Background:

HDA is working with Southampton Solent University to provide all staff with the opportunity to have a confidential and independent career review with an external Career Coach. The review will help you recognise available resources, both personal and external, to help you consider and plan your career here at Southampton Solent University. Through this process, you may actually determine that your current role is the best fit for you but may want to consider some longer term objectives and identify personal development activities to support these. This resource centre contains information, links and documents that will help you assess and manage your career and develop fruitful discussions with the Career Coach.

The structure of the meeting will be driven by your needs.  You may, if you wish, complete the Career Review Preparation Form in advance of your first meeting.  You can complete the form online, save it locally and email it to sue.connolly@hda.co.uk.  Alternatively, you can take the form to the meeting to help you make the most of your career review.  This is entirely optional.

The focus of the Career Review will be on 3 areas:

1. Exploration – telling your story e.g.  current situation, influences, concerns, 2. Enablement – gaining a clearer understanding of who you are, what you want, where do you want to be, 3. Implementation – action plan development, addressing obstacles/fears.

Eligibility:

You should discuss your eligibility with HR in the first place and then, if you have not already done so,  book your confidential, one to one career coaching session by following this link: developingpeople@solent.ac.uk If you have not already downloaded this, you will receive a SSU Career Review Workbook  as a back-up resource to your career review meetings during your first session.  Although entirely optional, completing the exercises within the workbook will assist you in both assessing your current situation and planning your future career. The Personal Action Plan form at the back of the SSU Career Review Workbook will help you record your goals, your actions, your obstacles and your development needs.

Video resources:

Finally, click on the following HDA link to give you access to 4 short videos where employers share their views on the following:

• Career Development Techniques
• Getting Promoted
• Competing for Internal Roles
• Best Business Advice

Your first meeting will be for up to 1.5  hours with the opportunity to have a follow-up meeting.

What a recent SSU staff participant has said: 

• ”I thought Jacqui was a brilliant Adviser, especially since I had a Careers Adviser appointment a few months before (external to the University) and did not find it helpful for me … I am not sure if anything further could have been done to enhance the experience.”

100% of SSU Career Centre participants have recommended that their SSU colleagues visit the Career Centre. Over 90% of  SSU Career Centre participants have reported that their consultant was:

• An effective listener
• Easy to talk to
• Idea generating
• Professional

Please email  if you have any queries about the programme. sue.connolly@hda.co.uk Tel: 01202 481811 For a downloadable summary, see SSU Flyer here.