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Career Tips
Advice to help plan a career and learn from experience in public policy and management

Most of the learning required to be effective in public policy and management takes place after graduation. This page provides links to selected sources of advice on management, leadership, and career planning that can help MPP/MPA graduates learn from their workplace experience and manage their professional careers.

 

 Advice from University and Association Websites
  Explore Careers - Online Resources, University of Toronto Career Centre
  Career Resources - Tipsheets, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Career Planning Guide 2014-2015, Columbia University Center for Career Education (104 pages)
  PublicServiceCareers.org (site co-sponsored by NASPAA, ASPA and APPAM)
  Career Management page at Cornell Institute for Public Affairs

 Advice from Columnists and Academic Bloggers
  Talking Management - Karl Moore, Globe and Mail
  Monday Morning Manager - Harvey Schachter, Globe and Mail
  Bob Behn's Performance Leadership Report, Harvard Kennedy School
  The Workologist, Rob Walker, New York Times
  Henry Mintzberg Blog

 Advice from Commercial Websites
  MindTools - Essential skills for an excellent career
  The Huffington Post Career Advice
  The Inc. Life
  TheMuse Career Advice
  The Guardian public leaders network

 Advice Sections in Globe and Mail, New York Times, YouTube, and TED
  Leadership Lab - Insight about leadership and management, Globe and Mail
  Globe Careers, Globe and Mail
  Jobs, New York Times
  YouTube (search result for "career advice" using view count filter)
  TED (search result for "career advice")


Managing Your Career

 Planning Your Job Search
  Finding Work: Full-time Work, University of Toronto Career Centre (Online Workshop)
  Finding Work: Full-time Work, University of Toronto Career Centre (PDF Handout)
  Finding a Job - Researching Organizations, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Finding Career Direction - Discover Yourself and Your Purpose, Caroline Smith, MindTools
  Personal SWOT Analysis - Making the Most of Your Talents and Opportunities, Caroline Smith, MindTools
  Job Analysis - Zeroing In on What Your Job's About, Caroline Smith, MindTools
  What stage are you at in your career? Talking Management Video, Karl Moore, Globe and Mail, 13 November 2012

 Designing Your Résumé
  Resumes and CVs - Basic Resumes, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Resumes and CVs - Curriculum Vitae, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Resumes and CVs - Converting Your CV to a Resume, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Resumes and CVs - Resumes for Experienced Candidates, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Cover Letters, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  CIPA Résumé Guidelines and CIPA Sample Résumé
  CVs and covering letters: advertising your value, UK National Career Service
  Seven Tips for Effective Resume Writing, PublicServiceCareers.org

 Networking and Informational Interviewing
  Networking, University of Toronto Career Centre (Online Workshop)
  Networking, Career Centre, University of Toronto (PDF Handout)
  Making the Most of a Networking Event, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  30-second Introduction, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Skills - Networking & Informational Interviewing, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Skills - Networking & Informational Interviewing - Follow-Up Letters, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Finding a Job - Using Social Media: Intro, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Finding a Job - Using Social Media: LinkedIn, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Top 10 Tips for Successful Networking, Careers & Recruitment Centre, University of Queensland
  Landing an Infomational Interview, Cornell Institute for Public Affairs
  Nine tips to make a killer first impression online, Vicky Oliver, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 29 June 2015
  Job Search Advice, Ann Hess Braga, PublicServiceCareers.org, November 2006

 Interviewing for a Position
  Interview Techniques - Preparing for the job interview, University of Toronto Career Centre (Online Workshop)
  Interview Techniques - Preparing for the job interview, University of Toronto Career Centre (PDF Handout)
  How to Ace an Interview: 5 Tips from a Harvard Career Advisor, Linda Spencer, Harvard Extension School, 27 May 2013 (YouTube)
  Skills - Professional Image, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Finding a Job - Interview Questions, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Finding a Job - Second Interview, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Finding a Job - References, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Finding a Job - Thank You Letters, Columbia University Center for Career Education
  Focus on Interviews: A guide to marketing yourself, Government of Canada, 2004
  Ace the Interview, Service Canada Job Bank
  Interviews - do's and don'ts, UK National Careers Service

