Introduction for PDP

The steps entailed in a Personal Development Plan can be summarized as Iollows:

O ssessing your academic and non-academic strengths and areas Ior improvement.
O onitoring your recent progress against a set oI personal and interpersonal competency
benchmarks`.
O #eIlecting on your values and priorities and engaging in active decision-making with
respect to the Iuture.
O dentiIying and pursuing opportunities Ior skills development both on and oII campus.
O Documenting and interpreting your learning highlights, achievements and career-related
activities.
O $etting goals and constructing an action plan Ior personal and academic development.
Personal Development Planning is entirely optional and you are not obliged to undertake all or
any oI the activities outlined above. However, these steps lay the groundwork Ior developing
your career and prospects whilst at #oyal Holloway. %0r0 ar0 lots of car00rs 0lp and g0n0ral
r0sourc0s availabl0 to you; try to mak0 t0 most of t0m.
t is oIten helpIul to discuss learning, achievement and employment goals, as well as completed
Personal Development #ecords, with someone else: iI you are an undergraduate, your personal
adviser or tutor; iI you are a postgraduate, your research supervisor or director oI graduate
studies.
%0 first ting you sould consid0r in cr0ating your P0rsonal D0v0lopm0nt Plan is t0 us0
of int0llig0nt planning.
BeIore you move on to the next section however, you may Iind it useIul to download and print
our Personal Development Form and our ccomplishments, skills, values and contacts handout.
You will then be able to Iill them in either as you read or straight aIterwards, whilst PDP is still
Iresh in your mind.
Download t0 P0rsonal D0v0lopm0nt R0cord form 0r0
Download t0 Accomplism0nts, skills, valu0s and contacts form 0r0
The steps entailed in a Personal Development Plan can be summarized as Iollows:
O ssessing your academic and non-academic strengths and areas Ior improvement.
O onitoring your recent progress against a set oI personal and interpersonal competency
benchmarks`.
O #eIlecting on your values and priorities and engaging in active decision-making with
respect to the Iuture.
O dentiIying and pursuing opportunities Ior skills development both on and oII campus.
O Documenting and interpreting your learning highlights, achievements and career-related
activities.
O $etting goals and constructing an action plan Ior personal and academic development.
Int0llig0nt Planning
The Iirst step is to establish your current strengths and weaknesses. You can try to identiIy your
skills (as well as those you are lacking) by using one oI the numerous skills audits available on
the web (see right).
You can also download and complete one oI the Word Iormat audit-grids Irom the Keeping a
record` section oI this site, or look at your department`s skills matrix. The matrix should
catalogue both the subject-speciIic and transIerable skills that your degree gives you. You`ll Iind
them in your student handbook.
ichael rthur, an international expert on intelligent` career-planning, posits that there are three
key elements in proIessional advancement, not just skills:
O Knowing-how: The skills, competencies and knowledge acquired through Iormal
education and selI-study as well as co-curricular activities and day-to-day or on-the-job`
experience; the ability to identiIy opportunities Ior applying and enhancing these skills.
O Knowing-why: Understanding your own values, priorities, and motivations, as well as
how much you identiIy with a particular academic or proIessional culture, and to use this
understanding when making decisions.
O Knowing-whom: The networks oI people you create in academic, proIessional and
personal settings; the ability to capitalize on personal and institutional contacts in
Iostering skills-development and responding to new challenges, i.e. networking.
The qualities that rthur calls knowing-how are the ones that skills audits and skills matrices
like the ones mentioned above help you to measure. Your values and priorities not just your
skills are also very important. The University oI London Careers $ervice $4799 site oIIers a
range oI interactive modules, including a values ranking exercise and a values auction`.
nsoIar as knowing-why also entails understanding why you would suit (or not suit) particular
academic and proIessional environments, you might also Iind it helpIul to consult a careers
guidance website, such as Prospects, or speak to an adviser in the Careers $ervice. lso consult
our ndependent #esearch` section.
The last thing to think about, when trying to ascertain where you are now`, is who you know:
O What contacts do you maintain with Iamily members, school and college Iriends, Iormer
and current colleagues, scholarly peers, social acquaintances and so on?
O How do you use those contacts in everyday liIe?
O Which oI them would be best placed to assist you in a situation where you required
specialist inIormation, practical assistance, introductions, or help in choosing and
securing job opportunities?
When you have some idea as to your current position, it is time to consider where exactly you
want to be. ow can you find your point C? And wat can you do to g0t t0r0? Go to
ndependent #esearch` Ior this.