Career plan

1. Be self-aware

What actions can you take to really understand your interests, values, skills, personality and strengths?

Self-awareness and understanding the elements that shape you are essential to becoming a successful professional. There are several strategies and tools that can help you unpack these intrinsic factors to communicate your identity to future employers. Taking the Personality Type (MBTI) was an excellent starting point for understanding different aspects of my personality and how these can be tailored to career progression. My results came through as INFJ: Introverted Intuitive Feeling Judging. According to this outcome, people with this set of attributes are driven by causes, and are empathic, human-centered people with strong passion. This reflects my current career path as part of the Environmental Management Team at Brisbane City Council. I am interested in pursuing a career that has a positive outcome for humanity. The results also revealed a tendency to become overly invested or burnt out by idealism. This has affected me in previous careers and shown me the need to develop pragmatism and to maintain realistic goals. I hope to continue this reflection on aspects of my personality, discover how these attributes manifest in the workplace, and to harness it in a way that benefits myself and those around me.

2. Explore your options

What do you need to research to be clear about your options? What could you do to learn more about career options in your areas of interest?

I have researched several options regarding my career both prior to and whist attending university. As a mature age student, I was keen to maximise my opportunities by utilising the range of tools and services available. Early in my time at Griffith, I accessed the career hub and particularly resources related to interview preparation, resume design, and job application guidance; I knew these services would give me a competitive edge when entering the job market and to stand out when applying for sought after graduate programs. As I have progressed in my professional career and secured a job, I keep aware of opportunities by regularly accessing LinkedIn. This not only provides quick access to recent job ads but an up-to-date snapshot of innovations in my industry. Connecting with people and organisations helps me to stay relevant and provide a space to delve into the many esoteric aspects unique to each industry. Many of my previous tutors regularly share job opportunities or interesting research, allowing me to understand new options and developments in my line of work.

3. Gain experience and insight

What actions could you take to help you learn more about your industry or find opportunities to develop your skills or find work experience opportunities?

I am fortunate to be employed in a job that reflects my interests, and that challenges me to grow and foster new skills. While at university, I have also been able to explore various career options. This has included undertaking volunteering at the Bulimba Catchment Coordinating Committee, a small, grassroots organisation with a tight-knit group of people. Seeing how this team delivered a range of services to the community under the constraints of a limited budget was profound. Their dedication to educating the public and using every resource to further environmental causes strengthened my passion for this industry. A second internship opportunity at the Scenic Rim Regional Council showed me a more corporate and structured organisation with varied career progression pathways and strict governance. It was important for me to see two distinctive avenues that may be available to me. Now that I am employed by Council, I am hoping to enrich my career options through opportunities in Council; this may include secondments to different areas within the environmental space, and continuing associations with various external partners.

4. Evidence your skills (knowledge, skills and attributes)

What action can you take to find out more about what skills you might need to develop in your future career? How might you document/record these?

Throughout my personal and professional life, I have acquired a diversity of knowledge, skills, and attributes. However, I have often failed to properly record and maintain a clear record beyond a typical resume. Over time I have slowly improved in this area, which has been driven by my learnings at university. An important step forward has been joining LinkedIn and observing how people document and promote their brand and recognising what skill sets I may need to cultivate. I have been more open to using technology to promote my professional identity which coincides with designing a web-based portfolio. Building an online portfolio is a great chance to showcase my technical capabilities and to decide how I want to present my professional identity.

5. Develop networks

List three things you could do to start building your professional networks.

Working at Brisbane City Council is a privilege and has presented me with numerous channels to expand my professional network. Before receiving this job, I had begun to cultivate this network at university. During every volunteer and internship experience, I endeavoured to build meaningful relationships and connect with people via email, LinkedIn, and attempted to maintain contact beyond the mandatory timeframes set by a course. In Council, I have recently become aware of a mentoring program that will allow me to connect with a colleague who can provide guidance and advice in achieving my goals. Alongside this is an officer swap program organised between Councils to experience time with colleagues in similar potions to learn and share resources. These experiences will help to grow my network and provide support systems that will stay with me throughout my professional life.