Designing Your Career PDF With Notes

CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY
FOR PHD STUDENTS

DESIGNING YOUR CAREER
Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin
1
Session Learning Outcomes
• Critically evaluate the concept of and different

approaches to your own Career Planning
• Critically reflect on Career Identity: your beliefs,
values, personality, strengths and interests
• Identify ‘Design Thinking’ & ‘Strengths-based’
Approaches to Career Planning
• Commence the development of your Career Action
Plan
Before looking at the LOs of this session in detail, it is important to acknowledge that
the concept of planning or designing your career is a difficult one to achieve in the
time allocated to us. In that respect I’d recommend that the students view this not as
a once off session but as the basis for continued reflection and practice and as a tool
to help them achieve their ongoing career philosophy. The focus today will be on
self-reflection and career identity in order to embark on designing your unique
career journey.
2
What is Career Planning?
• What is your experience of Career Planning to

date?
• Have you ever applied a measured and reasoned

plan? If so, how?
• Have you relied on chance or luck to make

decisions?
Individual Exercise (5 mins)
Students consider the 3 questions above, reflect and jot down notes, followed by a
brief round up at the end by facilitator.
This is ultimately an introductory exercise to build rapport with the group rather than
have an in depth discussion, usually resulting in admittance/introduction of the idea
that career planning has been unstructured to date or that decisions have been
arrived at because of external factors including chance rather than methodically.
Leads nicely into confidence building slides on dispelling the myths that everyone
else knows how to plan their career.
3
What Career paths usually show
Relevant I’ve been

Relevant postgraduate working towards
Degree study this job all my life
Job with a lot of Job with a lot of

relevant relevant
achievements achievements
From the outside looking in, many people’s career pathways look like this but….
This slide emphasizes (unrealistic) linearity...
4
What it actually looks like…
Promotion
What should Job I fell into
I do after I
graduate???
Tried
something
else
I hated that, I’ll

work doing Job I got through
something that a contact
gives me energy happened to
for a while and enjoy
find myself
This slide is the reality for many and relates to coping with chaos and complexity and
non-linearity. Ron Barnett an educationalist from London has developed the concept
of 'super-complexity.'
Very few people have 10 year plans that they follow to the letter to end up at a
specific destination.
This is becoming less and less realistic in the current environment with new roles
and new developments constantly emerging.
Steve jobs – you can’t connect the dots looking forward, only backward.
Briefly discuss the importance of being curious and open but not be passive or
waiting for opportunities.
5
Discussion: Where do you stand on the idea …
• That there is One Correct Pathway
Vs.
• There are some key pieces of information you can use

to guide you…
• There are others who have gone before that you can
learn from…
• You can be driven by what ENERGISES you and what
you WANT TO LEARN to propel yourself towards your
goal… no matter how specific or vague that goal may
be…
Notes: Lean into the class now for further discussion or feedback.
Float the idea to the class that there is one correct path towards the career that they
have identified as attractive. See how they feel, do people agree that in some
circumstances that is the case? Or do they land more on the other side of the
argument that is detailed in the last 3 bullets? People may be quietly non-committal
or the group may embark on a debate. Either way it builds the thoughts for the first
exercise.
6
Your own experience: Think, Pair, Share
• What led you towards this PhD?
• What approach or theory of career planning can

you recognise in your own decisions?
• Have a look at the handout detailing ‘Career

Pressures’ Can you relate to any of these
pressures?
In this Think, Pair, Share exercise (10 mins), the facilitator is asking the group to get
into groups of two and reflect on their career planning to date.
Use Gibbs Reflection Cycle with both parts of the pair to reflect and discuss all three
of the questions on the slide.
Facilitator to hand out a worksheet/handout with career planning approaches and

career pressures listed with some key words next to them as an aid for discussion.
Facilitator to dip into the groups that seem to be stalling and provide
encouragement.
Ask pairs to share their thoughts.
7
How do I uncover my Career Identity?
•Personality
•Actions
•Strengths
•Interests
•Values
•Beliefs
•Environment
A career identity is a structure of meanings in which the individual links their own
motivation, interests and competencies with acceptable career roles
The development of career identity, 1998 Frans Meijers
International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling
Following on from the Pair & Share exercise looking at what drew them to this PhD,
further build on the idea that career planning centres around the self and self
reflection. No matter where we are, we are here, and in order to move forward, an
analysis of one’s own interests, values, personality and aspirations at this stage of
their PhD is necessary to begin to design their career identity and future post-PhD.
The introduction of the Career Identity term here is useful as it allows the student to
create a unique starting point for gathering knowledge about themselves and
continue with the reflection this module encourages with the goal of building on that
career identity agenda.
8
Profiling for Success
• Type Dynamics Indicator

