By Yvonne Quahe
Career and Program Advisor
We invite you to step into our Career Lab which begins on 20th September. It has been specifically designed for the globally mobile professional seeking to continue or reestablish their career. Do either of the following scenarios resonate with you?
Scenario 1: You love the job that you have, and in fact it was hard work getting to this place of professional fulfilment. Then your spouse or partner comes home with the news, “I have just been offered a job in Washington DC.”
Scenario 2: You have just reestablished your career in DC and your spouse/partner comes home with the news that he has been asked to relocate to yet another country posting.
Sometimes this kind of news is greeted with relief, as you were thinking of a career transition anyway. At other times, the response is one of disbelief and frustration because you are content with the way things are, and the move is a major upheaval. Or you may have career gaps because you have been unable to work in previous locations, or taken time off for parenting and would like to enter the world of work. If any of this resonates, come and discover how to craft a globally sustainable career.
Overview
The Career Lab is based on two key principles: mobility is expected, therefore we are planning for the unknown, i.e. I don’t know my next geographical destination, and transition provides me with the opportunity to rethink and reconfigure a multitude of professional possibilities.
The Career Lab consists of a series of workshops, and options for further support.
- Career Lab Workshops: There are six workshops that are designed to equip you with the skills that you will need for relaunching your career. The sessions are highly interactive and participants will be introduced to an integrated, action-oriented approach to career possibilities in a global context. (See below for details of these workshops.)
- Further Support (optional): Once you have completed the workshops, you can choose to continue meeting with others in a similar position to you, so that you can all provide mutual support in your career exploration.
Career Lab Workshops: This six-part series opens with two workshops, Career Orientation and Developing a Mobility Mindset. Participants may then select from two pathways, Reinvent Me or Ready to Launch (each consists of two workshops). Participants may drop out after Career Orientation, or continue with a commitment to attend all further workshops, which build on each other.
Career Orientation
This is a three-hour session to introduce the Career Lab to participants. The key exercise will be the career quiz to help participants decide which pathway of workshops to pursue.
Developing a Mobility Mindset
Participants will learn the key concepts which will enable them to craft a globally sustainable career. Topics include:
- The mindset of a globally mobile professional
- How to use mobility as a tool to enhance your career
- How to leverage mobility as a career advantage
Reinvent Me
This series of four workshops will be for those who are in career transition or who have gaps in their careers because of mobility and/or have chosen to take a career break. It would also be applicable to those whose English is not yet proficient enough to work in an English-speaking environment. The main aim of the career relaunch workshops is for participants to have a relaunch plan by the end of the sessions. The workshops will cover the following:
- Assess my options
- Telling my career story
- Writing a relaunch resume
- Networking
Ready to Launch
This series of four workshops is for those are ready to launch their job search in the DC market. It assumes that your work authorization application has already been submitted and that you are in active job search mode:
- Designing my marketing plan
- Writing a competency-based resume
- Networking
- Interviewing Skills
Peer Group Learning
Once the Career Lab workshops are completed some participants form peer learning groups. Peer Learning Groups are learning partnerships that are set up for participants of the career workshops to support their continued career relaunch. Generally speaking, those who are in active job search mode use the peer groups to review their resumes and practice for interviews. Those who are in career transition can use the peer learning groups for support and accountability as social participation makes challenges easier.
Additional Information: Professional Development Programs
These programs are not part of Career Lab, but you may wish to know about further support to members for learning and information sharing. These include:
- Professional Groups: This is a member driven activity (like the Peer Group Learning above). Currently there are eight groups whose members are from the same professional field. Group members support each other through the career development process by sharing experiences, gathering local employment information, and identifying relevant resources and opportunities. The PGs reflect current members’ interests, and new members are encouraged to establish new interest groups.
- Thematic Sessions: These sessions are general information and skill building sessions related to continued professional growth. Topics covered include Building Your LinkedIn Profile, Project Management and Independent Consulting.
- Entrepreneurs Network: This network was formed as a result of the 2017 multi-organization Ideas in Action Series. This is group of entrepreneurs who meet to share ideas and support each other in their entrepreneurial endeavors. If interested, please contact Nami Ishihara at familynetwork@worldbank.org
- Alumni: This a newly developed network of spouses/partners who have attended career workshops and who are willing to help current attendees with local job market information and useful contacts. Please let us know if you have found a job so that we can develop out Alumni Network.