5. My SWOT
Strengths Weaknesses
•Over 6 years experience
•Master’s degree
•Teaching experience
•Leadership
•Variety of experience, responsibilities
in Student Development
•Effective, innovative changes
•Experience limited to small colleges
•Manage small staff, small budget
•Lack counseling degree
6. Individual Exercise
What strengths and experience help you to succeed in
the Career Services field?
What weaknesses or lack of experience might hold you
back in the Career Services field?
7. My SWOT
Opportunities Threats
•Greater emphasis on outcomes of
higher education, graduate success
•Others?
•State cuts in funding for higher
education
•Others?
How does the external environment affect our
profession as a whole?
8. Discussion Groups
What external issues, trends and events present an
opportunity for the Career Services field?
What external issues, trend and events present a threat for
the Career Services field?
9. My SWOT
Strengths Weaknesses
•Over 6 years experience
•Master’s degree
•Teaching experience
•Leadership
•Variety of experience, responsibilities
in Student Development
•Effective, innovative changes
•Grant writing and management
experience
•Effective partnerships with academics
•Experience limited to small colleges
•Manage small staff, small budget
•Lack counseling degree
•Promoting accomplishments of the
office
Opportunities Threats
•Greater emphasis on graduate
success in higher education, raising
importance of career services
•Increasing emphasis on internships
•Rise of career classes in curriculum
•State cuts in funding for higher
education
•Emphasis is first on academics,
student services secondary
•Outsourcing career services
10. Professional Development
Plan Example
SWOT Analysis Development Goals Ideas & Resources
S: Teaching experience
O: Increase of career
courses
Build additional teaching
experience
• Teach online, summer
course or graduate
course
• Present conference
workshops or webinars
W: Experience limited to
small school
• Build management
experience
• Overcome “small
school” limitations
• Volunteer for leadership
roles in professional
assoc.
• Build reputation in
industry through
presentations, leadership
and publications
S: Grant experience
W: Small budget exp.
T: School budget cuts
Enhance budget
experience and resource
management
• Write & manage
additional grants
• Work on grant
committee or treasurer
role for professional
12. CDPI Leadership Panel
Facilitator: Anita Yoder
Director of Career Services, Goshen College
CDPI President-Elect
Panelists: Kirk Bixler
Director of Career Services, Franklin College
CDPI Past-President
Liz Bushnell
Director of Career Services, Manchester College
CDPI President
Nick Haggenjos
Director of Career Services Operations and Alumni Relations,
Harrison College
CDPI At-Large Board Member
Editor's Notes
Introduction
First half of the session, walk through some exercises to evaluate who you are as a professional and identify what’s next in your professional growth
Second half of the session, we’ll hear from some CDPI leaders about opportunities within the organization that can help us achieve that professional growth
What comes to mind when you think of professional development? Conferences, training, publications, time commitment
How many of you talk about professional development for your students?
How many of you have a plan for your personal professional development?
We know how to do it and we know it’s important and we’re constantly helping students do this, but we run into two big obstacles when it comes to our own professional development
1. Time to do it and
2. An intentional plan of what to do and how to do it
- We’ll mainly address the plan, but also share some ideas for how CDPI can help with the time and costs
How many are familiar with SWOT? SWOT is…, internal/external analysis
Most have used it for analysis of an organization or department
Introduced to the idea of personal SWOT analysis by UofE session last spring and NACE CCI
Using it in my class, did my own as an example, realized benefit to planning out my own professional development
For strengths, included experience, skills and accomplishments – considered what makes me successful, what would I “market”?
For weaknesses, focused on experience/training gaps, but could add personal characteristics
Take 5-7 minutes to start this on your worksheet
Consider external factors – helps to identify trends and needs in the profession, can use to go back to your personal development – what training or skills do you have or need to address what’s happening in the field?
Break into 6 groups (birthday months on papers, on wall)
Assign Opportunities or Threats to brainstorm as a group
5-7 minutes
Collect as whole
Consider how opportunities and threats influence your SW analysis
Use the SWOT analysis to develop your professional development plan:
What should you continue and what can you improve?
How can you do it?
Can also get started on resources/ideas, but CDPI panel will help with that too
5-7 minutes