 Making a Positive Impression
  You’ve only got 60 seconds to make your pitch - Harvey Schachter, Globe and Mail, 28 June 2015
  How to Impress Anyone in 30 Seconds or Less - Lolly Daskal, The Inc. Life, 27 May 2015


Working with Others

 Understanding Professional Etiquette
  Skills - Workplace Etiquette, Columbia Unversity Center for Career Education
  Good Manners in the Office - Realizing There's No Excuse for Discourtesy, Caroline Smith and the MindTools Team, MindTools
  Office Etiquette, The Huffington Post
  Dining Etiquette and Dress Code Outline, Career Development Resources, La Follette School of Public Affairs

 Mastering Operational Skills
  Richard Neustadt's Memorandum on Operational Skills to the Kennedy School MPP Class of 1972
  What Good Public Servants Say about How to be a Good Public Servant, Ian Clark, 25 September 1987
  Top Ten Tips for being effective in government work, Ian Clark, 25 February 2015
  Presentation to SPPG Practicum, Tony Dean, 1 April 2014
  Heading Out, Making a Difference, Achieving Change, Pamela Bryant, 3 April 2014

 Interacting with Colleagues
  Building Good Work Relationships - Making Work Enjoyable and Productive, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Active Listening - Hearing What People are Really Saying, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Body Language - Understanding Non-Verbal Communication, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Thinking on Your Feet - Staying Cool and Confident Under Pressure, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Empathy at Work - Developing Skills to Understand Other People, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Using Email Effectively - 10 Common Email Mistakes, Keith Jackson, MindTools
  French and Raven's Five Forms of Power, James Manktelow, MindTools
  How Good is Your Anger Management? - Controlling Your Anger Before it Controls You, Caroline Smith, MindTools
  Anger Management - Williams' 12 Strategies for Controlling Aggression, Caroline Smith, MindTools

 Getting to Agreement
  Assertiveness - Working WITH People, Not Against Them, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  10 Common Negotiation Mistakes - Pitfalls to Avoid When Sealing a Deal, Keith Jackson, MindTools
  The Persuasion Tools Model - Finding the Right Negotiation Style, Ruth Hill, MindTools

 Working in Groups
  Running Effective Meetings - Establishing an Objective and Sticking to it, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Successful Delegation - Using the Power of Other People's Help, Elizabeth Eyre, MindTools
  Building Expert Power - Lead From the Front, at Work, James Manktelow, MindTools
  Team Charters - Getting Your Team off to a Great Start, Elizabeth Eyre, MindTools
  Organizing Team Decision Making - Reaching Consensus for Better Decisions, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Avoiding Groupthink - Avoiding Fatal Flaws in Group Decision Making, Ruth Hill, MindTools

 Dealing with Workplace Problems
  The Clinging Co-Worker, Rob Walker, The Workologist, New York Times, 7 September 2013
  The Insufferable Colleague, Rob Walker, The Workologist, New York Times, 25 January 2014
  Got a problem employee? Don’t whitewash, Merge Gupta-Sunderji, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 18 June 2015

 Recognizing Emotions and Personality Types
  How Values Differ: Psychological Types and Moral Foundations (Atlas teaching topic in Leadership Skills)
  Myers-Briggs Type Indicator - MBTI Basics
  The moral roots of liberals and conservatives, Jonathan Haidt, TED2008
  Why you should tap an introvert for your next CEO, Talking Management, Karl Moore, Globe and Mail, 14 April 2015
  Use your emotional intelligence for good, not bad, Talking Management Video, Karl Moore, Globe and Mail, 12 May 2015
  Ten things introverts wished you knew about them, Talking Management Video, Karl Moore, Globe and Mail, 26 May 2015
  Emotional Intelligence - What Makes a Leader, Daniel Goleman, Harvard Business Review, January 2004

 Thinking about Gender Differences
  Gender and leadership? Leadership and gender? A journey through the landscape of theories, Steven H. Appelbaum, Lynda Audet, and Joanne C. Millar, Leasdershp & Organization Development Journal, 24(1) 43-51, 2003
  How Men and Women Differ in the Workplace, Drew Gannon, The Fiscal Times, 25 May 2012
  Women in leadership: Walking the gender tightrope, Sandy Hershcovis and Justin Weinhardt, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 1 June 2015


