courage to do the right thing regardless of consequences.
 Be sensitive to your personal appearance.
 Be flexible and roll with the punches; stay positive.
 Focus on solutions instead of just finding fault, complaining, or doing nothing.
 Show empathy and care for others.
 Be tactful in your communication.
Conversely, regularly exhibiting certain attitudes is likely to damage your professional image, such as:
 Finding fault with others’ suggestions, no matter what they are.

 Complaining about things beyond your or others’ control.
 Blaming someone or something else when anything goes wrong.
 Playing the victim by claiming life is unfair to you.
 Patronizing others.
 Promoting yourself at the expense of others.
 Not going the “extra mile” during difficult times.
 Adopting a “that’s not in my job description” mentality.
 Working to rule—being the first one out the door at 5 p.m.
 Disrespecting other people’s suggestion or requests.
 Rolling your eyes when someone else says something.
 Always believing you are right and that only your opinion matters.
 Talking in a sarcastic or cynical manner to others.
 Acting as if a job is “beneath you.”
 Pouting or sulking when you don’t get your way.
 Showing disrespect toward others.

46
Who Can You Ask About Your Reputation?
The best way to find out about your professional reputation is to talk to the people you currently work with or have
worked with in the past. Such people might include colleagues at the same level as you are, members of teams you
participate in, managers, and staff members who report to you.
Some questions you might ask are:
1. What do people say about me when I am not around?
2. Can you shed some light on my “blind spots”?
3. Are there aspects of my interpersonal style which need improvement?
4. Do I have any specific behaviours which might cause me problems?
Instructions: Identify three people you are comfortable asking to comment on your reputation. Choose
people who have observed your performance; know you well; have your best interests in mind; and whose
opinion you value.
Then, meet with at least one of these people and ask this person the above questions. After the meeting, record your
impressions.
1. Who are three people you might ask about your professional reputation?
1. Click here to enter a name.
2. What did you learn about your reputation? Where there any surprises?
Your response
3. Based on your discussion, what are some specific steps you want to take to improve your reputation?
Your response

47
Skillport Courses
 Developing Your Reputation of Professionalism with Business

Etiquette
Skillport Books
 The Power of Reputation: Strengthen the Asset that Will Make or

Break your Career, Chris Komisarjevsky.

48
MODULE 7: Building Career Connections
Decide to network
Use every letter you write
Every conversation you have
Every meeting you attend
To express your fundamental beliefs and dreams
Affirm to others the vision of the world you want
Network through thought
Network through action
Network through love
Network through spirit
You are the center of a network
You are the center of the world
You are a free, immensely powerful source
of life and goodness
Affirm it
Spread it
Radiate it
Think day and night about it
And you will see a miracle happen:
The greatness of your own life.
In a world of big powers, media, and monopolies
But of [nearly seven] billion individuals
Networking is the new freedom
the new democracy
a new form of happiness.
—Robert Muller
Former Assistant Secretary General
United Nations
Networking is fast becoming not just a helpful tool for career success,
but also an essential skill for career survival.
—Michelle Tullier, PhD
Networking for Success, 1998
What Is Involved in Building Career Connections?
 Meeting and exchanging information with people in a particular career field.

 Developing alliances and fostering contacts for mutual benefit, starting long before a job search begins.
 Knowing and contacting accessible, knowledgeable people to ask for their advice, explore options, and
obtain leads for other contacts.

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Building connections can help you:
 Gain greater perspective about the work unit and position you are interested in.
 Keep current with trends and personalities in your field of interest.
 Learn about unpublished forthcoming job opportunities.
 Be referred to an opportunity you did not know about.
 Increase your base of contacts.
Who’s in Your Network Now?
1. How you have built your professional network so far? What has worked for you?
Your response
4. Who have been the most helpful connections so far in terms of your career?
Your response
5. “Superconnectors” are people who have a wider than usual circle of personal and professional contacts.
Do you know any Superconnectors? If so, enter their names.
Click here to enter names.

