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Factor 8: Your Occupational Experience
The expertise and insights gained through specific job functions are valuable assets. Whether in finance, marketing, engineering, or other fields, your hands-on experience equips you for continued success and new pathways.
Reflect on the skills you have developed and their relevance in today’s market.
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Identifying and properly understanding your functional and specialized skills is critical for personal growth, maximising your performance, opening up career opportunities and for advancement.
Experience and knowledge gained in your specific job function are assets you can leverage for continued employment, job satisfaction, seniority advancement, and new career pathways.
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There are the core functional skills, for example: Finance, HR, Marketing, Sales, Engineering.
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And specialized skills: Many professionals develop additional, focused skill sets—such as Supply Chain expertise within Procurement, or PR specialization within Marketing.
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Plus there are situational or challenge specific skills, for example creating process, implementing it, problem resolution or change management. And things like mentoring people.
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You may wish to reflect on:
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What are my specific functional and specialized skills?
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Are these skills still competitive in today's market?
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Which new skills do I need to develop to stay ahead?
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Being cognizant about your level of competency for the role you hold, are assuming, or aspire to is essential. You may wish to reflect on the competency levels are displayed above. Recognizing this is important because it affects your grade, salary, job security, and future prospects. You might be highly skilled in one area or specialty, while being less experienced in another. Identifying the gaps in your knowledge, skills, and experience helps shape your learning and development needs, as well as your opportunities to gain practical experience and build your track record.
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As shown above, most core occupational fields, such as accounting, include specialized areas. Understanding your functional and specialist skills - and recognizing how to develop or leverage them—can significantly enhance your personal growth. This awareness can also help you maximize performance, identify new career opportunities, and support professional advancement.
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Looking at the lifecycle of a business function shown above, you might want to think about both the breadth and depth of your experience. Getting involved in projects beyond everyday business operations can grow your skill set, make your work more rewarding, and better prepare you for future career opportunities. Having a clear and realistic sense of this can really help your future prospects.
What next?
Jot Down In Your Note Taking App
What observations do you have of your occupational experience?
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Note your level of competency in your core occupational area. Levels: novice (1), developing (2), competent (3), highly competent (4), expert (5).
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Include any details of your specialisms.
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Include any additional depth of experience beyond business as usual, such as designing and planning processes, implementing new processes or systems, driving innovation or improvement, or transferring or closing a business unit.
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Also, make a note of anything that you believe defines your skills in the occupational area particularly well.
Consider adding comments about how you would like to develop your level of competency or new ways you’d like to use your skills.