Strategic Career Planning for Research Administration

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Strategic Career Planning forResearch
Administration

• Dr. Marjorie Piechowski
• Director of Research Support
• College of Engineering Applied Science
• University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

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Research Administration and Career Paths

• Whats the difference between a career, a job and
  a profession?
• What is a career path?
• Is research administration a career?
• What are the career paths in research
  administration?
• How do you plan a career path--strategically?

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Starting questions ask yourself

• What drives you?
• What gives you satisfaction?
• What would you regret not having done if your
  life was ending?
• (i.e., your bucket list)
• Whats stopping you from moving forward and
  exploring your passion?
• Is your career now at a peak, a plateau, an
  incline, a dip or a rut?

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Career

• A chosen pursuit
• A permanent occupation or lifework
• A progression of ones working life
• Ones professional identity
• A set of successive situations that make up a
  persons work life
• An individuals work and life roles over a
  lifespan

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Profession

• An occupation that requires considerable training
  and specialized study.
• An activity that requires a high level of
  education and standard of ethical behavior
• The body of qualified persons in an occupation or
  field members of the teaching profession.

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Job

• A regular activity performed in exchange for pay
• A position in which one is employed
• A task that must be done
• A specified duty or responsibility
• A specific piece of work to be done for a set fee
• The object to be worked on
• Something resulting from or produced by work
• A difficult or strenuous task
• A bad or unsatisfactory piece of work
• A criminal act
• Something made or constructed

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Research Administration What We Do

• Pre-Award
• Post-Award
• Compliance
• Clinical Trials
• Intellectual Property/Tech Transfer
• Electronic Research Administration
• Grant-making
• Fiscal operations/audit/reporting
• Contract development/administration
• Export control
• Research policy/political liaison

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Research Administration Where We Do
It-Organizations

• Colleges and universities
• Hospitals and medical centers
• Industry
• Not for profit organizations
• Government agencies/labs
• Consortia
• Faith-based organizations
• Independent research organizations
• Other?

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Research Administration Where We Do
It-Functions/Structures

• Central grants offices
• Development offices
• Colleges/Schools/Departments
• Laboratories
• Research centers/institutes
• Financial/Controllers Offices
• Central administration offices
• Company divisions/headquarters
• Field stations

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Strategic Career Planning Why Not

• Takes time, energy, effort
• Jobs and life change too fast to make long-term
  plans
• Current situation is very satisfying and secure
  so why think of change?
• No possibility of moving
• No jobs out there anyway
• Crisis management is fun

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Barriers to Career Development

• Personal barriers
• Lack of motivation
• Lack of self-confidence
• Apathy, comfort
• Laziness, procrastination
• Fear
• Health
• Family barriers
• Peer pressure
• Finances

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Theories of Career Developmentfrom Hyacinth
Gooden-Bailey

• What worked before no longer works
• Options seem to be dwindling
• Transitions happen whether we choose them or not
• So, its better to take charge
• Assess where you were, where you are heading, how
  to move on, how to change focus to advance
• By pre-retirement, self-knowledge the most
  important factor in career development

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More theories of career developmentby Donald
Super

• Life and career development stages
• Crystallization 14-18
• Specification 18-21
• Implementation 21-24
• Stabilization 24-35
• Consolidation 35-55
• Readiness for retirement 55

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More theories of career developmentby Craig
Nathanson

• What would my perfect work be?
• Pursue your passions
• Look for patterns
• Align passions, abilities and interests with work
• Dont wait for permission
• Take the next step
• Be careful what you envision

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More theories of career developmentby John
Holland

• We are attracted to a career that meets personal
  needs and provides satisfaction
• We seek a match between self and work
• Six types of people and jobs
• Realistic
• Investigative
• Artistic
• Social
• Enterprising
• Conventional

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Keys to Life-Long Self Developmentby Susan
McKeone

• Common traits of successful people
• Self-confident without being arrogant
• Knowing ones strengths
• Being self-aware
• Knowing ones goals
• Being true to ones values and abilities
• Willing to grow by challenging their limits of
  knowledge and experience
• Willing to reflect and learn from experience

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Three fundamental stepsby Susan Mc Keone

• Know thyself
• Solicit feedback regularly
• Reflect on performance
• Know your strengths and weaknesses
• Know your joys and passions
• Learn from experience
• Development occurs within context of work
• Growth occurs through challenge and stretch
• Seek diversity of experience and depth versus
  breadth
• Apply your lessons of experience

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Three fundamental stepsby Susan Mc Keone,
continued

• Learn from people
• Seek diversity of perspective
• Observe others, effective and not
• Seek out exposure to new contacts, new audiences,
  new networks
• Solicit feedback regularly and ask for support
• Network proactively and broadly
• Manage your own performance development (manage
  upwards)

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Profile of Mid-Career Workers 36-50

• 87 work full-time
• 26 at present workplace 0-2 years
• 17 from 3-5 years
• 57 more than 6 years
• 54 work 30-40 hours/week
• 33 work 41-50 hours/week
• 10 work 51-60 hours/week

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Profile, continued

• 67 not working in same field as when they joined
  the workforce
• 43 have experienced restructuring or
  reorganization
• 35 expect to retire before 64
• 53 expect to retire between 65-70
• 21 satisfied with work-life balance
• 69 would like flex-time option
• 60 would like telecommuting option
• 45 current job excellent or very good

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Profile, continued

• 52 career potential increased by periodically
  changing jobs
• 55 increased earnings potential by
  periodically changing jobs
• 29 likely to leave current employer in next 12
  months
• 16 say employer has put more effort into
  retaining them

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Strategic Career Planning Why

• Offer personal vision of the future
• Take charge of your career
• Allow you to grasp opportunities
• Build a balanced life
• Involve others in your decisions
• Handle changing circumstances
• Help prepare for retirement

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Strategic Career Planning How

• Write it down.
• Use the past to plan the future.
• Align goals with values.
• Capitalize on strengths
• Identify areas for improvement.
• Establish specific goals with actionable tasks.

