Career Competencies

Career & Self Development

Sample Behaviors

• Show an awareness of own strengths and areas for development.
• Identify areas for continual growth while pursuing and applying feedback.
• Develop plans and goals for one’s future career.
• Professionally advocate for oneself and others.
• Display curiosity; seek out opportunities to learn.
• Assume duties or positions that will help one progress professionally.
• Establish, maintain, and/or leverage relationships with people who can help one professionally.
• Seek and embrace development opportunities.
• Voluntarily participate in further education, training, or other events to support one’s career.

Communication

Sample Behaviors

• Understand the importance of and demonstrate verbal, written, and non-verbal/body language, abilities.
• Employ active listening, persuasion, and influencing skills.
• Communicate in a clear and organized manner so that others can effectively understand.
• Frame communication with respect to diversity of learning styles, varied individual communication abilities, and cultural differences.
• Ask appropriate questions for specific information from supervisors, specialists, and others.
• Promptly inform relevant others when needing guidance with assigned tasks.

Critical Thinking

Sample Behaviors

• Make decisions and solve problems using sound, inclusive reasoning and judgment.
• Gather and analyze information from a diverse set of sources and individuals to fully understand a problem.
• Proactively anticipate needs and prioritize action steps.
• Accurately summarize and interpret data with an awareness of personal biases that may impact outcomes.
• Effectively communicate actions and rationale, recognizing the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of stakeholders. Switch tasks and attention in a fast-paced environment.

Equity & Inclusion

Sample Behaviors

• Solicit and use feedback from multiple cultural perspectives to make inclusive and equity-minded decisions.
• Actively contribute to inclusive and equitable practices that influence individual and systemic change.
• Advocate for inclusion, equitable practices, justice, and empowerment for historically marginalized communities.
• Seek global cross-cultural interactions and experiences that enhance one’s understanding of people from different demographic groups and that leads to personal growth.
• Keep an open mind to diverse ideas and new ways of thinking.
• Identify resources and eliminate barriers resulting from individual and systemic racism, inequities, and biases.
• Demonstrate flexibility by adapting to diverse environments.
• Address systems of privilege that limit opportunities for members of historically marginalized communities.

Leadership

Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.

Sample Behaviors

• Inspire, persuade, and motivate self and others under a shared vision.
• Seek out and leverage diverse resources and feedback from others to inform direction.
• Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods.
• Serve as a role model to others by approaching tasks with confidence and a positive attitude.
• Motivate and inspire others by encouraging them and by building mutual trust.
• Plan, initiate, manage, complete, and evaluate projects.

Professionalism

Knowing work environments differ greatly, understand and demonstrate effective work habits, and act in the interest of the larger community and workplace.

Sample Behaviors

• Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others, and the organization.
• Maintain a positive personal brand in alignment with organization and personal career values.
• Be present and prepared.
• Demonstrate dependability (e.g., report consistently for work or meetings).
• Prioritize and complete tasks to accomplish organizational goals.
• Consistently meet or exceed goals and expectations.
• Have an attention to detail, resulting in few if any errors in their work.
• Show a high level of dedication toward doing a good job.

Teamwork

Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities.

Sample Behaviors

• Listen carefully to others, taking time to understand and ask appropriate questions without interrupting.
• Effectively manage conflict, interact with and respect diverse personalities, and meet ambiguity with resilience.
• Be accountable for individual and team responsibilities and deliverables.
• Employ personal strengths, knowledge, and talents to complement those of others.
• Exercise the ability to compromise and be agile.
• Collaborate with others to achieve common goals.
• Build strong, positive working relationships with supervisor and team members/coworkers.

Technology

Understand and leverage technologies ethically to enhance efficiencies, complete tasks, and accomplish goals.

Sample Behaviors

• Navigate change and be open to learning new technologies.
• Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity of their work.
• Identify appropriate technology for completing specific tasks.
• Manage technology to integrate information to support relevant, effective, and timely decision-making.
• Quickly adapt to new or unfamiliar technologies.
• Manipulate information, construct ideas, and use technology to achieve strategic goals.