Candidate Development

Take Advantage Of Informal Development Opportunities

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Development is about more than just training. Most agencies offer both formal and informal development opportunities. The formal type of development encompasses traditional training programs, while informal development occurs during every day work. Do not neglect the multiple informal opportunities most of us have to improve ourselves at work. And, in these times of increasing budget pressures, it may be easier to take advantage of informal, rather than formal opportunities.

The following describes some examples of typical formal development programs. Not all agencies offer all of these opportunities.

Tuition Assistance Programs
Agencies may offer employees assistance to attend academic courses that are job related.

Targeted Career Training
In the case of the Career Intern Program, a centralized effort is used to provide effective and consistent training. This training often combines formal coursework with rotations and is based on defined competencies. Such program designs provide professional, technical, and leadership training.

Professional Development
Agencies may establish professional development programs designed to provide technical and general knowledge and experience to career employees. Agencies may also establish leadership development programs to ensure leaders continue to develop and “grow” the knowledge and skill necessary to effectively lead the organization. Such programs usually include well-rounded orientation consisting of formal coursework and on-the-job training assignments throughout the agency. The Senior Executive Service (SES) Candidate Development Program (CDP) is one such example.

Individual Learning Account
An Individual Learning Account (ILA) is a base amount of resources expressed in terms of dollars or hours, or both, set aside for an individual employee to use for his or her learning and development. Accounts may be used to develop knowledge, skills, and abilities directly related to the employee’s official duties. ILAs provide employees with flexible learning opportunities, and put the responsibility for learning in the hands of the learner.

Informal Development Opportunities

Managers can create development opportunities by creating situations for employees to learn informally. This type of development sometimes has a greater impact than more expensive formal training. Examples of informal development include the following:

Job rotations
Employees are appointed to new positions to learn about a different facet of the organization.

Special assignments
Tasks are given to employees to help them explore new areas and learn new skills.

Self-assessment
Employees are asked to analyze their needs and the efficacy of past training.

Coaching and counseling
Managers, team leaders, other employees give assistance and feedback on employee’s performance.

Job Aid/Demonstration
Sometimes a performance problem can be addressed with a quick demonstration or a simple instructional tool.

Mentoring
Senior colleague works with employee to help network, clarify goals, etc.

Learning teams
A team that is formed to address individual or group learning.

Self-development
Employees identify their own development needs and manage their own learning process.

Start an Individual Development Plan with a Few Easy Steps

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An Individual Development Plan (IDP) can help you stay on course toward achieving your career development goals. But where and how do you begin? With these tips, you will learn to identify and describe your goals, choose activities that will help you meet them, set key milestones, and create a timeline for the completion of your goals.

Brainstorming and Preparation
To start the IDP process, first spend some time thinking about your career. As you do, ask yourself these questions:

  • How am I doing in my current job? In what areas do I excel? In what areas do I fall short, and what can I do to improve? Do I have all of the skills necessary to succeed?
  • What are my short-term career goals and developmental needs?
  • What developmental activities in my current job could help me develop the skills and knowledge I need for my target job?
  • Are there projects or experiences at work that could be helpful in my development?
  • Are there formal learning opportunities (e.g., conferences, virtual trainings, classes) that I would like to participate in?

As you consider these questions, write down your thoughts and note the areas with which you might need help. Be open and honest about your developmental needs. Finally, write down any career goals that emerge as a part of this brainstorm.

IDPs: Getting Started
Once you finish brainstorming, you should have some initial ideas for goals and relevant developmental opportunities. Now, begin to organize these ideas. Depending on where you work, you may have access to an IDP form. Your supervisor or HR specialist should be able to provide you with a form or another option if your organization does not participate in a formalized IDP process.

Generally, your IDP should include the following:

  • A clear statement of short-term career goals (within 1-2 years)
  • A clear statement of long-term career goals (within 3-5 years)
  • A specific action plan for the next year designed to help you move closer to achieving these goals

Creating Strong Goals
Don’t be afraid to set tough, but realistic, goals for yourself. Good career goals will help you to identify and focus your developmental efforts, bringing you closer to where you want to be in your career. By capturing both long-term (3-5 years) and short-term (1-2 years) goals, you can make sure your current efforts are supporting your future ambitions. Try to capture at least one long-term career goal and three to six short-term career goals in your IDP.

