How to plan PD needs?

We often think that we need "professional refreshment", so to speak, but how do we know what we need?

I think we are best to begin by evaluating our baseline. What is our baseline education level; etc (for example, do we have a undergraduate degree? Is it in this field? Or another field (read more here)? This can often help us to clarify what it is that we want to learn more about. 

Then we need to think about the type of professional development we think we need. Are we clear about the difference between education and training - read more here? Do we need education (learn the theory and the application)? Or training (application)? Do we want to achieve a recognised qualification? Are we feeling out of date? Are we feeling our practice has become stale? Do we need different/new theories? Do we have curiosity? Do we want refresher training on techniques? Do we want to steam-line what we do?

Next we need to get pragmatic and to think about logistics. Where are we located, versus where are potential educators/trainers located? Would those educators/trainers deliver via an online video platform? Do we need to seek a one day session, an online programme we can work through in our own time, a few evening webinars over a set span of weeks, or a combination of all of these? 

More logistics: how much time do we realistically have to study? If studying through an institution, there are usually time limits on how long we can take to complete a qualification - and the minimum is usually one paper per semester. That is pretty much the most that those of us who are working full time and parents and volunteers and and and can fit in... but we need to remember that this can seem achingly slow for us to reach our goal. 

There is also a formula for how many hours we need to budget for each paper: if doing formal education in Aotearoa, generally we budget ten hours per course credit. So if we are signing up to a 30 credit post-graduate paper, we know we will have to diarise 300 hours to complete the course. Undergrad papers are usually 10 to 15 credits (so 100 to 150 hours). Also - if we can study remotely - we need to budget in any on-campus requirements along with flights and accommodation. If we were doing training, we need to consider how long the course runs, and whether we have to be on-site, in person for the duration. 

We need to consider if there are any assessment requirements for our course, what they are, where they need to occur, and if we can make the dates. Some courses have no assessment other than showing up. Some require us to watch a series of webinars and write a short essay with no deadline, which is assessed by others taking the course. Others have an exam which takes place in the days immediately after course-end where a fail means the entire course must be retaken. The latter type of big-stakes investment means we really have to budget enough time from the outset. 

Next we need to work out how we learn best: in-person, on-campus? Or virtually, online? Or in a blended model? Which brings us to our next question: can we afford our preferred model of learning? What can we afford? This brings us to: what is actually available in our desired field? Could we learn via a MOOC (massive open online courses; read more here)?

Then lastly: do we prefer to learn from many people, or do we prefer to become used to one presenter and one method of delivery? 

To summarise, the key decisions that we need to make with regard to professional development are:

• Baseline: education vs. training vs. location vs. time
• Type: formal education qualification vs. informal training
• Assessment: Assessed (usually formal qualifications) vs. peer-assessed, vs. not assessed
• Channel: in person vs. online vs. self-paced online
• Delivery: one presenter vs. multiple specialists

It is quite interesting to think through these issues. And now we know this, we can draw up our list - say - formal education course, assessed, leading to a qualification, on-campus from multiple specialists, or self-paced MOOC training course with peer-assessment.

Good luck with your search!

Sam

read more "How to plan PD needs? "

Exploding the research question

I have written about the idea of pulling apart the research question before (see here), but it is really important to ensure that all key components of a research question feeds into the project, and does not dilute the project (read about the dangers here). That includes the title, aims, objectives, literature review components, measurements, and the research outcomes. 

When we ask our research question, we need to sit back and consider all the elements we need to know in order to answer that question. That can be done by breaking our question down into the sub-questions so we can be sure we are asking the 'right' questions in order to answer our question; or in the language of Thompson and Penny: "exploding" out our research question (University of Southampton, 2020). 

By exploding the question, what I mean is that we blow our research question apart into the component elements. By doing that - pulling all of the elements from the question itself - it enables us to explore each component via our literature review, to then work out how we can measure each, to then compare our findings with the literature and to draw conclusions. We look at each element and track it through to its logical conclusion. All pieces are tied off; there are no loose ends. 

While the Thompson and Penny are talking about key words - word search via Google - in the clip below, the same principles apply. Watch the clip to see how we could reconsider our research question in order to evaluate all the terms that we have used in it (University of Southampton, 2020).

We sift our research question and trim it back to all the necessary components. Once we get our language accurate, by streamlining and simplifying our terms. This helps to make our research question more answerable, as well as directing what we need to search out in our literature, and where the research gap is to guide what we need to find.

I hope this helps!

Sam

References:

University of Southampton. (2020). Week 3.10: Exercise: 'exploding' out terms for searching. In E. Thompson, R. Penny (Eds.), Developing Your Research Project. FutureLearn. https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/research-project/21/steps/735963

read more "Exploding the research question"

Client-centred practice

Sometimes when I have students who are new to the field of career development, I can sense that there is something different about the questions they ask, or in the approach they take to career development. I often have to stop and consider before I realise where the gap lies is between their thinking and mine. They take an organisational-focus to career development: I take an individual one.

