All Employee Competency – The knowledge, skills and abilities all VA employees need to perform their jobs well, such as effective oral and written communication skills, good judgment and creative problem solving.  They apply to all occupational families, jobs and career levels.

 

Artistic –A type of work interest job seekers find they may have after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  Individuals with “artistic” interests like work activities that allow them to show self-expression and create such things as forms, designs and patterns.  They prefer settings where work can be done without following a clear set of rules.

 

Career – The general course or progression of an individual’s working life or professional achievements.

Career Guides – A collection of online resources that provide detailed information for VA’s occupational families and related jobs. The types of information include: specific knowledge areas and job duties, geographic locations of jobs across the U.S., and recommendations for training and developmental activities. They are a valuable resource for individuals to educate themselves about the jobs that interest them. VA Career Guides allow individuals to make informed career decisions.

Career Level – Organization of jobs into categories including Entry, Mid, Senior, Supervisor and Manager.

 

Career Path – A progression of jobs throughout an individual’s career that includes movement within the same or across different occupational families.  For example, using the My Career Mapping Tool, individuals may explore career paths in their current occupational family, such as Human Resources, or decide to shift their career path to a new occupational family, such as Finance and Accounting.  Progression through a career path is based on a combination of previous work experience, skill level, and career choice and job availability. 

Career Planning – A career management process that includes determining career goals, understanding personal and professional interests, exploring job options, and identifying training and developmental opportunities.  VA’s Career Planning Process includes four phases: Prepare, Explore, Plan and Develop.

Certification – The process through which an organization grants recognition to an employee who meets certain established criteria, such as a Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or a Certified Public Accountant (CPA) certification.

Competencies – The knowledge, skills, abilities or other characteristics individuals need to do their job well and advance their career to the next level.  Competencies can be measured and observed.  They form the basis of employee development efforts and also help individuals to think and talk about performance in a consistent way.  VA has All Employee, Leadership and Technical competencies.

Competency Gap Analysis – The difference between competencies and knowledge areas needed to fulfill the duties of a target job and the competencies and knowledge areas of an individual’s starting job.  The gap can be high, medium or low.  The My Career Mapping Tool compares competencies and knowledge areas between a starting job and a target job for internal and external job seekers.

Conventional – A type of work interest job seekers find they may have after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  Individuals with “conventional” interests like to follow set procedures and routines, and to work with data and details more than with ideas.  They prefer work in which there are precise standards rather than work in which they have to judge things on their own.  These individuals like working where the lines of authority are clear.

 

Decision Making – A type of work environment job seekers find they may prefer after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  This work environment describes how much an individual prefers to make frequent and important decisions in their work.

Develop – A suggested final phase in the Career Planning Process where internal and external job seekers can use the available resources and guidance to develop the knowledge, skills and experience they identified in the Plan phase of the process.  Individuals can put their Individual Development Plan (IDP) into action to begin achieving their career goals.

Developmental or Learning Activity – An activity that helps individuals learn or develop desired competencies or knowledge areas.  Developmental or learning activities can be formal classroom training, or they can be activities that take place outside the classroom.

 

Education – The process of receiving systematic or formal instruction resulting in a high school diploma, a Bachelor's or Master’s degree, or a PhD in a specific field.

 

Enterprising – A type of work interest job seekers find they may have after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  Individuals with “enterprising” interests like work activities that have to do with starting up and carrying out projects, especially business ventures.  They like persuading and leading people, making decisions, and taking risks for profit.  These individuals prefer action rather than thought.

Entry – A career level of an individual who learns and performs basic tasks under supervision.

 

Exposure to Job Hazards – A type of work environment job seekers find they may prefer after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  This work environment describes how much an individual is willing to accept potential dangers in their work environment.  For example, some people are willing to work in certain conditions, perhaps those with loud noise, low lighting or extreme temperatures associated with working outside or in strenuous physical occupations.  For others, working in safer conditions may be an important preference.

Explore – A suggested second phase in the Career Planning Process where internal and external job seekers can receive insight on VA jobs by identifying those opportunities in the My Career Fit Tool that are a “great fit” for their work interests and preferred work environment.  Job seekers can also explore the My Career Mapping Tool to map a long-term career path at VA, both within and outside of their current occupational family.

 

Grade – Refers to the federal system used to determine the pay scale of a position under the General Schedule (GS) pay schedule or one of the other pay plans used by VA, such as the Federal Wage System (WG, WL and WS), Administratively Determined Rates (AD) and unique pay plans for medical positions (e.g., VN for VA nurses).

 

Human Performance Development Model (HPDM) – A framework VA uses to guide the training and development of the entire VA workforce, rather than just developing leaders at the top.  HPDM supports learning and development across four levels, from entry-level through senior executive.  HPDM supports the concept of VA as a “learning organization” that facilitates the continuous learning and development of employees to become a high-performing workforce.

 

Individual Development Plan – An individually tailored action plan to develop specific competencies and knowledge areas needed to improve performance in a current job or to prepare for new responsibilities.  An IDP is a useful tool that guides development through formal training, education or certification from a college or university, on-the-job experiences, or coaching and mentoring.

Investigative – A type of work interest job seekers find they may have after completing My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  Individuals with “investigative” interests like work activities that have to do with ideas more than with physical activity.  They like to search for facts and solve problems mentally rather than to persuade or lead people.

 

Job – A position of employment to perform duties, responsibilities and tasks in support of an organization’s goals.

Job Series – A group of jobs in an occupational family that is similar in terms of qualification requirements and line of work.

 

Knowledge Areas – The knowledge individuals need to do their job well and advance their career to the next level.  Knowledge areas (along with competencies) form the basis of employee development efforts and also help individuals to think and talk about performance in a consistent way.

