PREPARATION FOR GENERAL STAFF MANAGERS
PROGRAMME
WELCOME TO YOUR ONLINE CAREER INTERVIEW
This module gives you the opportunity to reflect on your career and personal goals and to respond
to a number of questions and prompts. Simply enter you personal responses in the spaces provided.
When you have completed this process, you will be able to print out the resulting document. You
will then be able to discuss it with your supervisor or mentor either at your annual review or at a
mutually suitable time.
You will also have the opportunity of discussing it with a member of the University Staff Planning
Committee (USPC), which co-ordinates the Programme, with a view to indicating your willingness
to take on different work, secondments, or be considered for a promotion.
So let’s begin.
You will need to be able to concentrate and reflect without interruption. You may wish to do a first
draft and then come back to this draft with amendments after a few days. The spaces below each
question will expand to accommodate your answers, which can be of any length you choose.
When you have completed your ‘interview’, you will be able to save the document to your own
directory on your client PC and then retrieve it at your convenience. This will ensure privacy and
confidentiality for the document.
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A. Your Preferences:
1. In 3-5 years’ time, what position would you like to be working in?
2. What attracts you to this position?
B. Action to be taken:
3. What will you have to do to achieve this position in 3 – 5 years?
List some specific actions.
Actions
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4. To achieve this position, will you need to make an interim move into another role? (E.g.
secondment) If so, describe the move.
C. Your Skills:
5. What skills have you developed and what successes have you already achieved that suit
the role you are targeting?
Skills:
Successes:
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6. What additional skill(s) or experience(s) will you need to prepare you for this role?
Skills
Experiences
[In considering this question you may wish to complete the Competency Self Analysis Tool which is listed on page 8.
It allows you to address more systematically the possible competencies that you will need to consider].
7. In which of the following ‘functional’ areas will you need additional knowledge so that
you can work effectively in this role:
Areas
Additional Knowledge
Student
Administration:
Finance:
Personnel:
Research
Administration:
Marketing:
General
Administration /
office procedures:
IT or Computer
systems:
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D. Assistance and Support:
8. What assistance do you need from the University and your current manager to prepare
your future goals?
University
Management
9. What are the most memorable ‘learning’s’ that you have taken away from your work
experiences in the last year or two?
Learnings
10. How have these prepared you for future role changes?
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E. Responsibility:
11. How much responsibility are you prepared to carry?
For people:
For budgets:
For resources:
F. Reality Check:
12. Is the preference you have expressed in your answer to question 1 realistic?
13. Is the 3-5 year time frame to reach your preferred position realistic?
14. What other realistic options do you have apart from the preference you expressed in your
answer to question 1? List up to two, in order of preference.
Preference One:
15. For your most preferred option, listed in the answer to the last question, list specific
actions that you will have to take to achieve it?
Preference One:
Preference Two:
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G: Further Study?
16. Do you wish to undertake further study? If so, identify the area of study and if possible
specific courses.
Area of Study
Specific Courses
17. More broadly, do you plan to work for the University until your retirement? If not, how
will you identify a suitable external opportunity (ies)?
18. Any other comments, questions or issues.
When you have completed this process, you will be able to print out the resulting document.
You will then be able to discuss it with your supervisor or mentor either at your annual review or at
a mutually suitable time.
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COMPETENCY SELF ANALYSIS TOOL
FOR INDIVIDUALS AND MANAGERS
This self analysis tool has been designed to help facilitate Career Development discussions. The
purpose of this analysis tool is to assist individuals and their manager to determine to what extent
individuals currently meet the competencies listed, how developed they should be in these
competencies for their current role and how developed they need to be in the future for their
current and/or future roles. This will enable managers and individuals to identify required
development needs.
There are four steps to using this tool. Using the rating scale below
1. Rate yourself on the extent to which you meet each of the competencies listed.
2. Rate how developed you need to be in each of these competencies for your current
role to meet the Strategic and Operational objectives of your unit.
3. Rate how developed you will need to be in these competencies in the future
considering the Strategic direction of your unit and your career aspirations.
4. During your Career Development Scheme meeting discuss your ratings with your
manager.
Please use the following scale for your ratings.
0 – Competency not required for my role
1 – I have undeveloped proficiency in this competency
2 – I have / will need some proficiency in this competency
3 – I have / will need an intermediate level of proficiency in this competency
4 – I have / will need an advanced level of proficiency in this competency
[Acknowledgement.
This assessment tool was developed by the University of New South Wales and adapted for use at
UQ. We express appreciaiton for UNSW’s willingness to make it available to UQ].
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BEHAVIOURAL
Skill
Interpersonal
Competency
Customer
Service
Competency Demonstration