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Ways to Expand Your Connections
Making connections can be a challenge, but it’s one you can learn to overcome. Some of the obstacles can be:
 Finding and setting aside time to work on expanding your circle of contacts.
 Not having a plan of action and a schedule for implementing it.
 Being shy in new settings or with new people.
 Having trouble identifying and expressing your strengths and capabilities.
 Reaching out to people beyond your “comfort zone.”
 Being uncomfortable making “cold calls” or contacting people who haven’t met you before.
 Expecting others to do the work for you.
 Not following through; not showing up or calling when you say you will.
There are many strategies you can use to expand your personal and professional connections. Some of the most
effective ones are to:
 Be generous to others. The more people you help, the more help you will
receive.
 Find a “superconnector.”
 Find a mentor.
 Ask your manager to help you connect to other people in your field of interest.
 Try out new activities; reach out to new groups.
 Actively participate in Communities of Practice.
 Ask your connections for referrals.
 Develop connections with people outside your normal group of friends and colleagues.
 Show up for social or other informal office events.
 Don’t eat lunch by yourself.
 Strike up a conversation with everyone you meet in the workplace; try to find a common interest.
 Establish a presence on social media, such as LinkedIn and Facebook. Search these sites for possible
contacts.

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Informational Interviewing
Informational interviewing involves speaking with people to find out and get advice about a
particular career. The goal of informational interviewing is to find out how to get in to your field
of interest, what it’s like to work in it, and whom else you might speak to.
Initiating an Informational Interview
Often, individuals have questions about how to initiate a networking conversation. It is important to both introduce
yourself and state what kind of information you are seeking. There are many things you can say to introduce
yourself to someone and present yourself in a positive light.
Tips for Contacting a Referral11
 Identify yourself.
 Tell the person whom referred you.
 State the purpose of your call and how the contact can be of assistance.
 Give a 1-minute statement on your background.
 Assure the person that you are not asking him or her for a job but just looking for information.
 Give the contact an estimate of how long the interview will last.
 Ask the person whether he or she would prefer to meet in person or by phone. If at all possible, try
to meet face-to-face.
 Schedule a time for the conversation which is convenient for the contact even if it means you need
to shuffle other commitments.
 Offer to take the person for coffee if he or she would prefer to meet off the premises or outside of
work hours.
 Thank the referral for their time and willingness to meet with you.
Conducting an Informational Interview
 Beforehand, create a list of specific questions to ask (see the next section).
 At the outset, reiterate that you are not asking the contact to give or find you a position; you would like to
learn from his or her experience.
 Take notes.
 Respect the person’s time; don’t take longer than you originally predicted.
 Ask for the names of two or three other people who you might talk to.
 Leave the door open for future contact and then keep the person informed of your progress.
 Thank the person for their time and support both at the end of meeting and in writing afterwards.
11
Adapted from Power Networking by Donna Fisher and Sandy Vilas, 1992.

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Questions to Ask in an Informational Interview
Before you meet with anyone, formulate specific questions you want to ask. Even though you might not ask each
one and/or the conversation may move in other directions, it’s good to have such a list to help get things started or
back on track. Remember, you’re the one who set the meeting up so you’re the one responsible for running it.
Some suggestions are:
1. What do you like most about your job? What do you like least?
2. How much and what type of training did you have when you moved in to [the field or role]?
3. What type of experience would be the most helpful to have before working in [this field or role]?
4. Do I have any gaps or weak points in my qualifications for the position I am considering?
5. From what you know of me at this point, is there anything which looks like a “plus” (an unusual asset) that
might help me transition to the position I am interested in?
6. Would it be realistic for me to apply for [the type of position you want] now or might I be getting ahead of
myself?
7. Are there any other people who know about [the field or role of interest] who you might refer me to?
8. Do you know anyone with a contact in [the department or field of interest]?
9. May I use your name when I call [the referral]?
10. From what you see of my experience up to now, what do think might be my logical next step?
Getting Ready for Your Interviews
Instructions: Answer the following questions and fill out the table. You can enter as much text as you
want.
1. Write a 3 – 5 sentence introduction of yourself to use when you contact someone for an informational
interview.
Type your introduction.

