Now that you have a plan, here you will learn how to implement it. Your supervisor is available to support you as necessary.

  1. Managing My Performance - You and your direct supervisor should maintain on-going communication so that you understand the key expectations for your position, including the UC Core Competencies. Direct communication with your supervisor will help you perform to the best of your abilities, strive to improve, develop your skills, and collaborate well with your team members and coworkers.

  2. Individualized Development Plan - There are many tools and techniques available to develop a specific plan of action for learning and career management. Whether you are exploring options at UC Santa Barbara or beyond, you may find the Individual Development Plan (IDP) to be a helpful tool. Consider the following guidelines for creating and implementing your IDP.
  1. Social Gatherings – Use social gatherings to meet new contacts and expand your network of contacts.
  2. Campus Service Opportunities – Joining a campus organization or association can be a great way to network with others on campus.
  3. Industry Specific Organizations - Join organizations that are specific to the industry you are interested in.
  4. Mentors - Mentoring, one form of relationship-building, is an opportunity for nurturing potential in someone who wants to grow and develop. Mentoring can take the traditional form of an ongoing relationship in which a mentor and a mentee meet on a regular basis to help the mentee develop her/his career, or it can be a shorter-term process of helping to nurture a mentee's growth during one or a few teachable moment(s). Being in a mentoring relationship is a great development opportunity for both mentors and mentees.
    1. Gaucho Mentor Connection - Gaucho Mentor Connection is a volunteer program that pairs experienced UCSB career staff from all campus units with other staff who are seeking to develop themselves professionally. The program provides a supportive structure in which participants can cultivate contacts, explore challenges, and enhance effectiveness as they design their personal growth and career paths together as Gauchos.
    2. Other Mentors – You can also reach out to someone on campus or off campus that you feel you value and admire their work. They can be any age and in any field. Others can often shed light for us and help us gain valuable insight to our career path. It doesn’t need to be a big commitment, you could meet for lunch or coffee on a monthly basis or call every so often when you have questions about your career path.
  5. Counterparts – There are other employees across the UC System that perform work that is similar to yours. Check in with your supervisor to see if you can connect with a counterpart from another UC. You can gain valuable insight to how they perhaps run a program that is similar to yours. You can share ideas with each other to help bring more value to your work.
  6. LinkedIn - LinkedIn it is important as it can connect you with industry professionals and can help further your career.

Career exploration can open you up to a whole new world of work - even in your own backyard. There are many effective strategies for career exploration that can help you identify a satisfying career and accelerate your job search, including online research, informational interviewing and the possibility of mentoring.

Developing your career awareness means gaining knowledge of career paths and job opportunities at UC Santa Barbara and elsewhere within the UC system, and the skills and qualifications necessary to be successful in these positions.

There is a lot of information available to you on the Internet, but it is crucial to seek out information from colleagues, supervisors and managers, and other UCSB employees as well. Pay attention to what you observe, feel, and experience in your day-to-day work life at UCSB.