May 18th #HireCAN Summary: Career Development Theory

Posted on by David

  1. As many of my twitter followers likely already know, I’ve been participating in a weekly twitter chat for Canadian Career Development Professionals – called #HireCAN – for a few months now (and if you didn’t know, that should explain the weekly burst of my twitter activity every Friday at 11 PST).

    Last week, I had the privilege of hosting the chat, and choosing a topic for the discussion. Being the ‘big ideas’ person I am, I went with career development theory as a topic, and the chat went really well! The chats are organized by providing opinions, discussion, and resources related to four questions. Here were mine:

    1.  What theories most inform your practice as a career development professional (CDP)?

    2.  What is the role of career development theory in a CDP’s modern practice?

    3.  To what extent should clients understand their CDP’s theory/philosophy and corresponding techniques?

    4.  What resources would you recommend to CDP’s and/or clients in order to learn more about career development theories?

  3. coachbizcanada
    #HireCan playground today: Career Dev. Theory w/ @lindenforest YAH! for existentialism, careers and a good darkroast coffee #HireCan

    Connie Augustus

    Fri, May 18 2012 13:00:46
  4. lindenforest
    Let’s get started! I’ve got my americano and I’m ready to go 🙂 I’m Dave and I’ll be hosting today’s chat. Who’s here so far? #hirecan

    Dave Lindskoog

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:00:06
  5. For the first time in #HireCAN history, we had international participation! The insightful David Winter from the “Careers – In Theory” blog (a personal favourite) sacrificed an hour of his Friday evening to join in the chat.
  6. davidawinter
    I’m pretending to be Canadian for the evening. #HireCAN

    David Winter

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:02:48
  7. rewalls
    And my nosiness led me to an interesting career theory chat! RT @davidawinter I’m pretending to be Canadian for the evening. #HireCAN

    Rachel Walls

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:26:11
  8. Matt_Oliver
    @davidawinter Let’s say distant cousins! #HireCAN Welcome to the chat.

    MattOliver.ca

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:05:20
  9. sarahnelson71
    @davidawinter David! So glad you joined us… we welcome honorary Canucks! #HireCAN

    Sarah Nelson

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:04:19
  10. Many others joined in, as will hopefully be made obvious by inclusion of their tweets. We didn’t waste any time in getting to the first discussion question:  What theories most inform your practice as a career development professional (CDP)?
  11. davidawinter
    A1: I tend to assume that all theories can be helpful, especially the ones that contradict my natural assumptions #hirecan

    David Winter

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:15:04
  12. coachbizcanada
    A1: Maslow’s Theory of Motivation, True Colors, Meyers Briggs and anything by Victor Frankl – but mostly NeuroLinguistic Prgmng. #HireCan

    Connie Augustus

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:06:19
  13. mvandekuyt
    A1 – Happenstance and the Machu Pichu model – I’m making the most of appropriate opportunities and benchmark my skills #HireCan

    Miranda Vande Kuyt

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:08:01
  14. sarahnelson71
    A1. Happenstance, Maslow, Holland, Protean… all a part of my practice. What is Machu Pichu?? #HireCAN

    Sarah Nelson

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:09:06
  15. mvandekuyt
    Read this explanation of Machu Pichu by @robertaneault http://ow.ly/b0pr5 #hirecan

    Miranda Vande Kuyt

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:14:13
  16. lindenforest
    Narrative theories have had a big impact on my practice recently. Really like the whole postmodern epistemology. #hirecan

    Dave Lindskoog

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:12:58
  17. Matt_Oliver
    #HireCAN I’m newer to this industry so my theory study is ongoing. I really connect with Meyers Briggs, and the Chaos Theory of Career…

    MattOliver.ca

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:11:15
  18. So many theories! But the consensus seemed to be that we prefer flexibility with our theoretical perspectives, and tend to let the client take the lead.
  19. sarahnelson71
    A1. Actually, it responds to my practice as opposed to informs it. Depends on client need. #HireCAN

    Sarah Nelson

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:08:17
  20. lindenforest
    @sarahnelson71 Good point. A favourite quote: “if you don’t bend the theory to meet the needs of the client… 1/2 #hirecan

    Dave Lindskoog

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:09:47
  21. lindenforest
    “…you’ll bend the client to meet the needs of the theory” 2/2 #hirecan

    Dave Lindskoog

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:10:09
  22. lindenforest
    Seems to be a consensus that theory shouldn’t overtake needs of client! #hirecan

