Career Development Plan

This page is also available on the Verzion intranet site
http://edge.verizon.com/Content/MyDevelopment/Content/CareerManagement/ Networking/careerdevelopmentplan.asp

Creating a Career Development Plan (CDP)
focuses your attention on what actions need to be
taken to prepare you for your future. Below are
some suggested steps.

• Examine your personal values -- the things
  in life you are most committed to and that
  ultimately influence and direct your life.
  (Note: Some people already perform Steps 2-5 as part
  of the regular appraisal process which is okay.
  The key is just to obtain reliable assessment
  data regarding current skills and development
  needs.)
  
• Review and document your accomplishments.

1. ? What have you learned and accomplished in your current assignment? List accomplishments and not merely responsibilities.
   ? What gaps need to be filled to qualify you for your next position, whether it be a
   lateral or a promotion?

2. Evaluate your skills and behaviors.

3. Get your supervisor's evaluation of your strengths and development needs and compare your self-evaluation to that of your supervisor's.

4. Get your supervisor's feedback regarding any differences. It is important for you to
   understand why your supervisor feels you are more or less proficient than you believe you are.

5. Chart career alternatives to brainstorm ideas and sort preferences for job possibilities.

6. Consider enriching your current job as another career alternative. It is a way to develop your career and continue to grow while you stay in place by making changes in the way you do your job. This gives you an opportunity to learn more and be more successful without waiting for a promotion. It can also increase the value, importance and satisfaction of your job.

7. Set career objectives. Pull the above information together to formulate your objectives. They may change over time, but they can still serve as a valuable reference point.

8. Research if necessary. If you don't feel you have enough information to make a decision, read more about relevant topics or talk to people in your potential field of interest.

9. Develop management skills and behaviors. In preparation for your career discussion, you may want to consider possible developmental activities to improve your management skills and behaviors.

10. Participate in a career discussion. You should be ready now to meet with your supervisor to refine your career development plan. Since you are responsible for your own career development, you should initiate and conduct this meeting.

11. Prepare your Career Development Plan (CDP)
    **During your career discussion, you and your supervisor should jointly prepare and document your Career Development Plan. Each of you should keep a copy of the CDP and review your progress periodically.**

12. Write your résumé. You may create a traditional résumé (which allows you to maintain the information in a Word document for later use) or you may create a résumé directly into Verizon's new online staffing résumé system when available. If you use a Word document, you can still copy/paste relevant information into
    the online system so that you will be ready to apply for any openings that may arise that are consistent with your development plan.