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Strategic Career Planning How

• Build in accountability with specific deadlines
  and assignments.
• Provide structure for follow-up and measurement
  of progress.
• Network.
• Have a champion
• Mentor
• Coach
• Significant other/life partner

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Champions Mentor

• Mentor experienced internal person
• May be in same or similar field
• Sees promise and selects you
• Offers advice, guidance, warnings
• Helps you identify next career stage
• Helps you meet the right people
• Formal or informal, public or private
• Knows when you need to move on/up

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Champions Mentor

• Finding a Mentor
• Demonstrate competence
• Achieve visibility
• Get important assignments
• Show a desire to learn
• Take advantage of informal meetings
• Help a potential mentor achieve his/her goals
• Take the initiative
• Make yourself accessible

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Champions Coach

• Coach objective outside person
• One-time or longer term
• May be a paid professional
• Provides personalized guidance
• Analyzes current situation
• Diagnoses strengths, weaknesses
• Uses objective tools and assessments
• Develops action plan
• Motivates and monitors progress
• Helps set boundaries and focus

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Strategic Career Planning Stages

• Short-term
• Next six months
• Next year
• Long-term
• Next five years
• Next ten years
• Retirement
• Partial
• Full

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Short-term Plans 6-12 months

• Perform S.W.O.T. Analysis
• Review current job description
• Survey internal opportunities
• Analyze R.A. field
• Study Body of Knowledge
• Take CRA exam or review
• Collect position announcements
• Review and revise resume/CV

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S.W.O.T Analysis

• Strengths
• Internal
• Personal
• Professional
• Weaknesses
• Internal
• Personal
• Professional

• Opportunities
• External
• Internal
• Threats
• External
• Internal

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Long-Term Strategic Plan 5 Years

• Identify deficiencies (from S.W.O.T)
• Education
• Technological skills
• Financial/numeracy skills
• Supervisory skills
• Writing skills
• Speaking skills
• Time management skills
• Research administration knowledge

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Long-term Strategic Plan 5 years

• Identify your core skills
• Figure out what you like best to do
• Admit what you really dislike doing
• Analyze how you spend your time
• Correlate time with likes vs. dislikes
• Assess your tolerance for change
• Judge your capacity for stress
• Determine your fit with your job
• Decide stay, change, leave

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Long-Term Strategic Plan 5 years

• Make a timetable for change
• Take credit courses
• Earn a(nother) degree
• Find a mentor and make a plan
• Take non-credit courses
• Become visible write, speak, volunteer
• Get involved professionally
• Internally
• Externally

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Long-term Strategic Plan 5 years

• Apply selectively for new jobs
• Develop a strong, tailored resume
• Write strong, focused cover letters
• Develop a portfolio of your work
• Track and leverage your accomplishments
• Network, network, network
• Carefully select, notify, update references
• Internalwho and why?
• Externalwho and why?

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Long-Term Strategic Plan 10 years

• Re-visit your life-style, actual and desired
• Family
• Finances
• Health
• Mobility
• Hobbies and interests
• Analyze R.A. industry trends
• New approaches grants.gov
• New fields compliance
• New paradigms collaboration

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Long-Term Strategic Plan10 years

• Analyze your definition of success
• Wealth/security
• Power and control
• Contentment
• Free time
• People
• Low stress
• Recognition
• Contribute to society

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Long-Term Strategic Plan -10 years

• Analyze next or final career moves
• Up
• Down
• Same
• Lateral
• Out

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Long-term Strategic Plan 10 years

• Review financial options
• Retirement
• Phased retirement
• Part-time work
• Consulting
• Down-sizing
• Warm-chair attrition
• Dying on the job

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Final Thoughts

• The key to a happy and fulfilling future is
  knowing yourself. This self-knowledge is the
  most important component of finding the right
  career.Richard Bolles
• If you wish to achieve worthwhile things in your
  personal and career life, you must become a
  worthwhile person in your own self-development.B
  rian Tracy
• Vitality shows in not only the ability to
  persist but the ability to start over. F. Scott
  Fitzgerald
• Above all, dont be afraid. Take the risk and
  manage your own life.Marjorie Piechowski

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Selected References

• Bolles, Richard Nelson. What Color is Your
  Parachute
• Developing a Strategic Vision for Your Career
  Plan, Randall S. Hansen, Ph.D.
• How Old is Your Career Strategic Plan?
• Manahan, Rowan. Wheres My Oasis?
• Rethinking Career Development in an Era of
  Portfolio Careers, Andrew J. Templer and Tupper
  F. Cawsey
• Strategic Planning for Your Academic Career,
  Dr. Jacques Barrette and Dr. Merridee Bujaki
• Strategic Planning is Not Just for Business,
  B.J. Bangs
• Strategic Planning on the Job, Carl Selinger
• Strategic Planning Why Not? George L.
  Morrissey
• Taking Control of Your Career, William F. Hogue
  and David W. Dodd

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• For Questions and Follow-up
• Dr. Marjorie Piechowski
• piechow4_at_uwm.edu
• 414-229-3721