    Dave Lindskoog

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:27:01
  23. And that brought us to question two: what is the role of career development theory in a CDP’s modern practice? We had a few different opinions, but we all felt that theory is an important and ethical component of a CDP’s practice.
  24. coachbizcanada
    Q2: to customize the application of theory in service to client,& to contribute to the CDP community by offering info for evolution #HireCan

    Connie Augustus

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:20:33
  25. sarahnelson71
    A2. I find career theory helpful for me, but not always for client. I prefer using a tool that I know is linked/founded in theory. #HireCAN

    Sarah Nelson

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:20:50
  26. davidawinter
    @sarahnelson71 Sometimes I’m consciously aware of using particular theoretical perspectives Most of the time I follow the client. #hirecan

    David Winter

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:22:15
  27. lindenforest
    For me, the most intuitive metaphor for theory is a roadmap. Helps practitioner to envision where work might go & how #hirecan

    Dave Lindskoog

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:23:13
  28. davidawinter
    .@lindenforest My metaphor: theories are different windows on to the client. They frame the complexity of the client differently #hirecan

    David Winter

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:27:08
  29. mvandekuyt
    A2 I see theory as a guide that shapes my belief of how to move specific clients forward. #hirecan

    Miranda Vande Kuyt

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:23:43
  30. Love the metaphors! They’re such an amazing way of communicating information in an immediately understandable manner. Speaking of understanding, here’s our third question: to what extent should clients understand their CDP’s theory/philosophy and corresponding techniques?
  31. sarahnelson71
    A3. I explain as much as the client wants or needs to hear. I may start with ‘there’s a theory..’ If I lose them, I go with flow #HireCAN

    Sarah Nelson

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:31:10
  32. mvandekuyt
    A3 – As much as the client needs, some just trust you, others want to know that you know what you’re talking about #hirecan

    Miranda Vande Kuyt

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:32:30
  33. lindenforest
    A lot of my work at @sfu_career depends on shifting mindset of students, so I find myself explaining theory quite often #hirecan

    Dave Lindskoog

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:35:45
  34. lindenforest
    If student comes in wanting a make a specific career plan, it’s not helpful to encourage that unrealistic & limiting mindset #hirecan

    Dave Lindskoog

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:37:24
  35. davidawinter
    .@lindenforest Don’t need the explanation to change the mindset, just good questions. Another use of theory = new questions #hirecan

    David Winter

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:39:32
  36. sarahnelson71
    A3: I often find that I explain the ‘why’ of my questions more than the theory itself, so clients know why it matters to answer Q’s #HireCAN

    Sarah Nelson

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:43:45
  37. Lastly, question four: What resources would you recommend to CDP’s and/or clients in order to learn more about career development theories? Blogs, LinkedIn groups, and formal courses & textbooks all emerged as viable resources.
  38. mvandekuyt
    Q4 – definitely @LifeStrategies_ Theory Course http://ow.ly/b0rDe #hirecan

    Miranda Vande Kuyt

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:46:12
  39. lindenforest
    A4: I would be remiss not to mention @davidawinter’s amazing blog on career theories: http://careersintheory.wordpress.com/ #hirecan

    Dave Lindskoog

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:46:44
  40. sarahnelson71
    A4: For emerging thoughts on theory, I love #LinkedIn – many think tanks are there sharing thoughts that challenge my thinking. #HireCAN

    Sarah Nelson

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:48:17
  41. lindenforest
    @sarahnelson71 yes, careers debate is a particularly thought provoking #LinkedIn group! #hirecan

    Dave Lindskoog

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:49:46
  42. rewalls
    my colleague @careerslucy also blogs about theory sometimes http://bit.ly/LkrNXo #HireCAN

    Rachel Walls

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:50:35
  43. CareersDev
    RT @sarahnelson71: A4: Articles from @CareersDev are great. We need more though! #HireCAN

    ContactPoint

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:52:18
  44. davidawinter
    A4:Recommend this book http://ow.ly/b0t4h Applying theory to practice through case studies. This is good too http://ow.ly/b0tcp #hirecan

    David Winter

    Fri, May 18 2012 14:58:32
  45. LifeStrategies_
    @mvandekuyt @sarahnelson71 check out our tip sheet on career theory at http://ow.ly/b0JSc #hirecan

    Life Strategies Ltd.

    Fri, May 18 2012 18:40:26

  46. Lots of great resources, though I’m sure there will be more in the near future.

    Those are your highlights from a bustling and productive #HireCAN! It was a real pleasure to host, and I’m looking forward to a chance to do so again. You’ll hear about it here first!

    #HireCAN catch your interest? Be sure to check it out on twitter every Friday from 11-12 PST.