(Personality)
• Values based Indicator of
Motivation
• Learning Styles Indicator
questionnaire
• Careers Interests Inventory
• Emotional Intelligence
Bring the class to the part of the website that allows them to link to the online tools
(Please note there may be alternative tools in other University settings).
Explain briefly the different options.
Encourage the students to complete the assessments/tools at home, and compare
their results with their thoughts from today’s class. Think about any differences.
Reflect in written format to build foundations for their career planning.
9
What are my unique Values?
• Elements of your life which you find personally important
• Core beliefs which guide how you conduct your life in a
meaningful and satisfying way, the ‘rules you live your life
by.’
• Some pointers:
• Some remain fairly constant and some will change
• Can influence your choice of sector, organisation etc.
• Can influence your preference for organisational
culture
• Establish which of our values are the ‘deal-breakers’
and which we are willing to compromise on
• Values/motivation are often explored at interview
Conversational exercise using Flipchart & pen to record key words.
Build upon the rapport in the class and open questions and use individual examples
to explain what the values are, how they influence us and how they may change.
Use a flip chart and pen to list examples of what some people might value,
prompting the class by asking questions. For example, questions such as ‘How
important is progression to you?’, ‘How important is continual learning and
facilitated intellectual growth?’ ‘How important is status compared to reward?’
Encourage the class to contribute and facilitate
10
Uncovering your Career Identity
“We like to think that a key to a successful career

change is knowing what we want to do next and then
using that knowledge to guide our actions, but
change usually happens the other way round.
Doing first: knowing second.
Why?
Because career transitions redefine our working
identity. How we see ourselves, who we are and what
we do are so tightly connected to our actions, to
change all of those things we must do so through
action….”
‘Working Identity’ Herminia Ibarra (2003)

We have touched upon values and personality types in this section with interests,
environmental factors and pressures also been touched upon through the exercises
and handout.
The concept of the Career Identity pulls all the elements together and interesting to
present here in the context of a career change or transition. This is so often what
PhD students discuss in guidance – how can I move towards something different
after this, what is the ‘What next’ chapter for me? Working on their Career Identity
is a fundamental for these conversations.
11
Your Career Identity: Think, Pair, Share
• How is your PhD changing you? Your

Beliefs/Values/Personality/Skills/Strengths?
• How do you think you could present these changes

in a positive way to a future employer?
• How have your perspective or plans for the future

changed?
In this exercise (10 mins) both parts of the pair to reflect and discuss all three of the
questions on the slide.
Strengths hasn’t been introduced yet, but students have enough information to
answer these questions and then be open to the concept as Strengths as an Energy
Channel.
Facilitator to dip into the groups that seem to be stalling and provide
encouragement.
12
Break…
10 minute coffee break
13
Thinking of Strengths in terms of energy
• A Natural Capacity for behaving, thinking, or feeling

in a way that allows optimal functioning and
performance in the pursuit of valued outcomes.’
(Linley & Harrington, 2006, p.88)
• A Signature Strength conveys a sense of ownership

and authenticity (‘this is the real me’); a sense of
yearning to act in accordance with the strength,
and a feeling of inevitability in doing so; and that
there is a powerful intrinsic motivation to use the
strength (Peterson & Seligman, 2004, p.18).
Individuals often find it challenging to identify their own strengths (perhaps

exhibited in the last exercise by the students) as we generally talk about strengths as
things we are good at. Socially we are not inclined to talk about what we are good at
and some find it hard to even recognize when we are good at things.
Instead, the strengths-based approach to career planning is centered around