Professional dieticians in Canada define client-centred practice as "The use of collaborative and partnership approaches where the client's own experiences and knowledge are central and carry authority within the client-professional partnership. In this approach mutual respect, trust and shared objectives are fundamental" (MacLellan, 2005, p. 3). I think this Canadian definition, despite being in a completely different field, fits very well with career development: our client carries the experience, knowledge and authority within the client-practitioner relationship (MacLellan, 2005).

It was Carl Rodgers who first suggested centring our focus on the client in the late 1930s (Law et al., 1995), as we now automatically do today in client-centred practice (Bassot, 2021). We practitioners also use reflective practice alongside supervision and continuing professional development to ensure that our practice is sound and continues to be so (Van Manen, 1977). As reflective practitioners, we create a practitioner-client relationship based in trust, concern, and professionalism (Law et al., 1995). We could say that "Client-centredness is a philosophy of practice built on concepts that reflect changes in the attitudes and beliefs of clients" being accompanied by their career practitioners (p. 251).

To a practitioner, the practice of career development is about walking with the client, seeking out "their wishes and aspirations" (Gough, 2017, p. 37), not merely plugging the client into task-oriented services such as CV writing, interview coaching, and placement in order to "meet[...] the needs of employers and government policy" (p. 37). The objective of the service is to help the client to bring their own goals to life. Our work, our focus, our loyalty is not with an organisation. It remains with the client.

This becomes a tricky aspect of navigation when we consider who is paying for the service. My reminder to self is always that our loyalty belongs to the person we sit with; the person we listen to;. They are the focus of our service.

The service is not being done TO them; the service is being done BY them. They drive the process. Autonomy must lie with the client - as our "Clients are experts about their [own] occupational function. Only they can truly understand the experiences of their daily lives, express their needs and make choices about their  occupations" (Law et al., 1995, p. 251). It becomes clear that our loyalty is then not to the payer: it is to the recipient of the service.

Our job is to clarify priorities; assist with the intervention and process to enable the client to achieve their outcome (Law et al., 1995). 

Sam

References:

Bassot, B. (2021). Chapter 23: Client-Centred Career Development Practice: A Critical Review. In P. J. Robertson, T. Hooley, P. McCash, (Eds.), The Oxford Handbook of Career Development (pp. 325-336). Oxford University Press.

Law, M., Baptiste, S., & Mills, J. (1995). Client-centred practice: what does it mean and does it make a difference?. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62(5), 250-257. https://doi.org/10.1177/000841749506200504

Gough, J. P. (2017). Professional identity: the case of careers guidance practitioners in England. [Doctoral thesis, University of Warwick]. https://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/103855/1/WRAP_Theses_Gough_2017.pdf

MacLellan, D. L. (2005). Client-centred nutrition counselling: an exploratory study. [Doctoral thesis, University of Saskatchewan]. https://harvest.usask.ca/server/api/core/bitstreams/3f041f33-00cd-44af-aa85-a5fa0f5bc540/content

Van Manen, M. (1977). Linking ways of knowing with ways of being practical. Curriculum Inquiry, 6(3), 205–228. https://doi.org/10.1080/03626784.1977.11075533

read more "Client-centred practice"

Checking email addresses

As emails is still the most common way we communicate with our network, it is great having somewhere that an address can be checked before sending something out to a new contact. And there is a website - Clean Talk - where we can load an email address, and the site will check whether the email is viable. 

Sometimes websites make their email contacts hard to find. If faced with a 'contact us' form, most of us won't bother trying. Contact forms are usually set up to be assigned to one person, but due to staff turnover lose the allocation, so end up going to a long-lost and never explored folder. We can avoid the contact form with Clean Talk, instead trying a few email formats to check to see if we can work out a viable email address, and email the organisation directly.

Why else would we want to check an email? Apparently around "30% of email addresses [...] used to spam websites are fake" (Clean Talk, 2025). So the site also checks to see if an email is 'real', or will re-route the email to the actual client email; and will check to see if it has been blacklisted (i.e. it has been reported as a spam email or site). We don't want to email a blacklisted email as that can splash back on us.

I have used this intermittently, without an account, but I would imagine if we were wanting to verify a lot of emails, then having a paid account would be required. 

This is quite a handy site for intermittent use, however!

Sam

References:

Clean Talk. (2025). Email Checker. https://cleantalk.org/email-checker/

read more "Checking email addresses"

Working from home

Our traditional working week has come to be seen as being in the 'office' from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, for a minimum of 40 hours a week. But as nations went into lockdowns around the globe with Covid-19, organisations - both public and private - found ways to maintain services in the face of what was an unprecedented event in our lifetime (Randstad, 2020). We took the office home with us, and worked from there. 

Working from home (WFH) is defined as being the "worker’s own home[...] in which the work is performed. It rules out any non-home-based forms of 'Remote work'"(Holgersen et al., 2021, p. 3). Technology advances - such as Zoom, database access, apps - developed for remote or telework have facilitated more regular WFH arrangements (Karl et al., 2022).