Becoming a Leader

 Understanding the Nature of Leadership
  What is Leadership? James Manktelow, MindTools
  Core Leadership Theories - Learning the Foundations of Leadership, James Manktelow, MindTools
  Leadership Styles - Choosing the Right Approach for the Situation, James Manktelow, MindTools
  The CEO isn't the only leader any more, Talking Management Video, Karl Moore, Globe and Mail, 20 November 2012
  Leading Equals - Motivating People Effectively, Without Authority, James Manktelow, MindTools
  The Harvard 19, Henry Mintzberg Blog, 12 December 2014
  Lois Braverman of the Ackerman Institute: Making Room for Differences, Adam Bryant, Corner Office, New York Times, 7 February 2015
  The true meaning of a well-connected leader, Talking Management Video, Karl Moore, Globe and Mail, 3 February 2015
  Managing to Lead, Henry Mintzberg Blog, 19 February 2015
  The search for humility in corporate types, Talking Management Video, Karl Moore, Globe and Mail, 31 March 2015
  Entitled or enlightened? Five things I learned from millennials, Nicole Gallucci, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 8 April 2015
  What I didn’t learn in school about leading others, Roy Osing, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 15 April 2015
  Caring and respectful equals successful, Harvey Schachter, 17 May 2015
  Don’t confuse ‘servant leadership’ with ‘sacrificial leadership,’ Dane Jensen, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 17 June 2015

 Improving Organizational Performance
  On why public executives need to appreciate the differences among Measurement, Management, and Leadership, Bob Behn's Performance Leadership Report, November 2013
  What Performance Management Is and Is Not, Bob Behn's Performance Leadership Report, September 2014
  On the different skills and responsibilities of Data Wonks and Performance Leaders, Bob Behn's Performance Leadership Report, April 2015
  If You Can’t Measure It, You’d Better Manage It, Henry Mintzberg Blog, 28 May 2015

 Improving Employee Motivation and Workplace Morale
  Rethinking Work, Barry Schwartz, New York Times, 28 August 2015
  Celebrating Achievement - How to Help Your Team Feel Good, Elizabeth Eyre, MindTools
  Bending rules, making connections and having fun: Potential elements for a strategy to advance public service innovation, Ian Clark, 8 May 2008
  Preparing the Gen Y managers, David Zussman, Canadian Government Executive, 7 May 2012
  The power of making people laugh at work, Talking Management Video, Karl Moore, Globe and Mail, 6 November 2012
  Giving Feedback: The Ideal Praise-to-Criticism Ratio, Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman, Harvard Business Review, 15 March 2013
  All aboard: Why you need to engage new employees from the word go, Vincent Beleiveau, Civil Service World, 6 November 2014
  Do you rub your staff’s noses in their mistakes? Katie Bennett, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 16 December 2014
  Recharge employees with these magic words, Talking Management Video, Karl Moore, Globe and Mail, 10 February 2015
  Keep employees happy (without breaking the bank), Josey Kitson, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 4 May 2015
  Twelve ways to treat your employees as humans, Harvey Schachter, 24 May 2015
  Seven deadly mistakes that destroy employee motivation, Michelle Ray, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 25 May 2015
  Top down, bottom up, front line: Why you need different perspectives, David Dick, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 3 June 2015
  How team tasks help retain new hires, Talking Management Video, Karl Moore, Globe and Mail, 30 June 2015
  Workplace fitness on the cheap, Harvey Schachter, 9 July 2015

 Gaining Wisdom
  The Moral Bucket List, David Brooks, New York Times, 11 April 2015
  Improving Wisdom, Ursula Staudinger, Wisdom Research Forum, 8 May 2015
  Reflecltive Habits and the Value of Life Satisfaction, Valerie Tiberius, Wisdom Research Forum, 8 May 2015
  Wisdom and well-being, Monika Ardelt, Wisdom Research Forum, 8 May 2015
  MORE life experience, Judith Glick, Wisdom Research Forum, 8 May 2015
  Building Attention Span, David Brooks, New York Times, 10 July 2015

 Sounding like a Leader
  Taking the Stage, Judith Humphrey, 15 February 2001
  Judith Humphrey, 2012, Speaking As a Leader: How to Lead Every Time You Speak...From Board Rooms to Meeting Rooms, From Town Halls to Phone Calls
  Three questions the best leaders ask themselves, Ted Cassidy, Leadership Lab, Globe and Mail, 11 May 2015

 

Page Created by: Ian Clark on 12 July 2015, last updated on 11 September 2015.