identifying things that give us energy, that create a sense of worth, ownership,
authenticity, connection with oneself, a sense of enjoyment and achievement and
competency.
This is a true strength in this context and people are generally more able to identify
things that have given them this feeling or energized them in this way.
For example, working on a piece of research and really feeling that a certain element
of information has been disseminated well or certain conflicting theories presented
well. Or working on a conference piece that then reaches completion.
Perhaps working in isolation and using self-motivation to stay on track with a project
plan.
The next slide showcases ‘flow’ which is the most heightened version but the
everyday awareness of energy giving or draining activities is looked at in the
strength's quadrant referred to in a few slides.
14
The Concept of Flow
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h6IMYRoCZw
This short video describes the concept of Flow and touches on a few other relevant
things like apathy vs energy. (The point is made that ‘being on Facebook’ all day is
not energy giving, this can seem a little juvenile for the PhD audience, but it can be
qualified afterwards by the facilitator by asking the students to think of that scale in
relation to their work, do they experience that apathy/disengagement from
elements of their work?)
15
Briefly discuss the concept of Flow, building on the video and thinking about how
this may happen in their life, perhaps they only experience it outside of their core
work, perhaps they have never experienced it fully but partly.
16
Strength Spotting – What Energises You?
Think, Pair and Share
Choose an element of your PhD, or a job you have

had, or a piece of experience/voluntary work and…
Volunteer – share Observer – take notes on

something that ENERGISES what you see and hear
you for 2 mins (vocab, body language etc.)
Exercise (15 mins): Building on the concept of thinking of a strength as an energy and
the concept of Flow, In pairs, answer the questions on the slide. Then discuss as a
group.
Explain that “rather than providing you with a verbal explanation of what a strength
is, I would like to show you by giving you an experience. To do this, please turn to the
person next to you and form a pair. In your pairs, I would like you to choose who is
going to volunteer to speak about themselves and who is going to play the role of the
observer.”
Give the group a couple of minutes to find a partner and choose their roles.
“Now, in your pairs, the speakers will first speak for 2 minutes about something that
energizes you. This can be something in or outside of your PhD work. The key thing is
that it is something you enjoy doing. Whilst they are speaking, the observer’s role is
to notice everything about what they are saying and how they are saying it. Listen to
the types of words they use and the way they use them. Watch their body language,
notice everything.”
Give the group 2 minutes, then stop them.
17
What drains you…?
Same volunteer – share Same observer – take

something that DRAINS you notes on what you see
for 2 mins and hear
“Now, in the same pairs, I would like the speakers to change approach and think
about something that they find draining, something they don’t really enjoy doing.
You now have 2 minutes to speak about that whilst your partner observes you.”
After 2 minutes stop the group again.
This time bring them together to debrief the exercise. Ask the observers to feedback
what they noticed about their partners the first time around, noting body language,
tone of voice, quality of examples. Then ask them to compare with how this changed
the second time around.
Use a flipchart if possible to capture people’s responses and pin up for the rest of the
session as a reminder.
Ask the speakers if they have anything to add. Did they notice anything different
about the way they were speaking the second time around?
If there is time and you feel it would benefit the group, ask the pair to swop roles
and do the exercises again, first focusing on what gives them energy and then what
drains them. This can be a beneficial exercise also because the PhDs often have
similar draining experiences within their work.
18
Use this model to reflect on your strengths
within your PhD
Want to learn more?

• VIA Strengths tool - http://www.viacharacter.org/www/Character-Strengths-Survey
Talk through each of the 4 elements of the strengths quadrant. The realised
strengths being those that we will be most able to discuss, things that give us energy
and that we do regularly and well. Things we enjoy. Discuss the idea that these could
drop down into Learned Behaviours if they are overused…
LB…things that we perhaps are naturally good at, others associate us with, but that
have become draining to us, overuse, not energising….Weaknesses very interestingly
in this theory, we are not encouraged to work on improving this category, but
instead, just to identify what is within this category and try and engineer/design your
career so that your role does not include these tasks. You don’t enjoy it, you find it
draining, use that valuable knowledge when designing your next step. (which option
will mean I have to do less of that element that I find draining?) But be open to the
idea of environment, level of knowledge, change etc. For example, the student nurse
who finds particularly technical elements draining as a student nurse, may go onto
find that element energising as their confidence and knowledge increases.
The unrealised strengths similarly can be used as valuable data for your next career
transition, what do you feel you would like to use more, what is it that you have
found energising in the past, but that is not part of your current role? How could you
perhaps incorporate that into your new role and move it from this category into the
RS category? For more info, direct the class the to the VIA strengths tool and website
for more information.
19
This slide and concept is to build the students towards the concept of designing their
career steps one by one based on reflection and an awareness of what energises
them.
19
Introducing
Design Thinking
as an
approach to
Career Planning
So moving on from LO 2 to LO 3, summarise the slides on beliefs, values, personality,

interests, identity and strengths….explain how this self reflection is one of the key
elements of Design thinking as you need to get to know the user and empathise with
their needs/problems.
20
So … Can you design your life?
• Ultimately Design Thinking is….
• A Process Driven Approach
• An experimental ‘Problem’ Solving Approach
• It is not rocket science!!
• But it can help if having a structured approach to

