Chaos and happenstance are common themes within many successful careers, but how do they factor into professional development? Along with many other professions, career development and campus recruitment practitioners have been in the grip of necessity for the past year, reacting and adjusting with little time to reflect. Skills in Digital Literacy, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion, and Collaboration have been thrust into the spotlight and dominated our focus. This period of action and change may have revealed industry, organizational, and individual gaps and opportunities for you. With another academic year ending, we may regain some freedom in how we proceed with skill development.

Now is a great time to reflect on how we might be more intentional when choosing which competencies to focus on. Consider these key factors when planning what comes next:

Stakeholder Needs:
We engage in professional development as individuals, but be sure to look outside yourself and take direction from the needs of students and other stakeholders you work with. For example, the recent emphasis on online service delivery has enhanced accessibility for some. For others, it may have led to disconnection and barriers. How have online networking events impacted your students’ ability to develop soft skills and employers’ ability to recruit talent? The answer may reveal a deeper need to improve your online event facilitation skills by leveraging digital literacy. Give your stakeholders a voice by analyzing qualitative or quantitative data from the past year, through surveys, or by holding a focus group.

Organizational Needs:
Not every team member can or should have the same strengths or development goals, but some competencies may need strengthening across your whole team. If there were changes, improvements, or breakdowns in communication or collaboration within your organization, there may be opportunity to tackle skill development as a team. Many post secondaries are gearing up for planning mode as the academic year closes, and strategic planning sessions can be a great opportunity to link objectives to skill development needs. Make competency development a team effort!

Interests and Values:
There has never been a better time to reflect on our values and put them into action. The changes of the past year have prompted many to reflect on what matters to them. The workplace is a key environment for important conversations around equity, diversity, & inclusion that touch on personal and professional values. The next step is to root these values in our work and let them galvanize our growth. Consult and collaborate with appropriate experts and knowledge holders to ensure your development is grounded in best practices.

Competencies in Action:
Have you been developing your CACEE Competencies? Tell us your story! Answer a few short questions that showcase your competency work and we’ll feature it in an upcoming edition of the Exchange.