This document summarizes the first session of a career coaching group, which focused on introductions, career planning, and self-reflection. The session included exercises to help participants get to know each other, understand the concept of a career, reflect on their work history and skills, and set goals for career development and planning. Participants were also given an assignment to describe overcoming a challenging situation for discussion at the next session.

1. C & C CAREER & COMPETENCE CAREER COACHING GROUP Session 1 Getting started: getting to know each other and career planning Milja Tuomaala & Tiina Hämäläinen, University of Oulu, VALOA-project

2. INTRODUCTIONS – GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER 1. Where do you come from? -Put yourself to the world map… … 2. Who are you? What brings you here?

3. NOTE: Job seeking process during C&C group; Finding interesting job announcements Choosing one, which you really find interesting Preparing application + CV for that one particular job Interview simulations for this job Start keeping your eyes open for open vacancies!

4. RULES, IMPORTANT PRINCIPLES Sincerity, openness Confidentiality Commitment Active participation Responsibility Equality … What else?

5. EXERCISE 1.1 REMEMBERING MY FUTURE The exercise is found on SlideShare; http://www.slideshare.net/VALOA/documents (C&C training material)

6. ” Every student can have a career in the future, but not every student is aware of the possibility that they can shape their careers in the future” Mark L. Savickas

7. WHAT IS A CAREER? Series of jobs Progress, vertical movement Profession, movement between certain kind of tasks Individual, sequential choises – life career Self-satisfying progress and professional development Growth in competence, skills, know-how and expertice Development process of professional identity (or even personality) Career Services, University of Oulu

8. CAREER PLANNING – WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

9. GOALS FOR CAREER PLANNING Enhancing self-knowledge Clarifying one’s own interests and goals Increasing goal-orientation Defining study- and career plans Increasing motivation Improving job seeking skills

10. HIT-AND-MISS OR MASTER PLAN? Making choices Building expertise Mastering one’s own know-how – knowledge, skills, learning ability Creating potential for coincidences Building expertise from experience Career Services, University of Oulu

11. CAREER DEVELOPMENT VS. CAREER MANAGEMENT Career development Life-long development process, which includes different work roles and movement from one role to another Career management Target-oriented and conscious activities in individual’s career Career skills International Association for Educational and Vocational Guidance

12. ” CAREER BEHAVIOUR” = action related to one’s own career and professional goals Inner Pull-factors; values, personal meanings and experiences… Social Push-factors; raising from culture and surroundings, role-determined attitudes related to gender, profession and positions… Personal factors; traits, personality, self-direction, self-respect, self-cocept… Satu Lähteenmäki

13. KNOWING YOURSELF AND PLANNING YOUR CAREER  DOING THINGS Knowing Doing Career Services, University of Oulu

14. CAREER PLANNING AS KNOWLEDGE PROCESSING The Pyramid of Information Processing Domains Thinking about my decision making Knowing how I make decisions Knowing about myself Knowing about my options Metacognitions Decision-Making Skills Self-Knowledge Options Knowledge Gary W. Peterson, James P. Sampson & Robert C. Reardon

15. Starting point Family, relationships, studying, work history, goals Work life knowledge Professions, branch, Competence requirements Information Processing Action Plan Setting and specifying your goals Setting smaller steps towards your goals Concrete plan how to achieve your goals - What skills and experience do I need, how and when do I get those..? Updating your plan Self-knowledge Competence, personality, values, interests, resources, health CAREER PLANNING Career Services, University of Oulu

16. EXERCISE 1.2 MAP OF WORK LIFE Researching work life… Work history Competences Visions of the future Emotions, values, attitudes The exercise is found on SlideShare; http://www.slideshare.net/VALOA/documents (C&C training material)

17. MY GOALS FOR THIS CAREER GROUP Development of career skills My development as ”career researcher”

18. ASSIGNMENT FOR OUR NEXT C&C MEETING ” A challenging situation” For next week’s meeting come up with a challenging situation from studies / work / hobbies that you managed to overcome. Try to figure out a situation when you really had to work hard to overcome the challenge. Prepare to describe the situation and how you managed to get through it.