What\u2019s it like to work at King\u2019s\nCollege?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nMy team supports the professional\nservices function of the college which spans 13 divisions and 2,500 job titles.\nIn academic roles at King\u2019s, career pathways are straightforward but in\nprofessional services, although the college is passionate about its\nprofessional services employees, there has been less clarity about career\nchoices. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although we have some resources and\ncourses, I felt there was a gap in terms of career pathways that are simple but\nat the same time allow for all sorts of career journeys \u2013 not just a linear\nprogression to the top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The project we worked on with Let\u2019s\nTalk Talent, My Journey @ King\u2019s, is a new of thinking about career pathways\nand one which we believe will improve talent attraction, retention and\ndevelopment at King\u2019s College. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nYour Journey @ King\u2019s: Dream It,\nDevelop it, Do It<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nKey elements of the project are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n Career\npathways maps & handbook <\/strong>which are interactive and available online.\nColleagues can work through coaching questions and prompts to think about their\ncareer. <\/li>\n\n\n\nA branded online career navigator<\/strong>\nillustrates our London heritage but it\u2019s not hierarchical; it\u2019s a network with\nalternative routes. We want to use this to join the dots and democratise\ndevelopment and show this is not just for people who want to become leaders.<\/li>\n\n\n\nBecause the pathway map, handbook and other\nmaterials are online we have been able to include a variety of learning\nformats such as podcasts<\/strong> as people learn in different ways.<\/li>\n\n\n\nWe have some exciting career stories<\/strong> to\nshare. An important part of illustrating\ncareer paths is looking at what career experiences are available at King\u2019s. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nHow to take a fresh approach to career pathways<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\nDefine the career framework.<\/strong> The basis\nof the LTT career framework is our STAR model in which we define every role\u2019s \u2018North Star\u2019. This enables us to dig\ndeep into interactions, skills, behaviours and development opportunities within\nroles. <\/li>\n\n\n\nCreate internal talent maps<\/strong> which\nboost the opportunities for people to move cross functionally and enable\nemployees can have better development conversations. <\/li>\n\n\n\nUpskill managers. <\/strong>As we\ndiscovered with King\u2019s College, managers need to have the skill, will and\nconfidence to have conversations about development and career progression. This\nis why we based the philosophy on \u201cbeing led by me, supported by my manager,\nbacked by the organisation\u201d.<\/li>\n\n\n\nSupport a shift in mindset <\/strong>about\ncareers amongst employees and managers. Development is not restricted only to\ntaking a qualification and may include stretch assignments, skills building,\nworking in a large team, building relationships or gathering new experiences. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nWorking with Let\u2019s Talk Talent <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nEverything we have worked on with Jo\nand the team is clean, fresh and slick. We have a beautiful creative design for\nour online pathways map and handbook which is a new look for King\u2019s. It\u2019s\nauthentically \u2018King\u2019s\u2019 in terms of our language and culture but it\u2019s also new\nand different and Jo has worked with me to strike the balance between\nauthenticity and creativity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jo\u2019s wealth of experience helped us to\nposition this project in exactly the right way to the college. Jo is so\nenergetic; it was easy for us to get excited about creating something we are\nproud of and that will get our colleagues excited too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/figure>\n\n\n\nThe journey ahead<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\nI\u2019m excited about launching the\nproject team by team. Feedback from the HR team is already hugely positive and\nwe\u2019re now creating career maps for the research function with a goal of\nlaunching to them later this year. My Journey @ King\u2019s mirrors the uniqueness\nof the college and I\u2019m looking forward to seeing where the journey takes us. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
To find out more about how Let\u2019s Talk Talent helps companies shape their HR vision and strategy please <\/strong>contact us<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n