Career Anchors

Presented by Rob Straby

www.Straby.com

Career Anchors Agenda

• Introduction (15 minutes)

• Completing the Career Orientations Inventory (15 minutes)

• Understanding the Anchors (15 minutes)

• Interviewing in dyads (90 minutes)

• Identifying Career Anchors (15 minutes)

• Questions & answers (15 minutes)

Learning Goals

• To help you to develop self-insight so that you can manage career choices and moves

• To provide a framework for thinking about how careers develop and how an individual integrates career concerns into their total psychological makeup

• To provide you with an opportunity to practice interviewing another person about their career

Introduction

• What is your definition of career success?• Please share your answer with a partner

Introduction

• As individuals move into their careers, they develop self-concepts in terms of:– Talents and abilities– Motives and needs– Values

• People become more skilled in the areas that they value and that motivate them, because they choose to spend more time and and energy on them

Introduction

• People learn to value work that enables them to use their preferred skills

• If a person does not value a talent, they may fail to use it and lose a skill set that they once had

• People seek congruity and consistency in their talents, motives and values

Introduction

• As individuals develop insight over time, they make more rational career choices

• Interviews with people who are 10+ years into their careers describe being “pulled back” to core work aspects they prefer

• These dominant elements that govern their choices can be thought of as “career anchors”

Complete the Inventory

• “Career Orientations Inventory”

• Page 3 of workbook• Answer quickly & honestly• 10 minutes to do• 5 minutes to score

•8 Career Anchors:

• Technical / functional competence– Focus on developing skills

• General managerial competence– Opportunity to develop up the ladder

• Autonomy / independence– Flexibility & freedom

• Security / stability– Loyalty & promise of tenure

8 Career Anchors:

• Entrepreneurial creativity– Create an organization or enterprise

• Service / dedication to a cause– Making the world a better place

• Pure challenge– To solve impossible problems

• Lifestyle– Balance and integrate personal, family

and career needs

Interviewing in Pairs

• Choose a partner• Each participant interviews their

partner• Switch after 45 minutes

Interviewing in Pairs

• Please use the questions that are provided

• The “interviewer” is to ask the questions and record their partner’s responses

• The interview is historical• Listen for patterns and themes• Each interview is to be approximately

45 minutes in length

Identifying YourCareer Anchors

• Read the section “Identifying Your Career Anchor” on pages 58-60

• Complete section on “Determining Your Own Anchor” on pages 60-62

• Share results with your partner

Discussion of Anchors

• Can a person have more than one career anchor?

• Do career anchors change?• Does an anchor represent what a

person does or what a person would like to do?

• Are some anchors better than others?• How does one define career success

or failure?

What Should You Do Next?

• Learn how to learn more about yourself

• Analyze your present role• Plan ahead• Communicate your needs• Become active in managing your

career