Isabelle Osborne
Established by the National Career Development Agency, National Career Development Month is a month-long awareness campaign that encourages a celebration of career development. As we enter a time of year when final year university students and apprentices are making decisions about their future, and academic and training scheme applications are being submitted, I want to ask: what conversations does National Career Development Month spark in relation to careers and professional journeys?
entering the job market constitutes a journey, not our arrival at a destination.
The transition out of one’s educational route – whether this be a degree, apprenticeship, or training scheme – and into a ‘career’ often brings with it the perception that one must be the ‘finished product’; that is, one must come to a job with no questions, only answers. Understandably, this is an overwhelming premise, particularly for early-career individuals. The very title ‘National Career Development Month’, however, provokes us to remember that our entering the job market constitutes a journey, not our arrival at a destination. The education and training that has led to our career are not a ‘means to an end’, as ‘end’ implies one has reached the conclusion of a process of growth; in reality, a career is as much of an expedition as navigating your way into the career itself was.
Synonyms of ‘development’ include evolution, growth, maturing and progress, whilst ‘career’ is defined as ‘an occupation undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life and with opportunities for progress.’ The emphasis on the temporal nature of a career, in addition to focusing on the fact it is a process of learning, is important for undermining the narrative that sustains the ‘finished product’ phenomenon.
Work in Publishing Week
Development was a key part of this month’s ‘Work in Publishing Week’, which ran from Monday 15 to Friday 19 November. Ruth Howells, Deputy Director of External Affairs at the Publishers Association, said: ‘There’s a particular focus this year on hearing from people who have joined publishing from another industry’, which speaks directly to the idea that entering a career marks the beginning of a journey of change and adaptation.
Skills are transferable, knowledge can be valuable even if not wholly related or specialised, and industries should welcome people of varying experience levels and embrace the importance of development within a career.
As part of the Week, the Publisher’s Association spoke to Rachel Jacobs, Group General Counsel at Springer Nature, who worked as a corporate lawyer prior to transitioning into the publishing industry. Having ‘no direct publishing experience’, Jacobs told the Publisher’s Association: ‘It taught me that I could achieve more than I thought, and that you are never prepared for your next role: the joy is in taking the next role in any event and learning what you are capable of.’ This goes to show that entering your chosen industry should not come with the demand for employees to be the ‘finished product’, and that growing into a role should be an integral and celebrated part of any career. Jacobs reaffirms that skills are transferable, knowledge can be valuable even if not wholly related or specialised, and industries should welcome people of varying experience levels and embrace the importance of development within a career.
The Value of Continued Professional Development
Another thought to consider this National Career Development Month is the value of development opportunities within jobs themselves. The idea that a ‘job’ is solely about what you can bring to any given role is perpetuated by advertisements that require extensive practical experience from candidates, implying that being successful in the recruitment process is contingent on your ability to prove experience. Whilst having relevant knowledge and skills is undoubtedly important when applying for jobs, the aspect of ‘development’ is somewhat diminished when employers construct an advertisement that asks applicants to prove their suitability for the job in terms past experience.
With this demand for experience comes the implication that organisations are interested in employing people who have completed the ‘learning’ process, perhaps excluding those who have just as much potential and skills though lack the stated experience. Consciously or unconsciously, advertising in this way may be reducing the promotion of professional opportunities as fostering mutual benefit, whereby the employee is able to seek opportunities to grow in their respective role alongside providing valuable contributions to the organisation.
National Career Development Month is a time for employers to evaluate whether there is a balance between the emphasis applied to what is required of a candidate and what the candidate can gain through the role in their job advertisements, and whether there is more of a reliance on the tangible advantages of a job – such as bonuses and salary indications – as being the ‘benefits’ that should entice candidates to the role, rather than focused opportunities for learning and progression.
Employers could also reflect on whether they can do more to promote development within their organisations. This could mean tangible development opportunities, such as ensuring progression within the company is an encouraged and accessible aspiration, or a more interior development, such as offering the chance for employees to enhance skills and knowledge in tailored training sessions or through mentorship opportunities hosted by experienced professionals.
In the preface to National Career Development Month: A Celebration of Work, Jane Goodman (President of the NCDA, 1994-95) writes the National Career Development Association sees the month as ‘an opportunity to help the public understand the need for lifelong career check-ups and the importance of career education from early childhood through adulthood.’ Goodman’s statement is particularly resonant with the necessity of placing a stronger emphasis on the importance of development within jobs at all stages of our careers, something both educational institutes and employers alike can contribute to by re-structuring school curriculums and investing in unique development opportunities respectively.
what is most important to you when on the job hunt; is it the salary, the bonuses, or the opportunity it offers you to learn more about yourself and explore different skills, interests, and specialisms?
Conclusively, this year’s National Career Development Month is a time to consider what is most important to you when on the job hunt; is it the salary, the bonuses, or the opportunity it offers you to learn more about yourself and explore different skills, interests, and specialisms? More broadly, it is a time to explore what employers can do to ensure that continued professional development of their staff is represented within their job advertisements and in the job itself, and how industries can be more inclusive of individuals with different skills, experiences, and knowledge.
Featured image courtesy of Diego PH via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes were made to this image.
Isabelle Osborne
Isabelle Osborne is currently reading English at University College London. She is an active member of the UCL student journalist community, and has experience in marketing and communications, blogging, copywriting and content creation and radio broadcasting.