the unknown will give you energy
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPjoCO5Juj0
Introduce the idea of Design Thinking in it’s engineering capacity and then explain
how this has been used in the context of Career Planning with the ‘Design your Life’
module at Stanford. Show the video of the Stanford academic discussing the module
and reassure the class that there are lots of links at the end of the session if they
would like to do some further reading.
21
5 stages of Design Thinking
Empathise
Test Define
Prototype Ideate
Important to note the iterative nature of the process. Introduce the 5 different steps
briefly before moving onto the more in depth discussion of each stage in the
upcoming slides. Great to use a basic example if you feel like it will not alienate some
people in the class. E.g. A designer designing a high chair for a child with a disability.
How they would need to go through all the above steps, with some back and forth
before they would be able to design a chair that completely worked for that
particular child. And then, of course the child would grow….
22
Stage 1: Empathise - Research Your
Users' Needs.
• In Design Thinking you are the product user and your career
is the Product
• You develop an understanding of the user for whom you’re

designing the product for. (YOU)
• You replace Career Pressure with… Career Empathy
• You question the problem, the assumptions and the
implications.
Link the point made in the previous section about the pressures upon oneself to live
up to the seemingly perfect career trajectory of others, how we dissected that idea
through the slides and the discussion, this leads you to the first component of Design
Thinking: empathy with the user, empathy with the self. Arguably, the most
important part of applying design thinking is empathizing with yourself as the
customer or client. Empathy can replace pressure and help us be less hard on
ourselves. Empathy can also help us step outside ourselves to better understand the
influences that make up the problem. Perhaps introduce the concept of the impact
of false beliefs and assumptions – I am not good enough to get that article
published, I am not experienced enough to present at that conference, there are
others who will get that not me, I know no one to ask about that etc.
23
Stage 2: Define - State Your Users' Needs
and Problems
You are going to design your career for yourself…..
• Analyse and clearly define your thoughts around your

Values, your interests, personality
• Break down big questions into Small Manageable Tasks to

be tackled/questions to be answered
• Differentiate between problems and facts
• Focus on the immediate rather than the strategic
Talk through the detailed points on this slide giving PhD examples. Self reflection
such a role in this. Important to stay task orientated and break down big questions
into small steps. Important not to be demotivated or become passive by facts and
differentiate them from problems. Facts cannot be changed, problems can be
worked around. Important to focus on the immediate step as the factors in deciding
the non immediate will change.
24
Stage 3: Ideate - Challenge Assumptions and
Create Ideas
• Being Creative, Being Curious
• Re-framing the problem in human-centric ways
• Coming up with ideas for your next step

(Not your next career step, just the next thing you would like
to look into/try/prototype).
• Openness to discussion, not commitment to action (yet)
• False perceptions exercise

https://positivepsychology.com/false-beliefs/
Curiosity, openness…..brainstorming….being free with your ideas….introduce the

term prototype which is step 4.
The idea that you are trying something out rather than fully committing to
something. The idea that there will be many prototypes and that wayfinding (next
step) is not about getting things right first time.
Encourage the students to lean on others in their world if they find themselves
struggling with being creative and open about what they could do next or how they
could move forward.
Discuss the idea that we can be our biggest blocker and link the students to the
positive psychology literature, in particular the ‘false perceptions’ exercise that is
touched on in a previous slide.
25
Stage 4: Prototype - Start to Create
Solutions
• Pushing on from the ideate stage to get practical and try
things out
• Adopting a hands-on approach through prototyping and

testing
• Wayfinding encompasses all of the ways in which people

(and animals) orient themselves in physical space and
navigate from place to place.
• Links back to the ‘doing first, knowing second’ philosophy