 

Leadership Competency – The knowledge, skills and abilities necessary to be a good leader, such as inspiring learning and development, building strong, diverse teams and building partnerships.

Level of Competition – A type of work environment job seekers find they may prefer after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  The amount of competition and challenge individuals like to have at work and with their co-workers.  Individuals who enjoy more competition are motivated by the opportunities it presents to advance their careers.  Those who prefer less competition generally perform better in a more supportive environment.

Licensure - The formal recognition and granting of a specific license from a competent authority (usually a government agency) to an individual to engage in a practice or activity such as practicing medicine, law or real estate.

 

Manager – A career level of an individual.  Those at the manager career level are responsible for planning and directing the work of a group of individuals and monitoring their work to ensure goals and objectives are achieved.

Mid-Career – A career level of an individual.  Those at the mid-career level can perform technical work independently and also work with others to complete work.

My Career Fit Tool – An interactive questionnaire that helps individuals identify their work interests and preferred work environment.  The tool then matches their profile to VA job options. The VA job match results are grouped by the level of experience required and rated as a “great fit,” “good fit” or “minimal fit” depending on how closely they fit with the individual’s preferences.

 

My Career Mapping Tool – A dynamic online tool that identifies long-term career path options based on an individual’s “starting job” or current occupation. Career path options, both within an individual’s current occupational family or across different occupational families, will be provided.  Once a path is chosen, the My Career Mapping Tool compares the skills and experiences needed to reach the target job from the starting job. Individuals can also select any job in a career path to learn about job competencies and knowledge areas, required education and job vacancies.

 

My Career Workbook –A collection of exercises that supports each stage of the VA Career Planning Process: Prepare, Explore, Plan and Develop.  The My Career Workbook can be downloaded and saved for personal use.

 

National Cemetery Administration (NCA) – Honors Veterans with final resting places in national shrines and with lasting tributes that commemorate their service to the nation.

 

Occupational Family – A group of jobs that are related by functions and have similar knowledge and skills requirements.  Examples of occupational families within VA include Human Resources (HR), Nursing, Social Work and Information Technology.

 
Plan – The suggested third phase in the Career Planning Process, where individuals create the necessary steps to take in order to reach their career goals.  The Plan phase identifies the skills required for a target job and recommends the type of learning and development resources needed to improve those skills.  Using the VA Career Workbook, individuals can also begin developing their Individual Development Plan (IDP) in this phase of the Career Planning Process.

Prepare – The suggested first phase in the Career Planning Process, where job seekers can gain a better understanding of their work interests and preferred work environment, as well as discover possible VA job matches in the My Career Fit Tool.  With this information, individuals can then begin their research on those job matches in the VA Career Guides.  These job matches can also be used to customize a career path in the My Career Mapping Tool that will help individuals reach their career goals. Broad career goals can be set using the VA Career Workbook to guide individuals as they continue through the Career Planning Process.

Physical Activity – A type of work environment job seekers find they may prefer after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  Individuals who prefer “physical activity” enjoy standing, walking or running, rather than sitting at a desk.

 

Realistic – A type of work interest job seekers find they may have after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  Individuals with “realistic” interests like tasks that allow them to solve practical, hands-on problems.  They prefer working outside and/or working with machines.

Repetitiveness – A type of work environment job seekers find they may prefer after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  Individuals who enjoy “repetitiveness” prefer a work environment with a level of predictability and repetition of tasks.

Responsibility – A type of work environment job seekers find they may prefer after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  Individuals who enjoy “responsibility” prefer to be responsible for work outcomes and results and/or for the safety of others.

 

Senior – A career level of an individual.  Those at the senior career level take on the responsibilities of a strategic leader and occupational expert for VA.

Social – A type of work interest job seekers find they may have after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  Individuals with “social” interests enjoy assisting others and promoting learning and personal development.  They prefer to communicate and work with people more than to work with objects, machines or data.  They also like to teach, give advice to, or help other people.

Strengths – Specific areas in which an individual excels or activities at which they are particularly good.

Supervisor – A career level of an individual. Individuals at the supervisor level are responsible for the day-to-day performance of a group.  A supervisor's job is to guide the group toward its goals, make sure that all members of the team are productive, and resolve problems as they arise.

 

Technical Competency – The specific knowledge and skills required for a job.

Time Pressure – A type of work environment job seekers find they may prefer after completing the My Career Fit Tool questionnaire.  “Time pressure” is a level of urgency under which an individual works, such as completing tasks under tight deadlines versus performing longer-term or less urgent assignments.

 

Veterans Affairs Learning University (VALU) ––VA's corporate university, which supports the agency’s mission and business objectives through high-quality, cost-effective continuous learning and development opportunities that enhance leadership, occupational proficiencies and personal growth.

 

Veterans Affairs Talent Management System – A state-of-the-art online training and employee development system that allows employees to search and register for training courses, build Individual Development Plans (IDPs) (coming soon), explore career paths and track their professional development through a single, integrated database.  The TMS serves as the official system of record for all training and development activities of VA employees.  TMS is an upgrade to the Learning Management System (LMS) that offers improvements to features and functionality.

Veterans Affairs Central Office (VACO) –Located in Washington, D.C., VACO provides major support to VA’s operations in assisting America’s Veterans.

Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) – Provides financial and other forms of assistance to Veterans and their dependents.

Veterans Health Administration (VHA) – Provides exceptional health care to Veterans and their dependents that improves their health and well-being.

 

Work Environment – Where individuals like to work, such as inside or outside, in a competitive or supportive environment or in an environment with a little or a lot of time pressure.

Work Interests – Work activities that interest individuals, such as interacting with people, thinking up new ideas or working with their hands.  Exploring and experiencing different types of work can help individuals understand the specific roles and opportunities that interest them most.