53
2. Who will you contact to set up an informational interview and by when?
Name Contact Information Date
1. Enter a name Phone number and Date

email

email

email

email

email
Tips for Shy Individuals12
 Take baby steps. Your confidence will build slowly with each positive experience.
 Don’t assume you’re being a pest. Most people will be glad to hear from you.
 Remember your “prouds”—the times you have been successful.
 Enlist a spokesperson. Consider having another person act as a go-between for you.
 Open the interview with a question to get a conversation going.
 Remember that most people like to talk about themselves and feel that they have something
to share with others.
 Rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Think through what you want to say in advance and practice
with a friend.
 Attend events. Start out with short stays and gradually stretch them.
 Set a goal to meet 3 new people at each event.
12
From Networking for Everyone by L. Michelle Tullier, 1998.

54
Skillport Courses
 Communicating for Contacts

 Safe Small Talk
 Using Business Etiquette to Build Professional Relationships
Skillport Books
 The Art of the Business Lunch: Building Relationships between 12 and 2,

Robin Jay.
 The Connect Effect: Building Strong Personal, Professional, and Virtual Networks, Michael Dulworth.
 Fast Track Networking: Turning Conversations into Contacts, Lucy Rosen and Claudia Gryvatz Copquin.
 Hello, I Must Be Going: The Wallflower’s Guide to Networking, Frances Kay.
 Link Out: How to Turn Your Network into a Chain of Lasting Connections, Leslie Grossman.
 Make Your Contacts Count: Networking Know-How for Business and Career Success, Anne Baber and
Lynne Waymon.
 Professional Networking for Dummies, Donna Fisher.
 Successful Networking: How to Build New Networks for Career or Company Progression, Frances Kay.
Other Books
 Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazzi, Doubleday, 2005.

 Networking for Everyone! Connecting with People for Career and Job Success, Michelle L. Tullier, JIST
Works, 1998.
 Secrets to Winning at Office Politics, Marie G. McIntyre, St. Martin’s Griffen, 2005.
 What Color is Your Parachute?, Richard A. Bolles, Ten Speed Press, 2006.
Videos
 “It’s Who You Know,” T. J. Duane, Stanford Graduate School of Business, 29-April-2013,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NzpYBTeZdWw (9:42 minutes).
 “Networking Tips to Advance Your Career,” Linda Spencer, Harvard Extension, 29-Jan-2013,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hFwvj_vAq9c (2:49 minutes).

55
MODULE 8: Courage at Work
To go against the dominant thinking of your friends, of most of the people you see every day, is perhaps the
most difficult act of heroism you can perform
— Theodore White
Creativity requires the courage to let go of certainties.

— Erich Fromm
Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak;

courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.
— Winston Churchill
Whether you are looking for ways to grow in your current position or looking for a new position, you need to have
courage to pursue and effect such changes.
It takes courage to propose new, creative, and perhaps alternative ideas in the workplace in a way which they are
accepted and adopted. Similarly, having the wherewithal to respectfully disagree with your manager or teammates,
particularly in public, takes confidence and daring. Dealing with confrontational situations is also a challenge which
requires boldness.
While building courage at work is an incremental and developmental process, it can reap many benefits in terms of
job satisfaction, career opportunities, and leadership potential.
What Does Courage at Work Mean for You?
1. Describe a situation in which you or a colleague displayed courage at work. Was it effective? Why or
why not?
Your response
6. What tips would you give a colleague for presenting a new, creative, “out-of-the-box” idea or alternative
proposal to his or her manager?
Your response

56
How to Discuss a New Idea with a Manager
Here are some suggestions on how to discuss a new idea or proposal with your manager:
 Pick a private place to have the conversation.