As you develop your IDP, make sure all of your goals:

  • Are SMART—Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-bound
  • Complement your organization’s mission, vision, and goals
  • Include any competencies you wish to develop
  • Contain the strategies you will use to accomplish your goals
  • Include the resources you will need
  • Explain how you will measure your progress
  • Include a deadline for achieving your goals
  • Finally, for each goal you set, identify one to three developmental activities that will help you achieve that goal.

Roles and Responsibilities for the IDP Process
To make your IDP experience as productive and efficient as possible, it helps to understand your role and your supervisor’s role in the process.

Your role is to:

  • Understand how well your skills and knowledge match what you need to complete your goals
  • Identify career goals, development needs, and training or developmental opportunities geared toward the achievement of your goals
  • Assess your progress toward reaching your goals

Your supervisor’s role is to:

  • Help you assess your strengths and development needs
  • Provide opportunities to discuss and plan your development
  • Help you identify training and developmental opportunities
  • Make sure that training and developmental opportunities align with your goals
  • Make sure that your goals and developmental needs align with the agency’s goals and objectives
  • Evaluate the outcome of your training and development

Planning for Your IDP Conversation
Once you’ve developed your IDP, you’ll want to set a time for reviewing your plan with your supervisor. Your supervisor is a valuable resource for your career planning and can help you explore possibilities you may not have considered.

The purpose of an IDP meeting with your supervisor is to come away with a comprehensive plan for your development. This includes goals as well as action items that will help you pursue your goals. You will have the opportunity to share what you have brainstormed and your supervisor will help you explore possibilities you may not have considered.

Be sure to schedule a follow-up meeting to review and adjust your plan as needed and check on your progress toward your goals.

Making Your IDP Conversation a Success
To make the most out of your conversation with your supervisor about your IDP:

  • Bring your development needs, goals, and potential resources to the discussion
  • Be open to your supervisor’s feedback and suggestions
  • Choose a time when both of you can stay focused on the development conversation without distractions or interruptions
  • Place timelines on your goals and objectives and set specific guidelines for follow-up
  • Schedule a follow-up meeting to review your progress

*Hat tip to the Department of Veterans Affairs for their excellent advice on career development.

Thank You Notes; They Matter

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You just left the interview. You think it went great. Now what? It is not the time to let up. Everything that you’ve done up to this point is moving you forward in your job search. Keep the momentum going.

Send a Thank You

You can send a thank you via email (quick, but not as personal as a handwritten card). You can mail it (takes a few days, so it doesn’t have the immediacy of an email, but has a bigger impact due to the perceived time and care it took to handwrite a note). Or, you can drop off a handwritten note the next day (a good strategy for big companies when you can hand the envelope to the receptionist). NOTE: If you are applying for a federal job, email is essential. Most federal agency “snail mail” goes to a third party first to ensure that its safe so it may take weeks for a mailed thank you to get to a federal agency; bringing a note to the agency won’t work either as most federal agencies have difficult access requirements.

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Senior Executive Service (SES) Candidate Development Programs: A Great Way to Prepare

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Many agencies use Senior Executive Service Candidate Development Program (SESCDP) as one tool to identify and prepare aspiring senior executive leaders. SESCDPs are highly competitive programs designed to further develop SES candidates’ competencies in each of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs). Most agencies receive 500-1,000 applications in response to their SESCDP postings.

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Preparing for the Senior Executive Service (SES): Candidate Development Programs (CDPs)

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2014 saw many agencies announce Candidate Development Programs (CDPs). The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the U.S. Secret Service (USSS), the Bureau of the Mint, and the Social Security Administration (SSA) were among the agencies that did so. CDPs are an excellent opportunity for those interested in considering future SES opportunities.

Agencies use CDPs as a succession planning tool to identify and prepare aspiring senior leaders by developing competencies in each of the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQs)—leading change, leading people, results driven, business acumen, and building coalitions. While completion of a CDP does not guarantee selection into the SES (nor is it required), graduates of CDPs who have their ECQs certified by an Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Qualification Review Board (QRB) may be selected for a SES position without further completion.

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