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Career Progression

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Career progression

Career Progression Tips

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The goal of this initiative is to provide a list of resources available for mapping one’s career in the federal Public Service. The links included in this document may change from time to time.

This document was supported by information gathered and developed by Natural Resources Canada, Energy Sector’s Supporting Employment Equity and Diversity (SEED) working group. It provides a compendium of resources for career planning. The resources listed are targeted to employees and are available in both official languages.

Similar sites and information sources may exist within your own department and may be of interest to other VM’s attempting to design their own career path. Users of this site are welcome to send additional links that may be of interest for career development within the FPS.

If you have any feedback on this document, please provide it to Angelo Mangatal

National Treasurer, National Council of Visible Minorities (NCVM), in the Federal Public Service, e-mail: angelo.mangatal@pwgsc.gc.ca

We are interested in:

• Has this listing of resources been helpful?

• How did it help you?

• What particular sites did you find useful? What was not useful?

• Are you aware of resources that we don’t yet have on our list?

• What questions and answers should we add to a Frequently Asked Questions database?

Figuring out my Career

What tools are available to help me develop a career plan?

• The Public Service Commission (PSC) offers a series of career planning workshops entitled "New Horizons" open to persons with disabilities and persons belonging to a visible minority group. For additional information see http://www.psc-cfp.gc.ca/ee/best_practices/docs_ee/inac-01_e.htm

• Learn about the career planning process, assess your skills and interests and explore your options. See .

• This online self‑paced course will give you the tools to help you determine your interests, values and strengths, and to explore career planning options in today's Public Service .

• This site provides youth employment programs and other useful information http://youth.gc.ca/

• Human Resources Development Canada and its partners have developed a number of career products. You may explore these resources and services at http://www.sdc.gc.ca/en/home.shtml

• Visit NCVM’s Employment Equity Designated Employee Group Networks for information on their networks, contacts and suggested resources related to career development.

What tools are available to help me to determine my areas of interest?

• The career quizzes and checklists in this site are designed to help you find out about your work interests, styles and preferences. For further information, see .

Where can I go for career counseling?

• As your first step, consider attending your departmental sessions on career planning, if available. For information on the course outline or to find out about upcoming sessions, visit your intra net sites and contact the HR personnel in your departments. .

• You will find a list of sources for career counseling services at .

Discovering What Jobs are out There

What kinds of jobs are available in the federal Public Service?

• Profiles of the variety of positions that exist in the Public Service are available on the Treasury Board Secretariat Web site at .

What are the occupations available in the federal Public Service by area of interest (i.e., working with people, things or information)?

• The site lists the kinds of jobs that deal with people, things or information. See .

What are the jobs of the future?

• Explore the trends that may affect your future by viewing workforce data by employment type, gender, occupational category, region, department, and age group at

• Browse through the occupational groups to find out about the future employment outlook in the specific occupations at .

As a student how can I make a career in the department?

• For Natural Resources Canada - see information at .

• For specific information contact the department of interest to determine if there are any links available, like the one listed above (see our networks section of this web site).

Determining the Skills I Need to Develop

Do I have the education I need for my dream job?

• Check out the Standards for Selection and Assessment for your job group at for the minimum education you need for each occupational group.

Where can I find a competency profile for my dream job?

• View this site for competency profiles by role and by department. .

How can I find out what competencies I lack for a position at a higher level?

• The first step is to find an occupational profile that best fits the position you are targeting. You may determine this by viewing a pre‑classified work descriptions at . Other links at PSC and TBS related to classifications may be of help as well.

• The leadership network and Canada’s School of Public Service provides many courses, programs, literature, events and tools that could help you build on your current skills and knowledge base. Visit the site for additional information at http://leadership.gc.ca/ and http://www.myschool-monecole.gc.ca/main_e.html

as well as related sites:

http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/dcgpubs/RiskManagement/guide_e.asp

http://canadaonline.about.com/cs/govjobsfederal/

• There are several options to help you determine your learning gap. Speak with your human resources advisor and/or your manager for guidance in this area. The opportune time to seek your manager’ s advice is during your annual performance review.

Obtaining Support to Develop the Skills I Need

How can I make my manager aware of my career aspirations?

• The annual performance feedback process provides a good opportunity to express your career aspirations and your learning needs with your manager. See your department’s policy on learning plans, training, education, etc.

How can I develop the skills I need for a future job when they’re not needed in my current position?

• Within the context of your unit’s work and budgets, you may be able to obtain support from your manager to develop new skills even if they are not directly applicable to your current position.

• Failing this, you may want to consider the feasibility of a transfer to another position within the organization outside your unit that offers the required skills.

How can I gain experience in an area so that I may qualify for an employment opportunity?

• A departmental assignment or secondment may help you gain the experience you do not currently possess. Visit this site regularly as opportunities are posted daily http://jctc.gc.ca/

• Other sites may offer information on work‑related learning opportunities such as summer jobs, internships, volunteer work and exchanges. See your departmental intranet site as well as the PSC site. See related site:

Where can I find targeted services and programs for employment equity groups?

• You may access several external sources targeting persons with disabilities and Aboriginal Peoples. Visit .

• Directions to help you, a person with a disability, get and keep the job you want and guide you through the maze into the world of meaningful employment. http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/en/gateways/where_you_live/regions/on.shtml.