 Keep your argument or proposal short and to the point.
 Be prepared with concrete reasons, especially the benefits, to
support your new idea or proposal.
 Make a business case with special consideration to costs and operational
feasibility. Offer a solution that speaks to your manager’s critical needs.
 Support your case energetically.
 Be open minded and ready to compromise.
 Listen. Do not be locked into your own certainties.
 Acknowledge your manager’s point of view.
 Ask questions to clarify or elaborate your manager’s point of view. Confirm your understanding.
 Put yourself in your manager’s shoes as much as possible. What is good about their idea or proposal?
 Your manager may have information which you don’t. Consider the possibility that their way takes into
account a long-term perspective.
 Don’t overreact to constructive critical feedback. Keep your tone as reasonable as possible. If your
emotions are heightened, cool off before continuing the discussion and schedule a follow up meeting.
 Be open to reformulating your proposal based on your manager’s feedback.
 Be pleasant when you disagree.

57
Practicing Courage
Here are a few situations in which you might have to disagree with your manager and present an alternative idea or
proposal.
Instructions: Select a case and then answer the questions.
Sample Cases
1. You have been asked to assume additional work when you are already overstretched and you feel others on
the team could be doing more.
2. You are asked to continually work overtime when you have child or parental care obligations to meet right
after normal working hours.
3. You have been asked to join an emerging team consensus when you think the position or decision
represents “group think” and is insufficiently creative.
4. You receive a directive from your manager which you think is ill advised, won’t achieve the desired results,
will increase costs, demoralize employees, and/or cause client dissatisfaction.
Discussion
1. How would you present your alternative idea or proposal?
Your response
2. Can you think of other cases in which you might need to have courage at work?
Your response
3. What is one action you can take in the near future to build courage at work?
Your response

58
Skillport Books
 Courage Goes to Work: How to Build Backbones, Boost

Performance, and Get Results, Bill Treasurer.
 Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking when Stakes Are High,
Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillan and Al Switzler.
 Dealing with the Tough Stuff: How to Achieve Results from Crucial
Conversations, Darren Hill, Alison Hill and Sean Richardson.
 Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most, Douglas
Stone, Bruce Patton and Sheila Heen.
 Find Your Courage: 12 Acts for Becoming Fearless at Work and in Life, Margie Warrell.
 Moral Courage in Organizations: Doing the Right Thing at Work, Debra Comer and Gina Vega, eds.

59
MODULE 9: Understanding the New World of Work
Keeping up with the rapidly changing workplace is key to your career growth and
success. You need to adapt to these trends or risk being “left behind.”
In this new world of work13:
 Job change is becoming more common. By the time they have been working
from 7 to 10 years, many people have held 3 or more jobs.
 There is a greater emphasis on core competencies, skills, and behaviours—those things which one does
well which were the source of past accomplishments—rather than job titles or longevity.
 Employees need to be increasingly flexible to organizational changes and new opportunities.
 Job satisfaction starts to decline dramatically after about five years in the same position.
 Performance-based, shorter-duration, renewable contracts are replacing traditional lifetime employment
and loyalty.
 The location of work is changing. More teams are global and virtual.
 The increased complexity of work requires more and better collaboration and communication. Technology
skills are vital.
 The workplace focuses less on “jobs” per se and more on roles and job profiles. People are assigned to
projects and assignments based on their capabilities not just titles.
 Successfully moving from assignment to assignment increasingly depends on maintaining multiple
networks and developing work search skills.
 Knowledge work is increasing on all fronts.
The United Nations is not immune to these general trends. Specifically, there is an:
 Increased focus on managing your own career and career mobility

 A shift from permanent toward continuing contracts 14
 Introduction of the Young Professional Programme15
 Greater movement between Headquarters and field locations
 More emphasis on career mobility
13
Adapted from Job Shift by William Bridges, 1994.
14
See ST/SGB/2011/9: Continuing Appointments (http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=ST/SGB/2011/9) and ST/AI/2012/3:
Administration of Continuing Appointments (http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=ST/AI/2012/3) .
15
See ST/SGB/2011/10: Young Professionals Programme (http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N11/556/20/PDF/N1155620.pdf?
OpenElement).