(‘Working Identity’ Herminia Ibarra)
• Courage!
Explain further the concept of Wayfinding. The need for openness and persistence.
The openness to the idea that you don’t know, you can’t get data on your future.
Explain that the wayfinding approach, (similar to the point made in the Ideation
phase) can be stunted by pessimism or a lack of opportunity so again positive
psychology plays an important part.
Creating a prototype, similar to the first draft of a piece of writing or the first
attempt at the high chair for the child, is an attempt to see how something works.
This is the best way to try out if an element of a career or environment is suited to
you, will give you energy, will ultimately become one of the components for your
career.
For example, trying out teaching or working with undergraduates…you can think you
understand how it will feel, how it will challenge you, what you will like/dislike about
it, but until you actually do it, again and again, in different situations, you won’t get a
good understanding of whether it is a component you want to design into your
career as your steps gather pace.
Link the class to the idea of engaging with others. How networking doesn’t have to
be a self serving or negative process but instead an engaging exchange of ideas,
knowledge, support. Reaching out to alumni groups and current groups or networks
is key to keep the ideas flowing and confidence building.
26
Remind the group of the idea that you can only join the dots looking backwards, that
nobody had an exact plan that they followed or were totally sure about, things
emerged, learning grew, decisions were made. We can only learn by being open and
listening to others while we reflect on our own strengths and ambitions.
26
Stage 5: Test - Try Your Solutions Out
Design Thinking involves ongoing experimentation: sketching,

prototyping, testing, and trying out concepts and ideas.
Use the Strengths Based Approach to reflect on each

prototype and ‘test’ how it worked for you.
• What is giving you energy?

• What is challenging you?
• What are you disliking that you thought you would like?
• How would you change the experience?
• What knowledge can you build into your next prototype?
Reiterate the concept that designing your career or career planning is an iterative
process….with constant feedback loops.
Similar to a conversation there must be plenty of back and forth. Link again to the
need to engage with others who have walked paths that you are interested in.
Details at end of great online platform for Trinity students and alumni.
27
Embedding Strengths-based Approach
into DT
• As you experience each protype/testing phase, you reflect…
• What gave you energy?
• Which elements allowed you to transform unrealised

strengths into realised strengths?
• What did you find draining?
• What do you want to focus on in your next prototype?
This is repeating the points made in the previous slide in order to conclude and
further make the point of the need for reflection throughout 5 stages of Design
Process.
28
Finding more people to engage with…
• https://www.trinity.aluminate.net/
Show the students how to engage with this platform and also link them to the idea
of their natural circle of friends and colleagues and how they can have meaningful
conversations. Also LinkedIn and other networks.
Please note a comparable service in another University could also be included here.
29
Short break …
5 minute coffee break
30
To recap…
Briefly go through the four learning objectives of the session (in the next slide) to
recap in a structured way what has been discussed and worked on.
31
Session Learning Outcomes
• Critically evaluate the concept of and different

approaches to your own Career Planning
• Critically reflect on Career Identity: your beliefs,
values, personality, strengths and interests
• Identify ‘Design Thinking’ & ‘Strengths-based’
Approaches to Career Planning
• Commence the development of your Career Action
Plan
Summarise the learning outcomes for the session and explain that the LO’s are for
the length of their career not the length of the session as it is an ongoing process.
32
Some things we discussed …
• There is no perfect pathway

• You are unearthing a new career identity
• Identity & Strengths & Values
• Having empathy with oneself and ones needs
• The importance of Flow
• Taking the Design Approach and focusing on energy
generation
• Wayfinding
• Sourcing opportunities and Taking Action
• Reflection and further action…
Having gone through the four learning outcomes in the previous slide, this is to jog
the audience’s memories of the key topics that were introduced and any interesting
conversations that arose from the exercises and class discussion can be touched
upon here to tie up the session appropriately.
33
How can I Action Plan?
Analyse thyself!
• Identify strengths/energising elements, both current and

aspirational
• Be creative, open, curious…..identify prototypes
• Make prototypes happen!
• Written reflection and further analysis which feeds into….
• Next prototype…..which feeds into….
• Next prototype…..
• Craft plan of experimental learning and reflect constantly!
• Seek advice, engage with others, try things out!
Template for a career action plan to be provided for students to work on after the
session.
34
A Brain Dump Exercise to get you started
A good starting point for Action Planning:
• You don’t have to organise anything yet
• No pressure to figure it all out or think about the “how”
• Include career goals, financial goals, life goals and everything in
between. Think about what is most important to you to accomplish in
your lifetime, and be specific. Think Beliefs, Values, Interests,
Personality, Strengths
• Resist the urge to self-edit and imagine all limitations were removed
• Discern between conscious goals and goals you think you “should”
have based on other people’s expectations
• Focus on the quality of your goals rather than the quantity
• The goals on the list should feel consciously created and authentic to
you
https://quarterlifejoy.com/need-a-career-plan-try-this-creative-career-
planning-exercise/
If you’re feeling overwhelmed start with the simple planning exercise called the Brain
Dump.
35
A Visualisation… to meet your Future Self
• Visioning is a powerful tool in career planning
• Allows us to access our subconscious to connect with what is most
important to us and how we can move forward
• Compliments left-brain analytical and logical task of goal-setting so
that we don’t lose touch with the emotional experience we want to
achieve through these goals
• Close your eyes, imagine what your “ideal day” looks like in the future
• Note the details, the colours, the people, the work you’re doing, and
most importantly, the feelings you experience as you imagine this
• You can use visualisation recordings to guide you or you can do it in
silence 30-minute future visualization
• Following on from the visualisation, note down the details that you
visualised, even if they seem insignificant. Reflect on these notes over
time
Introduce the idea of Visualization to the class. Same link as previous slide as well as
Postivepsychology.com
36
Some further reading…
Designing Your Life: How to Build a Well-lived, Joyful Life Bill Burnett
and Dave Evans (2016)
Drive Dan Pink (2009)
Flow Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (2011)
Getting from college to career Lindsey Pollak (2012)
The Start-up of You: Adapt to the Future, Invest in Yourself, and