Working Intelligently

 Solving Problems
  What is Problem Solving? Ruth Hill, MindTools
  How Good is Your Problem Solving? Ruth Hill, MindTools
  SWOT Analysis - Discover New Opportunities, Manage and Eliminate Threats, James Manktelow, MindTools
  Tree Diagrams - Simplifying Complexity, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Brainstorming - Generating Many Radical, Creative Ideas, Liz Cook, MindTools
  5 Whys - Getting to the Root of a Problem Quickly, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Root Cause Analysis - Tracing a Problem to its Origins, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  The Simplex Process - A Robust Creative Problem-Solving Process, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  8D Problem Solving Process - Solving Major Problems in a Disciplined Way, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  The Straw Man Concept - Build it Up, Knock it Down, and Create a Solid Final Solution, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Hurson's Productive Thinking Model - Solving Problems Creatively, Ruth Hill, MindTools

 Making Decisions Objectively
  How to Make Decisions - Making the Best Possible Choices, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  How Good is Your Decision-Making? Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Decision Matrix Analysis - Making a Decision by Weighing Up Different Factors, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Decision Trees - Choosing by Projecting "Expected Outcomes," Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Paired Comparison Analysis - Working out Relative Importances, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  Avoiding Psychological Bias in Decision Making - How to Make Objective Decisions, Ruth Hill, MindTools
  The Ladder of Inference - Avoiding "Jumping to Conclusions," Ruth Hill, MindTools
  ORAPAPA - A Checklist for Making Better Decisions, Ruth Hill, MindTools

 Planning Your Work
  Golden Rules of Goal Setting - Five Rules to Set Yourself Up for Success, Sarah Pavey, MindTools
  Effective Scheduling - Planning to Make the Best Use of Your Time, Sarah Pavey, MindTools
  Action Plans - Small Scale Planning, Caroline Smith, MindTools
  How Good Are Your Project Management Skills? Caroline Smith, MindTools
  Business Requirements Analysis - Clearly Agreeing What You're Going to Deliver, Caroline Smith, MindTools

 Managing Your Time
  What is Time Management? - Working Smarter to Enhance Productivity, Sarah Pavey, MindTools
  10 Common Time Management Mistakes, Sarah Pavey, MindTools
  Leverage - Achieving Much More with the Same Effort, Sarah Pavey, MindTools
  Prioritization - Making Best Use of Your Time and Resources, Sarah Pavey, MindTools
  Eisenhower's Urgent/Important Principle - Using Time Effectively, Not Just Efficiently, Sarah Pavey, MindTools
  Overcoming Procrastination - Manage Your Time. Get It All Done. Sarah Pavey, MindTools

 Coping with Pressure
  So you’re starting your MA in economics [or starting your MPP or MPP], Stephen Topp, Policy Options, 8 September 2015
  What is Stress? Caroline Smith, MindTools
  Managing Stress - Create Calm in Your Career, Caroline Smith, MindTools
  Centering - Maintaining Focus in Stressful Situations, Caroline Smith, MindTools
  How to be Patient - Staying Calm Under Pressure, Caroline Smith, MindTools
  Declining a Work Assignment, With Finesse, Rob Walker, The Workologist, New York Times, 21 August 2014
  Albrecht's Four Types of Stress - Managing Common Pressures, Caroline Smith, MindTools
  The Breaking Point, Bruna Martinuzzi, MindTools

 Having Fun
  Thought Awareness, Rational Thinking, and Positive Thinking, Caroline Smith, MindTools
  Optimism - The Hidden Asset, Bruna Martinuzzi, MindTools
  The Flow Model - Balancing Challenge and Skills, Sarah Pavey, MindTools
  Using Affirmations - Harnessing Positive Thinking, Caroline Smith, MindTools

 Finding Balance
  Work-Life Balance Quiz, Canadian Mental Health Association
  Work/Life Balance, Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety
  A Fine Balance - A Manager's Guide to Workplace Well-Being, Canadian Centre of Management Development, 2002
  Reducing Work-Life Conflict: What Works? What Doesn't? Health Canada, January 2008

Important Notices
© University of Toronto 2008
School of Public Policy and Governance