60
What Does This Mean for You?
To survive and excel in the new workplace, you need to:
 Make a life-long commitment to continuous personal growth.

 Develop your competitive advantage, in other words, what makes you so special?
 Assume the responsibility of being the principal driver of your career, with support from your manager and
the Organization.
 “Go with the flow” so you can quickly and nimbly adapt in times of uncertainty and rapid change.
 Weigh career opportunities based on which ones offer the most learning potential.
 Be prepared to take on new responsibilities on a trial basis.
 Pay attention to expanding and improving your transferable skills, that is, those skills and experiences
which are useful for a wide range of jobs.
 Have an ongoing focus on building professional relationships and expanding your network.
1. What are the implications of the new world of work for your career planning and competency
development?
Your response
2. Are there other trends which you think are important?
Your response
3. How can you prepare yourself for changes in the new world of work?
Your response
4. What support do you need and from whom?
Your response

61
Skillport Books
 A Freethinker’s A-Z of the New World of Business, Stuart Crainer.

 The New Rules of Engagement: Life-Work Balance and Employee
Commitment, Mike Johnson.
 Work Without Boundaries: Psychological Perspectives on the New
Working Life, Michael Allvin, et al.

62
MODULE 10: Transitioning to a Managerial Role
As your career in the UN System advances, you may be asked to assume major supervisory responsibilities, for
example, by serving as First Reporting Officer (FRO).
This module explores actions you can take to prepare for a managerial role. The emphasis is on assertively seeking
challenging assignments which provide experiences you will find useful as a manager
Making changes—whether in your career or your personal life—is rarely straightforward nor without discomfort.
While transitions are opportunities for growth, they can be unnerving until you settle into them. Such is the case
with moving into a managerial role.
What Are Some Major Differences?
There are some important differences between a non-supervisory and a managerial position. The latter involves:
 Thinking strategically and seeing the “big picture”

 Assuming the role of chief communicator
 Leading a group of people toward becoming an effective team
 Dealing with people and personalities in addition to technical and substantive issues
 Monitoring everyone’s work and providing ongoing feedback
 Unlocking people’s potential through motivation

63
Preparing for Your Transition
Policies
Here are some important policy documents you should read before assuming a managerial position in the UN
System:
 ST/SGB/2011/5: Performance Management and Development Learning Programme for Managers

and Supervisors (8 September 2011) – Makes the Performance Management and Development Workshop
mandatory for managers .
 ST/AI/2010/5: Performance Management and Development System (30 April 2010) – Describes the
Performance Management and Development (PMD) policy in detail.
 ST/SGB/2009/9: Learning and Development Policy (22 June 2009) – Describes the manager’s role in
implementing the Organization’s Learning and Development policy.
 ST/SGB/2008/5: Prohibition of Discrimination, Harassment, Including Sexual Harassment and Abuse of
Authority (11 February 2008) – Describes the manager’s role in preventing unfair treatment based on a
person’s race, sex, religion, nationality, ethnic origin, sexual orientation, disability, age, language, social
origin or other status.

64
The Manager’s Checklist
All managers at the UN are expected to demonstrate a set of observable behaviours and competencies related to
performance management and development.
The Organization has prepared the following accountability checklist summarizing what it expects all managers to
do regularly:
Instructions: As you review the list, click the box next to each item which you have performed in the past
year.
___ Communicate UN/Department/Unit priorities which give meaning to work
___ Complete all individual work plan and development plan discussions using SMART
___ Set expected results milestones
___ Record positive and/or negative examples of performance
___ Appraise performance fairly and in a timely manner
___ Engage in ongoing feedback
___ Demonstrate interpersonal sensitivity
___ Recognize good performance
___ Share critical information with all staff on an ongoing basis and generally create an
inclusive work environment
___ Encourage and praise initiative and creativity
___ Discuss development and career aspirations with staff you supervise and help them
prepare annual learning plans
___ Welcome feedback
___ Deal promptly with underperformance
___ Provide coaching support and guidance to underperformers
___ Schedule and complete midpoint and year-end performance reviews
___ Meet Performance Management and Development (PMD) appraisal writing