Transform Your Career
Ben Casnocha and Reid Hoffman (2013)
What Color Is Your Parachute? Richard Nelson Bolles (2018)
Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing your

Career Herminia Ibarra (2003)
37
Design Thinking further reading
• What is Design Thinking and Why Is It So Popular? By Rikke Dam
and Teo Siang
http://athena.ecs.csus.edu/~buckley/CSc170_F2018_files/What%
20is%20Design%20Thinking%20and%20Why%20Is%20It%20So%2
0Popular.pdf
• Design Thinking Methods for Career Planning

https://medium.com/@c_the_most/design-thinking-methods-
for-career-planning-7af7e5b27cd1
• How to apply design thinking to advance your career

• https://www.insidehighered.com/advice/2019/03/28/how-
effectively-apply-design-thinking-advance-your-career-opinion
• https://www.nbcnews.com/know-your-value/feature/design-
thinking-can-help-you-forge-new-career-path-ncna964491
38
Strengths further reading
• Clifton, D.O. & Anderson, E.C. (2002). StrengthsQuest:
Discover and develop your strengths in academics, career,
and beyond. Washington, DC: Gallup Organization.
• Linley, P. A., & Harrington, S. (2006). Playing to your

strengths. The Psychologist, 19, 86–89.
• Peterson, C., & Seligman, M. E. P. (2004). Character

strengths and virtues: A handbook and classification.
Oxford, England: Oxford University
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8h6IMYRoCZw
Flow by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi
39
THANK YOU
DESIGNING YOUR CAREER
40

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CAREERS AND EMPLOYABILITY

FOR PHD STUDENTS

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

• Critically evaluate the concept of and different

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

• What is your experience of Career Planning to

• Have you ever applied a measured and reasoned

• Have you relied on chance or luck to make

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Individual Exercise (5 mins)

Relevant I’ve been

Job with a lot of Job with a lot of

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

I hated that, I’ll

• There are some key pieces of information you can use

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

• What led you towards this PhD?

• What approach or theory of career planning can

• Have a look at the handout detailing ‘Career

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Facilitator to hand out a worksheet/handout with career planning approaches and

Ask pairs to share their thoughts.

• Type Dynamics Indicator

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Conversational exercise using Flipchart & pen to record key words.

“We like to think that a key to a successful career

‘Working Identity’ Herminia Ibarra (2003)

• How is your PhD changing you? Your

• How do you think you could present these changes

• How have your perspective or plans for the future

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

10 minute coffee break

• A Natural Capacity for behaving, thinking, or feeling

• A Signature Strength conveys a sense of ownership

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Individuals often find it challenging to identify their own strengths (perhaps

Instead, the strengths-based approach to career planning is centered around

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Choose an element of your PhD, or a job you have

Volunteer – share Observer – take notes on

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Give the group 2 minutes, then stop them.

Same volunteer – share Same observer – take

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Want to learn more?

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

So moving on from LO 2 to LO 3, summarise the slides on beliefs, values, personality,

• A Process Driven Approach

• An experimental ‘Problem’ Solving Approach

• It is not rocket science!!

• But it can help if having a structured approach to

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

• You develop an understanding of the user for whom you’re

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

• Analyse and clearly define your thoughts around your

• Break down big questions into Small Manageable Tasks to

• Differentiate between problems and facts

• Focus on the immediate rather than the strategic

Trinity Careers Service, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin

• Re-framing the problem in human-centric ways

• Coming up with ideas for your next step