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BAC 3 - PRACTICING CAREER PROFESSIONALISM

WHAT IS PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT?

PERSONALITY
Many factors make a person unique in his or her own way. One of this is
personality. We can define personality as the distinctive and characteristic pattern of
thought, emotion, and behavior that define an individuals personal style of interacting
with the physical and social environment.
Personality plays an important part in the identification and choice of specific career. The
first step to career choice and planning understands oneself. According to Holland (1985), a
person may possess the following personality types:
Realistic technician/engineer
Investigate scientist/chemist
Artistic musician/sculptor
Social teacher/social worker
Enterprising salesperson/lawyer
Conventional accountant/banker
Realistic and Investigative types lack interpersonal skills and have difficulty with
emotional expression of feelings. The artistic and social types are emotional in the expression of
feelings and may dislike highly ordered and repetitive activities.
The personality type one has is linked to specific work environments.
ASPECTS OF AN INDIVIDUALS PERSONALITY
1. MENTAL ASPECT refers to his intellectual capacity.
2. EMOTIONAL ASPECT a person emotional make up is shown in his likes and dislikes.
3. SOCIAL ASPECT how well a person conducts himself with other people and how well
he observes the rules of etiquette that govern society.
4. PHYSICAL ASPECT heredity and environment determine the entire physiological
system of an individual. Posture, body build and size, compression and facial expressions,
as well as the appropriateness and condition of clothes, comprise the physical appearance of
a person. It has a lot to do with personality.
5. MORAL ASPECT this aspect personality has to do with a persons awareness of the
differences between what is wrong or right.
6. SPIRITUAL ASPECT is the consciousness of the higher values in life.
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DEVELOPMENT a continuous change for improvement in all aspects of the person: motor,
social, emotional, intellectual, and moral.
INTERPERSONAL RELATIONSHIP (outer self) Personal and social relationship of a person
with others which develops systems of shared expectations.
INTRAPERSONAL DYNAMICS (inner self) dealing with ones inner self, like emotions
VISION Philosophy of life.

PLANNING ONES CAREER

The exploration of ones interest and aptitudes lead one to formulate career and educational
decisions. It is important for one to focus on personal and social development.
Know Thyself it means giving more than what is observed or what is public knowledge as
ones name. It means really knowing oneself in terms of ones strengths and limitations. Ones
sense of identity is usually defined by individual traits and goals, by personal; achievement and
fulfillment, by social responsibilities and relationships.
A. Strengths
These are qualities, which we consider valuable or helpful in the things that we do. These
are usually seen as positive and traits that enable us to achieve what we set out to do.
B. My Interests
Ones interests are usually manifested in what one chooses or prefers to do. A person
may be interested in a basketball game, in reading a book, or in gardening. Any of these
activities may give a person a sense of satisfaction or enjoyment.
C. Parents Interests and Expectations
The career development of an individual and ones career decision- making skills will be
enhanced if the family becomes involved in the process. The family has expectations, dreams,
aspirations, and hopes for each member, which ultimately influences the persons goals and
choices.
D. My Values
A persons values are his/her personal convictions about what is desirable. Values
influences how a person acts and what we expect of others. These also influence our choices and
our goals.
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DEVELOPING A PROFESSIONAL GROWTH PLAN

A person cannot align his career unless he has aligned his personal life. He knows what
he is headed to, what he wants and how to get it. Many people are so focused on their career but
their personal life in a mess.
Career goals must be aligned to ones personal mission and life goals. If a person has a
personal mission of making his life meaningful and memorable, he will align his career towards
that direction. He will probably choose a job where he can maximize his service to others. Make
decisions that will not only serve his personal interest and always righteous in his actions and
decisions
As a starting point in your personal and professional growth, make your personal
mission-vision statement. This represents your desired ultimate outcome. What your life stands
for and the contributions you want to make. As an example:
My Personal Mission
To maximize my contributions in making this world a better place to live in by reaching
out to others with the use of my God given talents and resources.
My Ultimate Vision
I envision myself coming face to face with my creator, happy to make an account of my
contributions in the mission that he entrusted to me.
Once you are clear about your life mission-vision, proceed to the planning of your career.
The first step towards building a successful career is to plan your career direction. This
entails formulation of your career goals and aspirations and the action you need to take to
materialize them.
To arrive at workable action plan, you must be able to recognize what is important to
you, what you want and what is needed to achieve them. Then asses your strengths and
weaknesses so that you make right choices, one that best suits your personality, talents and inner
resources.
You Need a Growth Plan to Serve as your Guide
A growth plan is like a map that states the direction towards where you decide to grow
both in your personal and professional life within a given period of time
This growth plan consists of three parts:
1. Inventory of Assets, Liabilities, Opportunities and Threats
The assets include ones talents, abilities, skills and competencies as well available
resources money, contacts, materials, etc.
Liabilities include weaknesses, personal handicaps, and skills deficiency
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Opportunities are external factors in the environment which facilitate goal attainment. For
example: opportunities to work abroad, scholarships made available to students, job
opportunities, etc.
Threats are those that serve as stumbling blocks to goal attainment.
2. Inventory of Resource Requirements
What is needed to realize goals, like personality attributes, required competencies,
educational and academic requirement, etc?
3. Action Plan
This consists of specific mission-vision statement, long term goals specific objectives and
action plans that will best respond to the mission and the goals. The plan must also
describe the mechanics of implementation like when, how it will be done, who will be
involved, etc.
All these information provide the basis for effective goal setting and action planning. A
person must know his strengths, limitations and inner resources so that he can plan ways
of using his assets to his best advantage. Improve his weaknesses and overcome threats
for goal attainment. He also needs to know what is required to reach certain goals so that
he can plan ways to meet them.

STEPS IN PERSONAL/CAREER PLANNING

1. Prepare a personal mission statement
This must state what you wish to accomplish for a meaningful career. A meaningful
mission statement must not be confined to satisfying personal needs. You will find greater
meaning in life when you aim for serving others through the career you have chosen.
2. Formulate long-term goals
No success will ever be realized without goals and actions. Actions must be directed
towards goals it must be established from well-examined realities and sensible values so that
they become realistic, attainable and meaningful.
3. Identify the requirements to attain your goal.
Then assess your capacities to meet these requirements.
4. Establish specific, measurable, attainable and relevant objectives in relation to each
goal.
The goals must also respond to the requirements that have identified in number 3.
5. Prepare action plans
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After identifying requirements, identify the steps, strategies and actions you will take to
satisfy each requirement. This is your action plan. It must include a timetable for
accomplishment- when to start and when it is expected to be finished.
6. Identify needed resources
Identify what resources are needed suppliers, materials, money, etc.
How much?
How many?
Where will you get these resources?