When 300 professionals convened at Zhang Auditorium this month for this year's CareerConnect, they were able to learn about career development resources that Yale can offer them. The topics ranged from in-house resources until sprucing resumes but there are two things that stood out.
Mike Peel, VP of HR and Administration proceeded with his opening remarks regarding the importance of growing Yale talents. Yale was able to fill 75% of jobs with external hires. Now, they were able to fill 50% internal hires. The goal in the next few years is to fill 75% with internal hires. He further added that his vision for CareerConnect 2016 is one where everyone has the chance to realize their full potential and be provided with the opportunity to succeed.
Then when Elena DePalma , director of the Office of Organizational Effectiveness and Staff Development, entered the scene, she talked about "owning your career". She stresses that career development is a process that needs to be driven which is why students should commit time and energy so that the outcome will be amazing.
DePalma talked about career owning, Amy Wrzesniewski, professor of organizational behavior, at the School of Management, wanted to focus more on "job crafting". Wrzesniewski is a leading expert on work identity. Making their personal brand is important not only for their career but for themselves. She advised the audience to identify tasks that may not be part of their job but part of who they are - which will make them stand out.
When you tie both job crafing and career owning together, it's then become a great step to career development. They closed their statements with the following statements: According to DePalma, people don't need promotions to be satisfied, they need alignment with their personal philosophy.
