13 Career Development

National Occupational Standards can help individual workers plan and take action to develop their careers.

Steps to take:

Step 1 Identify the standards relevant to your job
Identify the units of National Occupational Standards that you are required to meet in your current job, ie your role profile (see Section D).

These standards will help you understand what you are currently required to do and the skills, knowledge and understanding you should have.

Step 2 Identify new career opportunities
Identify new career opportunities that you would like to apply for and identify the units of National Occupational Standards relevant to these posts. The example role profiles in Section D should give a fair indication of what is required in many common jobs in the legal advice field.

Step 3 Assess your suitability for new career opportunities
Compare the new career opportunities with your current post and consider the similarities and differences. Consider these questions:

  • What experience do you have that could be relevant to the new post?
  • Which areas of your current knowledge and skills could you bring to the new post?
  • Is the new post within your grasp, or would it be too demanding?

Step 4 Prepare yourself for a career move
If you believe the new post to be within your grasp, identify what new knowledge, skills and experience you would need in order to be successful in it.

Plan to acquire the new knowledge and skills and gain the relevant experience – you may need help from your manager, human resources specialists or other colleagues in achieving this.

Step 5 Apply for new positions
Apply for the new post, confident in your ability to meet many of its demands straightaway and all of its requirements once you have gained the necessary knowledge, skills and experience.

The work you have done comparing the new post with the requirements of your current job will help you identify what experience, knowledge and skills you have that are relevant to the new post and present these in a favourable light in your application and at interview. You will also be able to show what you have done to prepare yourself effectively for the new post, maybe by undertaking training or gaining relevant experience through work placements or shadowing someone doing the job.

Checklist

  • Do you know what are the units of National Occupational Standards relevant to your job (your role profile)?
  • Are you familiar with the role profiles of other jobs for which you may wish to apply?
  • Have you carried out a gap analysis to identify the knowledge, skills and experience you already have that are relevant to the new role and what you need to develop?
  • Have you taken action to develop the new knowledge and skills required and gain relevant experience for the new job?