Career Competencies

Exhibit flexibility in handling change, being able to juggle multiple demands, and adapting to new situations with fresh ideas or innovative approaches. 

• Embrace uncertainty with optimism and a problem-solving mentality to create an ideal outcome 
• Openness and the ability to learn new information 
• Take on problems with a positive mindset and adapt accordingly 

Active engagement in continued career growth through an understanding of unique skills and experiences as well as connections to career champions.  

• Understand personal values, interests, skills and strengths  
• Pursue and apply feedback from connections to support growth towards career-related goals  
• Embrace opportunities to learn and develop to support career plans  

Share information, ideas and perspectives clearly and effectively while actively taking in information from the environment.  

• Consider the needs, goals and motivations of others to ensure communication is clear and organized  
• Recognize the impact of diverse learning styles, varied individual communication abilities, and cultural differences  

• Understand the ways communication continues to evolve and adapt approach to support success in a specific medium  
• Understand the different ways people consume information and adapt approach to align with various communication outlets available  
• Actively listen to others without interruption  

Generate new, varied and unique ideas, and making connections between seemingly unrelated ideas. 

• Challenge existing paradigms and propose alternatives without being constrained by established approaches or anticipated responses of others 
• Employ a combination of knowledge, skills, abilities, and sense of originality to creatively solve problems  
• Show a willingness to tap into one’s creative self in order to bring forward new work or ideas 

Explore evidence, ideas, issues and values before accepting or formulating a conclusion.  

• Consider multiple hypotheses, gather, and analyze information from a diverse set of sources to fully understand a problem  
• Accurately summarize and interpret data with an awareness of personal biases that may impact outcomes  

• Effectively communicate actions and rationale, recognizing the diverse perspectives and lived experiences of stakeholders  
• Make decisions and solve problems using sound, inclusive reasoning and judgement  

Understand how to use technologies ethically to advance the common good.   

• Seek out new technologies and learn how they enhance your work  
• Use technology to improve efficiency and productivity 
• Identify appropriate technology for completing specific tasks  

• Quickly adapt to new or unfamiliar technologies  
• Utilize information, construct ideas, and capitalize on technology to achieve strategic and social goals  

Respect the dignity of each person for the unique contributions that each person brings.  

• Demonstrate flexibility to diverse ideas and new ways of thinking  
• Identify personal biases and evaluate your own privilege while staying open to constructive feedback  
• Actively contribute to inclusive and equitable practices that influence individual and systemic change for members of historically marginalized communities  
• Seek personal growth through global and cross-cultural interactions and experiences that enhance one’s understanding of people and the context they live in  
• Solicit and use feedback from multiple cultural perspectives to make inclusive and equity-minded decisions

Understand the unique culture of each workplace and demonstrate effective work habits that support an equitable work environment.  

• Act equitably with integrity and accountability to self, others and the organization   
• Demonstrate dependability (e.g., report consistently for work or meetings)  

• Set meaningful goals, meeting and/or exceeding those expectations  
• Employ strong attention to detail and show a high level of dedication toward doing a good job  
• Express gratitude to supervisors, colleagues and clients  

 * “Professionalism” as a workplace expectation may privilege white and Western values, resulting in discriminatory actions and practices that exclude people from non-dominant cultural groups

Recognize and capitalize on personal and team strengths to achieve organizational goals.  

• Inspire, persuade, and motivate self and others under a shared vision 
• Seek out and leverage diverse resources and feedback from others to inform direction 

• Use innovative thinking to go beyond traditional methods 
• Serve as a role model to others by approaching tasks with confidence and a positive attitude 
• Motivate and inspire others by encouraging them and by building mutual trust 
• Plan, initiate, manage, complete and evaluate projects 

Build and maintain collaborative relationships to work effectively toward common goals, while appreciating diverse viewpoints and shared responsibilities. 

• Listen carefully to others, taking time to understand and ask appropriate questions without interrupting 
• Effectively manage conflict, interact with and respect diverse personalities, and meet ambiguity with resilience 
• Be accountable for individual and team responsibilities and deliverables. 

• Employ personal strengths, knowledge, and talents to complement those of others 
• Exercise the ability to compromise and be agile 
• Collaborate with others to achieve common goals 
• Build strong, positive working relationships with supervisor and team members/coworkers