Team Work
Relationship
Building

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



Effective
Communication


Conflict
Management





Political Savvy


Work Style
Planning


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
Proactive
Initiative


Flexible
Adaptability



Leadership
Decision Making




Motivating




Have
Now
Needed
Now
Required
for future
roles
Takes personal responsibility for client
needs
Anticipates and exceeds customer needs
Follows-up on customer requests and keeps
informed about progress
Understands role within team
Works cooperatively and productively with
team members to achieve results
Contributes to team cohesion
Develop, build and maintain a wide circle of
informal/formal
relationships
with
colleagues, clients and stakeholders
Develop and maintain win/win relationships
Actively seek opportunities to contribute to
positive outcomes for clients
Ability to listen and understand
Ability to communicate/provide information
in a timely and accurate manner
Ability to explain complex ideas
Ability to persuade and gain commitment
Works to minimize negative personal impact
Resolves conflicts, confrontation and
disagreement in a positive/constructive way
Uses effective negotiation and influencing
skills to achieve win-win outcomes
Understanding of political alliances and
connections within working environment
Ability to use politics ethically to achieve a
desired outcome
Identify and set realistic/achievable goals
Meet goals by establishing deadlines,
timeframes, identify resources required
Effectively plans and deliver goals using
time management techniques
Ability to ask for help or delegate tasks to
others
Ability to see big picture and seek alternative
options
Results driven and is tenacious in delivering
positive outcomes
Take fresh view and challenge status quo
Values
need
for
adaptability
and
demonstrates willingness to adjust
Modifies approach when circumstances
change
Open to new ideas and receptive to change
Ability to identify underlying issues in a
situation, problem or challenge
Collect organize necessary information and
identify possible solution(s)
Develop and implement workable strategies
or options
Knowledge of maximizing performance
Knowledge of tools/methods used to
motivate and empower staff
Ability to encourage commitment
Clearly articulate vision / goals
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BEHAVIOURAL
Skill
Leadership
contd
Competency
Competency Demonstration
Coaching



Influencing




Innovation



Individual
Development
Emotional
Intelligence




Self
Management



Career
Development



Legislation,
Policies,
Procedures
Internal/External
Business
Environment




Have
Now
Needed
Now
Required
for future
roles
Gives direction and offers support
Gives specific and constructive feedback
Coach individuals to foster individual
learning and development
Influence and persuade others to follow a
specific course of action
Develops networks with others who have
mutual interests or goals
Gains
cooperation
from
others
to
accomplish goals
Build consensus and finds mutually
acceptable solutions
Use original and creative thinking to make
improvements and act as Change Agent
Uses lateral thinking to find new approaches
Proactively look for ways to deliver better
business results
Knowledge of self
Ability to self manage
Recognition of others’ emotions
Ability to manage others’ emotions
Presents a professional HR image
Analyses situations on ongoing basis to
improve own performance
Seeks feedback from others with intent of
self improvement
Sets and monitors career goals
Identifies areas for self-improvement
Commits to life-long learning
TECHNICAL
Skill
Business
Knowledge


Problem
Solving and
Judgement
Analysing
and
Problem Solving


Critical Thinking




Knowledge of relevant laws
Knowledge of relevant policies/procedures
Follow and adapt laws/procedures
Understands general economic trends and
other factors significant clients
Understands higher education issues, UQ
strategic direction, plans and culture
Uses tools to provide relevant value-added
data to assist clients with planning
Ability to identify problems that arise during
the course of carrying out tasks
Ability to analyse and define problem and
identify effective solutions
Ability to gain support for solutions
Ability to identify patterns or connections
between situations that are not obviously
related
identify key or underlying issues in complex
situations
Use creative, conceptual or inductive
reasoning to think through problems.
0 – Competency not required for my role
1 – I have undeveloped proficiency in this competency
2 – I have / will need some proficiency in this competency
3 – I have / will need an intermediate level of proficiency in this competency
4 – I have / will need an advanced level of proficiency in this competency
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TECHNICAL
Skill
Problem
Solving and
Judgement
Contd
Competency
Strategic
Thinking
Competency Demonstration



Systems
Information
Technology



Business
Processes



Change
Management
Business Savvy
Project
Management
Selling
Unit’s
Services








Understanding
Financial Impact



Understanding
Organisational
Business Drivers



Have
Now
Needed
Now
Required
for future
roles
Understands and prioritises work in line with
organisational goals and strategies
Makes decisions and sets priorities in view
of long term goals
Understands the big picture and develops
key strategies to respond
Ability to ensure data integrity in database
Ability to adapt IT to problems
Ability to apply IT to deliver services
Ability to design, develop & deliver effective
business processes
Ability to measure the effectiveness of
business processes
Knowledge/skills in organisational design
and development
Highlights need for change and seeks
authorisation to act on change need
Ability to implement / facilitate change
Participates in communication of change
Design and implement change processes
Ability to initiate, plan, execute, monitor,
evaluate and manage a project
Knows the customer's business and/or
seeks information about the real, underlying
needs of the customer
Matches these to available (or customized)
services
Identify new services to better meet client
needs
Effectively communicate services
Sufficient knowledge of financials to
understand impact on organisation
Ability to apply financial knowledge to advise
client of financial impact of staffing issues
Understanding core business drivers of UQ
including
students,
research
and
international activities
Ability to connect practices to business
drivers
Ability to improve service delivery by linking
products to business drivers
0 – Competency not required for my role
1 – I have undeveloped proficiency in this competency
2 – I have / will need some proficiency in this competency
3 – I have / will need an intermediate level of proficiency in this competency
4 – I have / will need an advanced level of proficiency in this competency
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