Career Threads is a micro-blog series that offers quick insights into trending topics in career services, jointly composed by the Consulting Team at The Career Leadership Collective, out of their experiences interacting with hundreds of career professionals and senior campus leaders.
The Working Genius assessment is unique in its simplicity and laser focus on work/productivity through the lens of satisfaction. Most personality instruments help people better understand how they are wired but fail to explain how their work preferences fit with others’. Working Genius solves this problem. Individuals gain a greater understanding of the type of work that makes them thrive and a better way to think about how they work in teams.
This blog post presents four strategies for integrating the Working Genius assessment into career center programming. These strategies aim to provide students with personalized opportunities for career exploration, cultivate self-awareness, and foster professional growth. When students successfully identify their inherent geniuses and develop the vocabulary to articulate them, they are positioned for success!
The following list of experience-based programs, sequenced in order of lightest lift to full-scale integration, can enhance career courses, first-year seminar courses, career center student employment, or broader groups of students, like TRIO programs, student organizations, athletes, or new student orientation.
Career Exploration Workshops and Courses:
Organize workshops where students take the Working Genius assessment and then participate in guided sessions to explore how their results align with various career paths. This could also be within a career course or first-year seminar context. Structure workshops to feature these session topics.
Assessment Interpretation: Help students develop an understanding of their Working Genius results and what they mean in the context of career exploration.
Industry Panels: Feature a panel of professionals from various fields, discussing how different Working Genius types benefit them in their careers.
Career Mapping: Lead participants through a mapping activity focused on identifying potential career paths that align with the student's strengths and interests as identified by the assessment.
2. Mentorship Programs:
Develop a student-employment or mentorship program where students are paired based on complementary Working Genius profiles. This program can help students learn from each other's strengths and communicate about areas of frustration. Below are a few suggested elements of this program.
Mentorship Training: Provide training sessions for mentors and mentees on leveraging their Working Genius results for effective collaboration.
Goal Setting: Encourage pairs to set mutual goals that utilize their combined strengths.
Reflection Sessions: Schedule regular meet-ups for pairs to reflect on their progress and adjust their strategies.
3. Leadership Development Series
Create a series of leadership development workshops based on students' Working Genius profiles to enhance their leadership skills. Students will learn how to lead effectively by leveraging their natural talents. Below is the suggested content for this series.
Leadership Styles Exploration: Teach students how their Working Genius influences their approach to leading teams.
Elevator Pitch Workshop: Students practice articulating how their geniuses impact and support their leadership style.
Guest Speakers: Invite alumni from various sectors to share how they use their Working Genius in their leadership roles.
4. Project-Based Learning Experiences
Integrate into project-based learning experiences where students work on real-world projects in teams, with each team member assigned roles that align with their Working Genius. This could be for case competitions, senior design or capstone courses, or other project-based learning opportunities. Below is a list of facilitation strategies we recommend.
Team Formation: Form teams with a mix of Working Genius types to ensure a balanced approach to project tasks.
Project Planning: Guide teams in planning their projects by assigning tasks based on each member's strengths.
Feedback and Evaluation: Provide structured feedback sessions where students evaluate their team's performance and reflect on how their Working Genius contributed to the project's success.
By integrating the Working Genius assessment into your programming and experience-focused initiatives, your center can provide students with valuable personalized guidance that enhances their career exploration, self-awareness, and professional development.
Interested in learning more about The Working Genuis? Schedule a conversation with Sharon Attaway, our Partner Engagement and Executive Search Consultant, and register to attend Boosting Career Team Productivity and Satisfaction: Leveraging the Working Genius, a free information session on October 3rd at Noon (EST).
This information session introduces the Working Genius model and how to maximize it with your team. We'll outline the benefits of the assessment for individuals and teams, review the services of the Collective, and share how career center teams can utilize this tool to enhance productivity and satisfaction.
Oct 03, 2024, 12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Register here!
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