deadlines

65
As you prepare yourself for a managerial role, try to select challenging assignments which will provide practical
experience in carrying out these activities. Examples of challenging assignments might include managing an ad hoc
team, working on a crisis management team, or working on a strategy preparation task force.
The Organization also expects managers to avoid behaviours which are known motivation drainers. These include:
 Not listening to others

 Focusing on flaws in others’ ideas or arguments.
 Show little concern for people and their feelings.
 Resisting or denying feedback
 Display a remote transactional and unemotional style
 Failing to share information
 Intimidating or bullying others
 Being abrasive and stubborn

66
Managerial Challenges
The Diversity Challenge
It’s important to take stock of your personality preferences and interpersonal style before assuming a managerial
role. Doing so will provide insight on how others may react to you. In particular, depending on your own cultural
background and the cultural context you are working in, you may need to adjust your style to effectively and
sensitively manage your staff.
Consider the following cross-cultural characteristics. Which end of each spectrum best matches your personal
style?
Indirect/subtle Direct/blunt
Harmony Confrontation
Passive facial expression Animated facial expression
Little or no eye contact Direct eye contact
Frequent touch Little or no physical contact
Soft spoken Loud
Comfortable with silence Uncomfortable with silence
Slow pace Fast place
Little body/hand A lot of body/hand

movement movement
Formal speaking style with Informal speaking style

surnames with first names
Start with context & Get right to the point

history
Listen to end of sentence Interrupt mid-sentence
Focus on the personal Focus on the

factual/impersonal

67
Instructions: Answer the following question. You can enter as much text as you want.
How might these characteristics affect your ability to supervise a diverse group of staff members?
Your response
Other Challenges
Becoming a manager brings other changes and challenges. Here are a few important ones to think about:
 Being lonely “at the top”

 Living under a microscope
 Ensuring fairness
 Recognizing the work of your predecessor
 Being open to ideas other than your own
 “Walking the talk”
 Unlocking discretionary energy
 Guarding against ego inflation
 Seeking help when needed
 Managing your time

68
Your Development/Learning Plan
Take some time to design a development/learning plan to help you prepare for a managerial role.
Instructions: Fill in the requested information. You can enter as much text as you want.
What new competencies you would like to develop? Your response
What steps or activities will you take to develop the new Your response
competencies?
 Learning by doing (challenging assignments,
etc.)?
 Learning through training (Performance
Management and Development workshops,
etc.)?
 Learning by listening/watching (YouTube
videos with Peter Drucker, Marshall Goldsmith,
Jack Welsh, etc.)?
 Learning by reading (Skillport, Harvard
Business Review, etc.)?
What is your timetable for implementing this plan? Your response
Whose support do you need (manager to discuss Your response

challenging assignments, etc.)?
How, when, and with whom will you review your Your response
progress?

69
Skillport Courses
 First Time Manager: Challenges

 First Time Manager: Understanding a Manager’s Role
 Retaining Top Performers
 Transitioning from Technical Professional to Management
Skillport Books
 151 Quick Ideas to Improve Your People Skills, Bob Dittmer and
Stephanie McFarland.
 Courage Goes to Work: How to Build Backbones, Boos Performance, and Get Results, Bill Treasurer.
 Managing Diversity, Harvard Business Review.
 Managing People, Harvard Business Review.
 Management Tips, Harvard Business Review.
 On Becoming a Leader, Warren Bennis.
Other Books
 Core Concepts of Management, John R. Schermerhorn Jr.

 Leading Change, John Cotter.
 The Practice of Management, Peter Drucker.
 Working with Emotional Intelligence, Daniel Goleman.

