At the great suggestion from a mentor, I made an appointment and met with Diane Kohler.  She is Manager of UK Human Resources Career Development.  It really was a fantastic meeting. 

Before the meeting, I made an appointment as directed on the website and, after instruction from the office, filled out the required online questionnaire found here: http://www.uky.edu/hr/forms/career-development.  This step was important, I found, because it made me think.  It does ask for brief background information about career and education, other employment at UK, where you are currently, and how long you’ve been in your position.  Then comes the real “meat”.  What are your career goals?  What outcomes do you hope to achieve as a result of career counseling and/or job search coaching?  Oddly enough, as someone who considers myself a definite “Planner”, I really had to put thought into these answers.  As simple as it sounds, it was a great exercise for me.

To be honest, included in my answers was the statement that I was unsure about many of these things.  UK is really the first place that has ever asked me or given me the freedom to explore these questions openly.  I quickly realized that I needed to start from the ground level here.  Read: I have a feeling that I know my strengths and weaknesses, what I like and what I don’t favor, but what does that mean?

From the minute I met Diane, she was very welcoming, friendly, professional, and patient as I worked through thoughts.  Appointments are scheduled for about an hour, and the conversations are confidential.  I won’t go into great detail about my conversation to save boring you to tears.  What I will say is that if you have questions and are unsure about what it is you want, what your strengths are, where you want to be, and where you see yourself in the future—it’s ok!  Diane has tools to help you figure these things out.  There are simple (and FREE) surveys/questionnaires you can take that will arm you with information about yourself if you are starting with the fundamental questions.  It is revealing and empowering.

This is a small picture of all that UK HR and Diane have to offer for you.  I feel quite valued knowing that there is a service here that will invest time and resources in me; my goals and aspirations are appreciated—even if I don’t have them laid out into a clear plan just yet.  The fact that there is someone on your side to help you and root for you is priceless.  As a colleague, I encourage you to make an appointment with Diane—no matter where you are in your career.

Visit the Career Development website at: http://www.uky.edu/hr/career-development.