Career Management Module

Learning Outcomes:
Define the stages of career planning
Identify different career components that you need to consider when deciding on a career
Identify two to three possible career paths to explore using the Career Assessment Tool
Synthesize the information learnt to formulate a timeline-based career action plan that you can use
over the next 4 years
i.

Careers Past & Present

Careers have evolved drastically in the past few decades. Lets look at the four biggest ways things have
changed:
In the past 50 years, the number of women in the workforce has increased.
Technology has revolutionized even the most basic of work tasks.
It is now harder to obtain entry-level jobs straight from university.
It is no longer the norm for an employee to remain with one company for the entirety of his/her career.

ii. Careers vs Jobs

A job is simply a set of responsibilities that another person pays you money to complete.
A career, on the other hand, is something you build over the course of many years and
sometimes over many jobs, even the ones that dont pay that well. Its a long-term commitment to
your calling in life.

iii. Importance of Career Goals

The difference between just a series of jobs and a meaningful career: career goals.
Not every day of a job will be fun. Even your absolute dream job will have responsibilities that stress you out
or unforeseen impacts on other areas of your life. But if you have a passion for your overall career, you
can push through any bad day or unpleasant duty. Just like the thought of that NTU degree can get you
through any challenging class.
iv. Possible Components in a Career

Job content
Opportunity to make a difference
High salary
Working space
Desirable location
Great colleagues & boss

Healthy work culture

Opportunities for career advancement

v. How to Identify the Various Components Within Oneself

Identify the various career components within yourself to discern what type of career would be the most
satisfying for you.
Harrison Assessments can help you explore:

Task Preferences
Interests
Motivations
Work Environment Preferences
Working with Others

One more important component: values.

To explore your values, ask yourself...
1) What you couldnt live without.
2) What type of behaviour upsets you.
vi. Understanding the Various Stages of Career Planning
NTU Career & Attachment Office, Student & Academic Services Department (SASD)s four stage career
management model:
1) Discovering Yourself
2) Exploring Options
3) Making Decisions
4) Taking Action
These stages align with your 3 to 4 years at NTU, meaning you should aim to complete one stage every year.
However, the process should be organic; you can proceed to the next stage whenever you are done with the
earlier stage.
Stage 1: Discovering Yourself
Get to know yourself, your strengths, preferences, weaknesses, likes, dislikes, and so forth.
Your first year at NTU is the ideal time to try new things. Join a student club or take a class that sounds
interesting.
Use career assessment tools such as Harrison Assessments to explore your strengths, weaknesses,
and preferences.
Stage 2: Exploring Options
After you have sufficiently experimented with new hobbies and discovered your preferences, explore the types
of career paths that interest you.

Use the internet, talk to mentors/professors/NTU career coaches

Discover what kinds of qualifications and skills youll need to pursue each option
Learn about not only the benefits of various roles, but the downsides as well
Discern what soft skills (like being able to work on a team or give presentations) as well as certain
supplementary skills (like speaking another language or knowing how to use a particular software) are
required

By the end of your second year, try to narrow your options down to 2 3 careers. Then, explore the kinds of
internships that lead to those careers. Ask yourself:
Which internships require skills that you have or want to develop?
What internships would allow you to use your strengths?
Which classes at NTU could prepare you for certain internships?
Stage 3: Making Decisions
Further analyze those 2 3 career options and decide which one is right for you. During your third year at
NTU, you will have the opportunity to embark on internships and gain firsthand knowledge about the industries
that interest you.
Remember: Learning what you dont like about a job is just as valuable as learning what you like.
Stage 4: Taking Action
As your time at NTU draws to a close, be proactive about starting your next adventure: life as a working adult:
Start attending industry events, career fairs, networking sessions, and recruitment talks to connect with
potential employers in your field
Build on the network you began cultivating during your internships (think about all the people you met
and worked with)
Prepare to apply for jobs by updating your CV and polishing your interview skills
vii. Developing a Step-by-Step Career Plan for the Next 3 to 4 Years
The years you spend at NTU are invaluable. Not only because your courses will teach you the knowledge you
need for your career, but because you have:
various clubs and student societies to help you develop your interpersonal skills
a rich network to help you find internships and cultivate professional connections
the ability to try to new things
Answer the following questions. Remember to be as specific as possible in your answers.

What types of experiences do you want to have in your First Year at NTU? What are activities or skills
you have always wanted to develop, but never had a chance? How could you develop them while at
NTU?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

What types of experiences do you want to have in your Second Year? How will you build upon your
role in the NTU community? What skills or attitudes do you want to hone further in order to do well in
your future career?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

What types of experiences do you want to have in your Third Year? How will you build upon your role
in the NTU community? What skills or attitudes do you want to hone further in order to do well in your
career? What kinds of internship do you want to have? What do you hope to achieve or learn through
your internships?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

What types of experiences do you want to have in your Final Year? What type of projects do you want
to take on? What type of research do you want to have participated in? Which clubs or teams do you
want to be a leader of?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________

What types of experiences do you want to have as a NTU Graduate? Which skills do you want to have
mastered? What type of person do you intend to be? What type of job opportunities would you like to
have lined up?
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________________
viii.

Assessing Career Action Plan and Projecting this Plan Over the Years

Not everyone achieves career success by following their original plan. The people most likely to reach
success are the ones who continually evaluate and assess where they are, and then adjust their path as
necessary.
As you move through your time at NTU, ask yourself the following questions:
Am I following my career plan? If not, why?
Am I meeting the deadlines I set for myself in my career plan? If not, why?
Am I gaining enjoyment or satisfaction from progressing towards this career? If not, why?
Am I proud of the progress I have made since creating my career plan? If not, why?
Am I looking forward to continue working towards this career goal? If not, why?
Can I envision where this career path will lead me? Am I happy it will lead me there?

Further Readings and Resources

Arthur,M., Khapova, S., & Wilderom, C. (2005). Career success in a boundaryless career world.
Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(2), 177-202. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/stable/4093977
Bolles, R. N. (2011). What color is your parachute? Berkeley, CA: Ten Speed Press.
Graduate Coach. (2012, March 9). Creating a career action plan. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5RfOcq0ZUWM
Dorie, C. (2012). A campaign strategy for your career. Harvard Business Review, 90(11), 131-134.
Retrieved from http://hbr.org/2012/11/a-campaign-strategy-for-your-career/ar/1
Grossman, K. W. (2012). Tech job hunt handbook: Career management for technical professionals.
Berkeley, CA: Apress.
Holm, A. (2012). E-recruitment: Towards an ubiquitous recruitment process and candidate
relationship management. Zeitschrift fr Personalforschung / German Journal of Research in
Human Resource Management, 26(3), 241-259. Retrieved from
http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/stable/23279203
Miedaner, T. (2010). Coach yourself to a new career: 7 steps to reinventing your professional life.
Retrieved from http://singapore.lib.overdrive.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/76445F8D-9473-4005B4B264287ACF8DCF/10/50/en/SearchResults.htm?SearchID=25173802s&SortBy=Relevancy
Wils, L., Wils, T., & Tremblay, M. (2010). Toward a career anchor structure: An empirical
investigation of engineers. Relations Industrielles / Industrial Relations, 65(2), 236-256.
Retrieved from http://www.jstor.org.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/stable/23078339
Zidle, M. (n.d.). How to plan your career. Retrieved from
http://managementhelp.org/careers/planning.htm

Updated August 2014