70
MODULE 11: Transitioning to Retirement
Retirement is a time of change. Even if it’s a transition you’ve been looking forward to, it can be a stressful period.
The most effective way to manage this transition is to prepare for it well in advance of the retirement date.
Retirement includes three basic changes:
1. A change in identity – For many people, work is such a big part of their life and identity that when they feel a
void when they retire. People in positions of power or who travel a lot for work are particularly at risk.
2. A change in relationships – Relationships shift with retirement. Some people lose a social outlet which has
been part of a daily routine. At home, family members must adjust to having extra time together.
3. A change in purpose – A person’s mission in life alters as his/her responsibilities and schedule change.
Transitions, such as retirement, consist of three phases: 16
An ending…
Followed by a period of confusion and distress…
Leading to a new beginning.
Endings embrace disengagement, disenchantment and disorientation. Part of the

process is to simply accept this reality. Think what piece of the old you want to
take with you. Mark or celebrate the ending.
The period of confusion is often a time of ambiguity. It’s important to accept

this and not try to escape it. It’s a time to reflect on what you really want to do.
You don’t have to produce any results or accomplish anything. Use this time to set short term goals and
experimentation. Embrace setbacks and losses.
New beginnings are untidy and subtle and may come as an “idea”, an “impression,” or an “image”. Until you are
really ready, you probably won’t make a real beginning.
16
From Transitions – Making Sense of Life’s Changes, William Bridges, 1980

71
Reflections on a Life Transition
Think about a life transition you experienced in the past and answer the following questions.
Instructions: Answer the following questions in the space provided. You can enter as much text as you
want.
1. What was the transition?
Your response
2. How did you feel when you were going through it?
Your response
3. What helped you get through it?
Your response
4. Who helped you get through it?
Your response

72
What Does Retirement Look Like to You?
Everyone has his or her own idea of what retirement is and what it will be like for them. Some people eagerly await
it while others have concerns about how they’ll spend their time, how it will affect their relationships, and what will
give them a sense of purpose.
Instructions: Answer the following questions in the space provided. You can enter as much text as you
want.
1. What do you imagine retirement will be like?
Your response
2. What do you most look forward to about retirement?
Your response
3. Are you anxious about any aspects of retirement? If so, what?
Your response
4. What options do you have financially and occupationally?
Your response
5. What leisure activities do you want to pursue once you have more time?
Your response
6. What adjustments will your family need to make as you retire?
Your response
7. How will your various relationships change (work, family, friends)?
Your response
7. What is important for you to accomplish at this stage in your life?
Your response
8. What might you do to fulfil your need to do something meaningful?
Your response

73
Tips for Making Transitions
 Take your time. You cannot rush the inner process of reorienting to a change or transitional
situation.
 Arrange temporary structures. This may mean getting a temporary job or project while you
look for what you really are interested in. It may mean an inner resolve to accept a given situation as
temporary, and to then transfer some energy to the task of finding an appropriate replacement.
 Don’t act for the sake of action. An uncomfortable situation, even if temporary, can be
frustrating and there is likely to be a temptation to “do something—anything”. This reaction is
understandable, but it usually leads to more difficulty. You need to stay in transition long enough to
bring the past to conclusion and discover what you want to do next, not abort it through premature
action.
 Recognize why you are uncomfortable. Distress is not a sign that something has gone
wrong but that something is changing. Expect times of anxiety.
 Take care of yourself in little ways. Find the continuities which are important when
everything else seems to be changing, such as favourite foods or TV programmes.
 Explore the other side of the change. Look for the possible benefits.
 Find someone to talk to, for example, a good friend or a professional counsellor. What you
primarily need isn’t advice but rather an active, empathic listener who can help you put words to
your dilemmas and your feelings so that you fully understand what is going on.
 Use the transition as an impetus to pursue a new kind of learning. It may be the time to
launch that second education.
 Reflect on what “product” or “service” you can offer. What needs could this fill? Would it
be meaningful to you?
 Prepare for adventure and surprise. No matter how well prepared you are for retirement,
there will always be unexpected events. Learn to accept the unexpected.
 Balance your psychological portfolio. Focus on your psychological resources not just your
financial resources for retirement. Learn to invest in yourself and develop a “portfolio” of coping
strategies.
 Acknowledge your emotions. It’s normal to experience a range of feelings which change
across the phases of retirement. Take time to acknowledge these reactions and learn from them.
 Get involved and stay involved. Retire to something.
People who have the most positive adjustment to retirement remain
active physically, emotionally, socially, and occupationally.
 Practice optimism. Medical research shows that people
who have a generally positive outlook on life tend to experience
better physical and psychological health.
 Look after your health. Exercise!