• Guiding Circles, published by the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada, is a self‑exploration package that combines traditional teachings with career development exercises to help users arrive at a better understanding of one’s career goals. You may order the guide for $10.95 from .

How can I obtain financial assistance for education leave?

• See your departmental Education Leave Policy for guidelines to requirements and approval levels from departmental managers and employees for education leave. It outlines the policy, application, responsibilities and procedures that must be considered for each education leave situation. You may wish to consult your collective agreement regarding the provision relating to education leave without pay. .

Closing my Learning Gap

How can I develop the skills I need to succeed and get NCVM’s support to do so?

• You can obtain support by developing a well thought out learning plan. NCVM supports the department’s approach to developing employees to their full potential and to help them to fulfill their career aspirations. You may access the learning plan guide and template, career developmental programs and learning institutions as well as many other related resources at your department.

Where can I find resources to help me learn French?

• The Treasury Board Policy on Language Training prescribes the conditions under which departments may authorize employee access to language training at government expense. To access the policy, visit .

Where can I find reputable learning institutes?

• For information about specific types of work, your best resource is to speak to employees who already work in the field.

• For general questions, you may contact HR Advisors of the your HR Operations unit.

• The Leadership Network provides a list of learning institutes that offer products and activities that support public servants, at all levels, in their jobs. See the Career Development, Tools of the Trade, and Community Centre portions of the Leadership Network’s site at .

• Training and Development Canada is the federal government's centre of excellence in work‑related learning, offering calendar and contracted learning products and services to meet the learning and development needs of public servants. Visit the site for more information at .

• PWGSC’s Knowledge Institute offers to public servants both intensive education and just‑in‑time training in Software Engineering (foundation, software technology, telecommunications), project management, business essentials for information management/information technology professionals and Government On‑Line readiness. Programs, wherever possible, are customized to the government environment and are taught in an adult learning atmosphere. .

Preparing for and Understanding the Staffing Process

What options do managers have to staff vacancies?

• These are well explained in the Manager ’s Handbook on Staffing and Recruitment at .

Where can I find out about competitions?

• Closed competitions for Public Service employees are available at .

• You might also want to look at the competitions open to the public at . Anyone can apply to an open competition, even current public servants.

Where can I find out about assignment and secondment opportunities in my department or elsewhere in government?

• These are advertised on the Career Opportunities System (COS) at . You can apply to a specific job, post your resume for consideration by managers, or even sign up for an alert service that will send you notices by email of the types of jobs you’re interested in and may be viewed at: http://www.edu.psc-cfp.gc.ca/pol-e/id485.htm

Preparing for a Competitive Process

How can I prepare for an interview?

• The NCVM bulletin Be Informed featured an article on preparing for an interview. You may view it at http://www.agr.gc.ca/hr/hrtools.html

• You will find useful tools to assess competencies and abilities including the criteria and methods (e.g., sample questions) and the rating scales during the competitive process. .

• This site provides advice on preparing for the interview process from beginning to end. .

How do I create a winning résumé?

• This section of Work Search is designed to help you write effective résumés and is based on the knowledge of career counselors and career information specialists. .

• Choose the résumé style that provides information about yourself in the most effective way: http://www.canadacareerweek.com/products/cp_nav/home_e.cfm?yearid=9&sectionid=5&art_number=2

Where can I get sample exams for employment in the federal Public Service?

• You can get information on the most frequently administered exams at the Public Service Canada site at .

How can I obtain feedback on my performance in an interview?

• You may contact the hiring manager or your HR Advisor and arrange for a post‑board interview. You can find out more by reading the departmental bulletins, featured articles on the process to follow to obtain feedback after a competition.

Who can I speak to if I have questions about the assessment of my qualifications for an employment opportunity?

• You should first speak to your Human Resources Advisor for advice. You may wish to read policies and procedures featured in your intranet sites of your department.

Seeking Advice as I Move Along the Path

How can I find a mentor?

• Consider participating in PSC or departmental e‑mentoring programs. For further information see:

http://leadership.gc.ca/static/lareleve/lareleve-pdf-98/ccmd/ccmd10_e.pdf

How can I join a network?

• See the Leadership Network for information on what networking is, key documents, tools and best practices or join one of many networks at .

Where else can I find other useful information?

• The Leadership Network is an all inclusive Web site for career development information. For example:

Coaching And Organizational Culture
http://leadership.gc.ca/static/coaching/documents/
coaching_and_organizational_culture_e.shtml

This article explores the relationship between coaching and organizational culture. You are invited to consider these ideas as they apply to your experience and situation. As you begin, you may want to reflect of what coaching and organizational culture mean to you, and what questions you have. Along the way, insights and perspectives will be shared. And to close, suggestions for continuing learning about coaching and organizational culture will be offered.

Just Ask Me!
http://www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/hrib/sdd-dds/odi/documents/dutyToAccomodate/toc.shtml

In an entertaining and informative way, this workshop and video provides managers and employees with the tools and resources to ensure that all employees including employees with disabilities are accommodated.

"At the Helm"
The Newfoundland and Labrador Managers' Network Newsletter (second edition now available!) [pdf] http://publiservice.gc.ca/committees/nlfc/html/At_the_Helm_Oct03.pdf

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