Younger Workers Need a Career Narrative
"In recent years, much has been written about the importance of career narratives for mid-career and senior professionals, particularly those making a career transition. But, we'd argue, they're even more important for younger professionals who don't yet have a multipage CV or a high-powered headhunter in their corner. What, then, makes for an effective narrative?
First, it should be easy to remember and retell. The whole point is to give your colleagues a narrative that quickly comes to mind whenever they're asked about you, preventing them from making assumptions and drawing conclusions on their own. Two or four sentences, maximum.
Second, it should meaningfully link your past successes to your near and long-term development needs and suggest the kinds of assignments that would help to achieve those objectives. Those goals might certainly be developmental (to test a particular skill; gain experience with a certain tool or methodology; explore a specific industry). But they can also be more personal (limit travel to spend time with family, for instance).Think of it as a 'sound-bite resume' - on hearing it, senior professionals should have two reactions. First, they should be interested in working with you. Second, they should know if it makes sense for you to work with them.
Third, your narrative needs to hang together with the right combination of honesty, humility, and personal flavor. Doing so creates an authentic and compelling career narrative. Narratives that just articulate a string of successes are not credible and are not likely to be repeated. Similarly, boilerplate chronicles without any personal flair rarely get traction."
(Heidi K. Gardner and Adam Zalisk, 15 February 2013, Harvard Business Review)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Hyper-connectivity is transforming the nature of identity
"Social networks such as Facebook and on-line gaming are changing people's view of who they are and their place in the world, according to a report for the government's chief scientist. The report, published by Prof Sir John Beddington, says that traditional ideas of identity will be less meaningful. ... It states that the changing nature of identities will have substantial implications for what is meant by communities and by social integration.
The study shows that traditional elements that shape a person's identity, such as their religion, ethnicity, job and age are less important than they once were. Instead, particularly among younger people, their view of themselves is shaped increasingly by on-line interactions of social networks and on online role playing games.
The study found that far from creating superficial or fantasy identities that some critics suggest, in many cases it allowed people to escape the preconceptions of those immediately around them and find their 'true' identity. This is especially true of disabled people who told researchers that online gaming enabled them to socialise on an equal footing with others."
(Pallab Ghosh, 21 January 2013, BBC News)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Hyper Island: designing learning experiences to stay creative and competitive in an increasingly digitised world
"For over 15 years Hyper Island has been designing learning experiences for students and industry professionals alike. It all started with three men, a few beers, and one vision. The year was 1994, and multimedia pioneers Lars Lundh, Jonathan Briggs, and David Erixon converged in bar in Stockholm to discuss an upcoming CD-ROM project.
Together they realized their new digital world demanded a new kind of learning: industry-based learning. They envisioned a new institution that could prepare people for the lightening-fast pace of the modern workplace. A place where students could grow, not only as professionals, but also as human beings. ...
Hyper Island is now a thriving global presence, with two main areas of focus. Student Programs immerse young talent in intensive learning experiences from digital art direction to e-Commerce to data strategy. Executive Programs boost understanding of how digital changes societies and consumer behavior -- and how organizations need to change to stay creative and competitive in an increasingly digitized world. Hyper Island is now worldwide, located in Stockholm, Karlskrona, New York, London, and soon, Singapore. And Executive Programs teams can travel around the world designing and executing learning experiences for Fortune 500 companies and start-ups alike.
As the digital world shifts and evolves, Hyper Island continues to react and expand, creating an agile, forward-looking learning environment for students and industry leaders. What began as a bold experiment on a windswept island has become a revolutionary way to learn, reflect, collaborate, and above all, innovate."
(Charlotte Sundåker)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Individual learning plans: a route map for success
"Individual learning plans form a 'route map' of how a learner will get from their starting point on a learning journey to the desired end point. They may be for one course and include the acquisition of qualifications and skills, or may link several courses that give progression to different levels (from level 1 to 3, or from level 2 to Higher Education). They should be individual for each learner to reflect aspirations, aptitude and needs.
Although there may be common learning goals and methods of delivery for all learners on a particular course, it is unlikely that all learners have exactly the same learning styles, abilities, support needs, access to assessment in the workplace (if applicable), previous qualifications or experience. Too many vocationally-based courses have identical individual learning plans where only the names of learners are different. Some will struggle to achieve them while others will find them too easy and lose interest by not being sufficiently challenged.
Individual learning plans should start from a common format, listing general outcomes, and then develop as initial assessment and circumstances impact. They should be live documents that are useful to the learner, delivery staff and possibly employers and parents/guardians."
(Learning and Skills Improvement Service, UK)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
Technology Enhanced Learning: ubiquitous access to knowledge
"Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) research aims to improve the quality of formal and informal learning, and to make accessible forms of knowledge that were simply inaccessible before. But research does not translate easily into practice, at school, in higher education or in the workplace. The forms of pedagogy that characterise learning in these settings have remained more or less invariant even when radical technologies have been introduced."
(Technology Enhanced Learning)
CONTRIBUTOR
Simon PerkinsSHARE
