Continuous Learning
Identifying and addressing learning and developmental needs to enhance their own performance.
Level 1. Learns from available opportunities
BEHAVIORS
- Self-assesses against standards for the current position to identify learning needs.
- Takes advantage of learning opportunities provided (e.g., courses, feedback from supervisors or peers) to meet the requirements of current job.
- Reflects on completed activities, identifying what worked well, what did not, and how to improve their own performance.
QUESTIONS
- Tell us about a time when you made a point of ensuring that you took the time to pursue your own development.
Probing Questions
* What kind of learning opportunity (or opportunities) were you were pursuing?
* How did you make time for it?
* What was the outcome of this learning opportunity (or opportunities)?
* Have you had a chance to apply what you learned?
- Describe a time when you used previous successes or failures to learn and improve?
Probing Questions
* Describe a specific situation.
* What was the success or failure that you learned from?
* What did you learn?
* Have you had the opportunity to apply this knowledge to another situation?
Level 2. Seeks learning opportunities
BEHAVIORS
- Requests additional feedback to clarify learning needs.
- Follows-up on issues to maintain knowledge and skills.
- Seeks coaching in areas where techniques are rapidly evolving.
- Seeks to continually acquire and apply new knowledge and learning to improve job performance.
QUESTIONS
- Describe a time when you sought feedback from someone on your performance, for example, from colleagues or a supervisor?
Probing Questions
Who did you ask for feedback and how did you ask?
Why did you seek feedback?
What feedback did you receive?
What did you do with the information?
- Tell me about a time when you took advantage of an opportunity to learn something new.
Probing Questions
- Describe the situation.
- What did you learn and how?
- How did you apply what you learned to your work?
- How did it help you to improve your work performance?
- Please describe an example of a time when you made a point of keeping current in an area in which the knowledge or techniques are rapidly evolving?
Probing Questions
What was the situation?
In what area were you trying to keep up to date?
Describe the methods you used to keep updated.
To what extent did you succeed in keeping updated?
What impact, if any, did keeping up to date have?
Level 3. Implements a self-directed approach to learning
BEHAVIORS
- Gathers information from varied sources to identify their own strengths and weaknesses in the current position.
- Plans learning targeted to specific developmental needs in the current position.
- Monitors progress in meeting learning goals and needs, updating the learning approach as needed.
- Reflects on past experiences to generate insights to improve their own work and the work of others.
QUESTIONS
- Tell us about a time when you used a few different sources of information to identify your strengths and your needs for development in a job you were performing and then, based on that information, you took steps to develop yourself further.
Probing Questions
* How did you identify your strengths and your developmental needs?
* What area(s) did you identify for improvement?
* What did you do develop in that area?
* Have you or others seen any improvements since you started to address that developmental need?
- An important aspect of self-development is identifying areas where we need to improve and learn. Tell us about a specific situation where you felt that you needed to improve on something.
Probing Questions
* What did you need to improve on?
* How did the need for improvement become apparent to you?
* What development did you seek?
* What impact did this learning have on your overall performance?
Level 4. Expands its own skillset for current job
BEHAVIORS
- Stays abreast of emerging trends in your own area, identifying emerging new requirements.
- Pursues challenging experiences beyond the existing role or area of expertise to add value in the current area.
- Undertakes learning activities that, while not obviously linked to the current position, ultimately provide contacts and content that will impact significantly on current work.
- Tries new approaches to maximize the potential for learning.
QUESTIONS
- Tell us about a time when your ability to keep informed on emerging trends proved to be useful in your work.
Probing Questions
* Describe the situation.
* What trend was emerging?
* How did you come to be aware of it?
* How did your knowledge of this trend prove to be useful?
- Describe a time when you sought a challenging learning opportunity or experience that was outside your usual role or area of expertise, but that contributed to enhancing your performance in your current area.
Probing Questions
* What learning opportunity did you pursue?
* Why did you pursue this experience or a learning opportunity?
* How did what you learned to apply to your work?
* What impact, if any, did this experience have on your performance?
* What effect, if any, did this have on your current work area?
Level 5. Focuses on learning on future needs
BEHAVIORS
- Scans environment to keep abreast of emerging developments in the broader work context.
- Undertakes learning opportunities to meet future organizational needs beyond their own area.
- Identifies new technical and business knowledge/skills relevant to the field in the future.
QUESTIONS
- Sometimes it is necessary to look at the future of the organization and the skills and expertise that may be required to move in that direction. Tell us about a time when you undertook a developmental opportunity beyond your own area in order to help meet future organizational needs.
Probing Questions
* What future organizational needs were involved?
* What learning opportunities did you seek to address these needs?
* What did you learn from these opportunities?
* How useful was the developmental opportunity for you/for the organization?
- Could you give me an example of new technology or business knowledge that you learned which may be required in your field in the future?
Probing Questions
* What was the technology or business knowledge?
* What made you think that it will be needed in your field in the future?
* How did you learn it?
* What was the impact of this learning on your work?