Personal Development Guide

7/30/2019 Personal Development Guide

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Personal development guideAIESEC provides you with unique opportunities to explore who you are. You can discover what potential you have and explore opportunities to

increase your knowledge, develop competencies, skills, attitudes and values that will support you in to achieve your future goals and create a positive

impact in society.

Several times you may ask yourself:

How do I know that by being in AIESEC I have gained anything?

How will I know what competencies, skills and experiences I need to have in order to accomplish my goals for the future?

As members of a high performing organisation, we continually identify, develop and improve the skill and competencies necessary for individual and

organisational success, both now and for the future.

The answer is simple and is within your reach. If you are going through this personal development guide,

it is because you have taken your AIESEC competency assessment and now know what your stronger

and weaker competencies are. With this personal development guide, you are able to track the

competencies, experiences and key learning points you have gained in AIESEC and other areas of your

life that will help you further build your competencies.

The personal development guide is a self-directed guide designed to help you plan your learning

activities to develop and enhance individual and team capabilities and become an agent of positive

change in society. It will support your personal development process by providing relevant tools and

knowledge you can use when planning your goals. This guide helps you map out your path in AIESECbased on the output you get from your competency assessment.

The Personal Development plan

Helps you create synergy between Organizational Goals and Individual Goals Guides you through the creation, design and implementation of action plans for professional development at all levels Empowers you to become career resilientor able to adapt to changing work environments Supports you to build competencies by taking advantage of learning activities


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The AIESEC competency assessment tool consists of a set of questions to assess your behaviour in a range of situations. The behaviours exhibited

result in a consolidated output showing the competencies linked to the change agent characteristics. Please use the space below to analyse and

reflect upon the results of your self assessment output.

What are my three strongest competencies according to my competency

self assessment output?

What my three weakest competencies according to my competency

self assessment output?

What are some of the activities/opportunities I can take up from now on

to help me build my competencies further?

What are some actions I can take to overcome the challenges I face with

my weaker competencies?

Knowing who you are


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The AIESEC competency assessment tool allows you to take a 360 assessment and thereby allow others to contribute to your assessment. You will

therefore be able to see how others view your competencies. Please use the space below to analyse and reflect upon the information from your 360

assessment output.

What are my known strengths according to my 360 assessment output? What are my hidden strengths according to my 360 assessment output?

What are my blind spots according to the 360 assessment output? What is my perception of my hidden strengths and blind spots?

Others portrait of you


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Create your action plan and turn your dreams into reality! Complete all the columns for each of intended competencies so you can keep planning and

tracking them to show you are achieving them. Make sure you take advantage of all the opportunities AIESEC provides you with to ensure you gain all

the competencies required to be that change agent that AIESEC wants to provide the world.

Make sure you review your goals regularly! Good luck!

Competency I want to develop Opportunities I will take Start date End date

Turning goals into action


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Shaping your futureAs you develop, you may be thinking about the future, and the career direction you want to take. You will need to plan your development, make some

decisions, set goals for yourself, and really start to explore the opportunities in the wider world to prepare for your future.

Opportunity awareness audit - Market trends - take a look at where opportunities are emerging

Key Questions Hints &Tips

Where is there a demand for talented workers? Which market sectors are expanding or declining? Which rare skills/capabilities are employers finding

hard to recruit?

What are the predicted employment trends overthe next few years?

- Use global and national sources of employment data or other statistical information to understand

the trends from your country or region.- Conduct a PEST analysis to help you understand the big picture forces that are, or will impact on

future trends.

Political Economic Socio-cultural Technological

Career choices - explore the possibilities

Key Questions Hints & Tips

Does your combination of capabilities, interests,values and aspirations suggest particular career

choices?

If you do not have a clear sense of career purpose yet visit CiZone and use the career self-assessment tools.

What sorts of jobs or careers are there? To explore a range of careers or jobs, whats involved or required visithttp://www.prospects.ac.uk/ http://www.quintcareers.com

Do you want to become a technical specialist orexpert with an in-depth understanding of yoursubject?

Many people are highly satisfied by becoming very specialised in one field, this usually involvesin-depth training and professional accreditation. Sometimes the route to promotion and careeradvancement is by becoming a manager. Look for organisations that have technical career paths.

Are you attracted to becoming a general manager,leader or entrepreneur?

Consider your skills and competencies. Do you enjoy leading others? Are you drawn to powerand influence? Do you value hierarchical status or simply want to run your own enterprise?

What sort of work life balance do you want? When looking at your life and career goals think about the things you enjoy doing. Considerwhether you want work in an environment which is highly demanding of your time and energy.


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Career sectors- explore the type of industry, organisation and work options available to you

Key Questions Hints & Tips

Do you want to work with enterprise or the servicesector?

Re-visit your values again. What is important to you? Conduct an informational interview withpeople who work in both sectors doing similar work, what are the differences

What types of organisations are there? Which isright for me?

