Competency Category: CDP Characteristic
The CDP Characteristic category include 31 competencies across 6 series that distinguish the field of career development practice. These competencies are generally distinct to CDPs and embody the main activities that apply to most CDPs.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) assist clients in developing and updating résumés to present marketable skills. Clients use their résumé at multiple stages of the career development and work search process.Clients may need different versions of their résumé to market their value proposition effectively to recruiters, employers, and other contacts to meet the needs and preferences of the recipient.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) help clients write communications. This commonly includes a cover letter to introduce the résumé and value proposition, which may be required at multiple stages of the career development and work search process.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) guide clients to collect a portfolio of career development documents. Clients use this portfolio to present evidence of their qualifications for various applications, e.g. employment opportunities, educational credentials.CDPs review portfolios of evidence that may be compiled in paper or digital format to give constructive feedback on how to make improvements. Clients use these documents in different ways at different points during the career development and work search process to assist in self-management and self-promotion.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) assist clients in developing a holistic value proposition, which helps them gain confidence, improve self-esteem, better understand their strengths, and communicate a consistent message across work search activities.CDPs ensure that clients have accurate information about themselves as well as the target market. This requires both introspection and research. CDPs guide clients to identify personal attributes and take steps towards their professional development and work development goals. CDPs enable clients to apply their value proposition in various contexts, e.g. résumé, communications, interviews, networking.The value proposition evolves throughout the career development lifespan. CDPs must enable clients to become self-sufficient in defining and refining value propositions on an ongoing basis.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) guide clients in developing references to support their job search. Clients need to secure referees and manage their reputation effectively. CDPs inform clients of the importance of representing themselves truthfully, and that employers often verify information supplied by clients to inform a final hiring decision.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) prepare clients for employment interviews to increase the client’s confidence, ability to articulate their value proposition, and ability to respond to behavioural and situational interview questions.CDPs inform clients that interviewers are not legally allowed to asks questions about country of origin and citizenship status (unless there is a legal requirement for citizenship for the particular job), religion, faith or creed, age, gender or sexual orientation, race or ethnicity, family status, marital status, or mental and physical disabilities. All employment questions must be relevant to the work that needs to be performed to ensure the hiring decision is non-discriminatory.CDPs perform mock interviews in person, online, or by phone, and coach clients to help them gain confidence and mitigate any concerns that employers may have.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) increase client visibility to employers, recruiters, and other contacts by helping clients develop a professional network to generate career development opportunities.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) develop and maintain a network of service providers and agencies that can meet client needs when these go beyond the CDP’s scope of practice.CDPs respect the integrity, and promote the welfare, of their clients. Even when clients’ needs are within the career development practitioner’s boundaries of expertise, there may be situations where the practitioner will refer the clients to others whose approach would benefit the client more.
Career Development Professionals (CDPs) arrange referrals with other professionals when client needs go beyond the CDP’s scope of practice. To ensure that client needs are met, CDPs work collaboratively with clients to make decisions and facilitate the referral process.External providers and agencies provide a range of support, and may include shelters, area support groups, specialized education programs, substance abuse programs, mental health services, and youth groups.