74
Skillport Books
 Beyond Work: How Accomplished People Retire Successfully, Bill

Roiter.
 Enjoy Retirement: 52 Brilliant Ideas for Loving Life After Work, Janet
Butwell.
 The Everything Retirement Planning Book: A Complete Guide to
Managing Your Investments, Securing Your Future, and Enjoying Life to
the Fullest, Judith Harrington and Stanley Steinberg.
 The Good Non Retirement Guide 2010, Frances Kay ed.
 The Joy of Retirement: Finding Happiness, Freedom, and the Life You’ve Always Wanted, David Borchard
and Patricia Donohoe.
 The New Retirementality: Planning Your Life and Living Your Dreams … At Any Age You Want, Mitch
Anthony.
 Reworking Retirement: A Practical Guide for Retirees Returning to the Workplace, Allyn Freemand and
Robert Gorman.

75

Taking Control of Your Career: A Workbook For Change

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TAKING CONTROL OF

A WORKBOOK FOR CHANGE

Getting Started.................................................................................................................................................................................................. iii

MODULE 5: Emotional Intelligence................................................................................................................................................................ 41

Taking Control of Your Career

Taking Control of Your Career

Number of years you have you been working in your current

Number of years you have been working in the UN System

Taking Control of Your Career

3. Complete the New User Registration form.

Taking Control of Your Career

In particular, “Taking Control of Your Career” will help you:

Part 1: Career Planning and Advancement

 Module 1: Knowing Yourself and What You Want

Part 2: Career Tools

 Module 4: Transferable Skills

Part 3: Career Transitions

 Module 9: The New World of Work

Each module will take 30 to 90 minutes to complete.

Taking Control of Your Career

Reflections on Your Career

What experience or action How did you initiate it?

Your response Your response

Your response Your response

Your response Your response

Your response Your response

Your response Your response

3. Who helped you make cross-functional, interagency, or other mobility transitions?

4. Who helped with your geographic relocations?

Taking Control of Your Career

Timeframe Job Assignment/Career Move Why?

1 – 2 years Your response Your response

3 – 5 years Your response Your response

Timeframe Job Assignment/Career Move Skills and Knowledge Needed

1 – 2 years Your response Your response

3 – 5 years Your response Your response

Timeframe Job Assignment/Career Move Who can help?

1 – 2 years Your response Your response

3 – 5 years Your response Your response

Taking Control of Your Career

Timeframe Job Assignment/Career Move Preparations

1 – 2 years Your response Your response

3 – 5 years Your response Your response

Taking Control of Your Career

2. What is unique about your work experience?

3. What are your work preferences?

 Do you like to work alone or with others?

Taking Control of Your Career

Values Card Sort3

1. Enter the following address in your browser window: http://oca.cce.umn.edu/prototypes/cardsort/values/

a. Click Create a new card.

b. Type the name of the value in the top box.

d. Click Add New Card.

5. For each of your most important values:

Taking Control of Your Career

Your response Your response Your response Select a number.

Your response Your response Your response Select a number.

Your response Your response Your response Select a number.

Your response Your response Your response Select a number.

Your response Your response Your response Select a number.

Taking Control of Your Career

Many people find it difficult to identify their skills. We often:

 Discount or minimize what we are good at