Identify different employers across different sectors and visit their web sites, look on theexternal careers section which will provide you with more information

What sort of employment deal do I want? You dont necessarily have to opt for a traditional employment contract, what about flexibleworking, or annualised hours, opportunities for career break, explore the possibilities withdifferent employers

How wide are my horizons Are you motivated by travel, working away from your own location or being based in an office?Consider the pros and cons, talk to someone who works in this way


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Making it happen - Your development options

How else can I develop myself for the future?Your personal development plan will need to take your strengths and weaknesses into account and also your future aspirations about the type of

career you seek. Whilst your AIESEC experience will allow you to develop in a number of ways you can also take advantage of other types of

development as follows:-

Building capability through work experience/voluntary workIt is well established that on the job learning is one of the main ways to develop new skills and confidence. It also provides an opportunity for you to

try out working in new environments on different challenges, which can help you make informed career choices. Working with a range of employers

or voluntary groups will also help to expand your network of contacts.

Having credible work experience (paid or unpaid) is also essential as far as potential employers are concerned. It can help differentiate you from other

candidates.

It can be difficult to find interesting and challenging work experience, where this is the case consider offering your time on a voluntary basis or ask if

you can come along to work shadow someone in their job.

Top Tips Where possible gain experience in the industry/ sector that you want to develop your career in Try and involve employers in your academic studies to start to build relationships e.g. if you are

doing some research work choose a topic that is relevant to an employer and seek to get them

involved

During your work experience, always be willing to take on extra tasks, volunteer yourself forsomething different, and try and build relationships with as many people as possible

Build a positive reputation by performing well Identify someone who could act as a mentor to you Capture your learning as you go along, write it down for future reference Ask those around you for informal feedback on how you are performing Keep in touch with people once you have left, and thank them for any help they gave you


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Self-directed learning modules/training opportunitiesYou might want to get ahead in terms of building your skills and capabilities through taking part in some on-line self-directed learning tools. Lots of

these are available via the web; check out what is available in your own locality via your university.

Building your profile/ personal portfolioDocument your experiences, and build a profile to share with potential employers.

As a minimum you should try to produce:-

A compelling CV/resume A range of covering letters for writing to potential employers A list of what you can offer and why (giving evidence to support your claims) A rationale for the career direction/choices you are making

Go to these links for specific advice on CV/resume writing; http://cizaiesec.careerinnovation.com/search/cv.asp and http://www.jobhuntersbible.com.

Networking & informational interviewingInformational interviewing involves finding out more about a career, industry or organisation by talking with people who are currently working in that

field. It is a bit like being a mini-investigator as your prime focus is to try and understand more about the world in which they work. It does not include

asking for a job though and is not like going for an interview - as you are the one who is asking the questions.

Key benefits to be gained:

Gives you some real insight into different jobs and organisations to help you make informed career decisions Helps you to build a network of contacts Gives you more clarity about the needs of employers Helps to build your confidence in being able to have positive conversations with experienced people

By asking people for information and advice you are not putting pressure on them to find you a job, and most people are very motivated to talk about

themselves and their work. However, whilst it is essential that you do not ask for a job, you may be lucky enough to form a good impression, at the

right time, and gain access to the hidden job market in the organisation.


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The hidden job market represents all the vacancies that exist, but that never get advertised. It is much easier to get a job via the hidden job market

because there is limited competition.

For tips on how to set up informational interviewing go to http://www.quintcareers.com/informational_interviewing.html

Support from others- Peer Coaching

What is Peer Coaching?

At any time during your AIESEC experience you may want to have an opportunity to talk with someone about your development and your career.There will be a number of people available to do this, including project leaders, mentors, and line managers.

Those of you who have completed the AIESEC competency assessment are also encouraged to set up a peer coaching relationship with one of your

colleagues to specifically discuss the outputs from the tool.

Peer coaching happens informally all the time between close colleagues and friends, and involves having conversations that are mutually beneficial

and supportive. As part of the AIESEC experience we see peer coaching as:-

A semi-structured opportunity for individuals to reflect on their strengths and areas for development, to explore their goals and identify

opportunities in AIESEC that will further both their personal objectives and the goals of AIESEC.

Key benefits to be gained?

Increases your own self-awareness Helps you explore and identify options and actions to take forward Widens your professional network Builds close and mutually supportive relationships Helps keep you motivated and committed to actions Helps you take advantage of the many opportunities available in the AIESEC experience.

The assessment tool also gives you access to a Peer Coaching Guide which gives you more information on how peer coaching can work, including the

need to set up a peer coaching agreement. Please ensure that you go through the peer coaching guide for detailed peer coaching tips.

An important consideration is for you to choose someone who you would like to act as your peer coach.


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Use the checklist below to help you identify a colleague who might be suitable.

Peer coach characteristics Rating 1- 4 ( 4=highly suitable) Peer 1: Peer 2: Peer 3:Is able to be discrete and confidential

1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Is accessible, and has the time available1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Is able to listen well, without being judgemental or too directive1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Is willing to share some of their own experiences and learning1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Is highly motivated to be involved in peer coaching, can see the

benefits 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Is reliable, meets obligations1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

Is able to build rapport and put people at ease1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4

TOTAL SCORE (out of 28)

The purpose of this guide was to support you by:

Giving you the space to reflect deeper on your competencies. Identifying opportunities that you may want to take up in AIESEC to enable you develop your competencies further.Guiding you with practical tips that you can take up to support your further development.Providing you with qualities to look for when choosing a peer coach for a successful coaching experience.Make sure you follow up on actions steps that you have identified in each section of this guide to ensure that all that you have planned to enhance your

development fall through.

Documents

Personal Development Guide