As the pandemic receded, it seems that, for many, our attitude to work has shifted. The space gained during the pandemic meant we had the time to devote to non-financial aspects of our lives, so focused more on family, health and wellbeing (Gee, 2022). And we liked that. With the return to 'normality', our lack of desire for a five day, office-bound working week has not changed. We still desire more flexible work arrangements, with over two thirds (67.8%) of New Zealanders reporting that work location flexibility is important (Randstad, 2023).

There are benefits to be gained from flexible work arrangements. It provides organisations with workplace cover through job-sharing, split shifts, and part-time hours. It allows us more time to look after ourselves and our families, while allowing organisations to gain a wider spread of institutional and cultural knowledge (Noakes, 2022). We save personal cost and time through reduced commuting, while our organisations and society as a whole have the advantage of lower carbon emissions, traffic flows, parking congestion, and road accidents (Beck & Hensher, 2022; Public Service Commission, 2022). We also have lower peak demand for public transport (Public Service Commission, 2024). Staff can fit in personal tasks in breaks when WFH, and experience less stress (Aczel et al., 2021; Beck & Hensher, 2022); which should hopefully mean we have a healthier society overall (MBIE, 2025).

At home, many of us feel more productive due to fewer distractions. We don’t have colleagues swinging by our desks for questions or a chat; so we get more done in less time (Forbes, 2023). We also don't have our managers just popping in to ask us to do additional tasks, leaving us able to focus on our core work. Organisations can lower consumable and energy costs (Noakes, 2021), plus attracting and retaining a more diverse workforce, as - with the tyranny of distance being reduced - the employee pool deepens. Those unable to applied previously for jobs due to location may now apply (Public Service Commission, 2022). If WFH continues, it is conceivable that it may potentially reduce urban sprawl. 

WFH is redefining the traditional 'work day', and the 'working week' due to enabling more of a piece-work approach. Organisations can remain open for longer virtual hours. There are multiple benefits for society through WFH, "improving both wellbeing outcomes for people, and resilience and productivity for our local businesses" (MBIE, 2025).

And all that is something to be celebrated.

Sam

References:

Aczel, B., Kovacs, M., Van Der Lippe, T., & Szaszi, B. (2021). Researchers working from home: Benefits and challenges. PloS One, 16(3), e0249127. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0249127

Beck, M. J., & Hensher, D. A. (2022). Working from home in Australia in 2020: Positives, negatives and the potential for future benefits to transport and society. Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 158, 271-284. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2022.03.016

Forbes. (2023, June 10). Navigating the pros and cons of hybrid and remote work. https://www.forbes.com/sites/glebtsipursky/2023/06/10/navigating-the-pros-and-cons-of-hybrid-and-remote-work/

Gee, S. (2022, May 19). Hybrid work lifestyle may be here to stay post-pandemic. Radio New Zealand [RNZ]. https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/business/467412/hybrid-work-lifestyle-may-be-here-to-stay-post-pandemic

Holgersen, H., Jia, Z., & Svenkerud, S. (2021). Who and how many can work from home? Evidence from task descriptions. Journal for Labour Market Research, 55(1), 4, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tra.2022.03.016

Karl, K. A., Peluchette, J. V., & Aghakhani, N. (2022). Virtual work meetings during the COVID-19 pandemic: The good, bad, and ugly. Small Group Research, 53(3), 343–365. https://doi.org/10.1177/10464964211015286

MBIE. (2025). Ngā kōrero ohumahi o tō mātou rohe – Our region’s workforce story. Ministry of Business, Innovation & Employment. https://www.mbie.govt.nz/business-and-employment/employment-and-skills/regional-skills-leadership-groups/nelson-tasman/regional-workforce-plans/regional-workforce-plan/nga-korero-ohumahi-o-to-matou-rohe-our-regions-workforce-story

Noakes, J. (2022, May). Work from anywhere: Make it work better. Norton Rose Fulbright. https://www.nortonrosefulbright.com/en-au/knowledge/publications/6e56c794/work-from-anywhere-make-it-work-better

Public Service Commission. (2022, September 28). Guidance: Hybrid working part 2: Factors to consider when designing a hybrid work environment. https://www.publicservice.govt.nz/guidance/guidance-hybrid-working/hybrid-working-all-the-detail/factors-to-consider-when-designing-a-hybrid-work-environment

Randstad. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 on workers and organisations. https://www.randstad.co.nz/s3fs-media/nz/public/migration/nz-documents/covid-19-report-nz-updated.pdf

read more "Working from home"

Portfolio careers

Our career preferences evolve over time. Those of us who, "rather than pursuing a single, full-time job, balance[...] a portfolio of different and changing opportunities" (Inkson et al., 2015, p. 43), tend to operate what is known as a "portfolio career" (Handy, 1989; Inkson et al., 2015). Our desire to do this may arise because we value autonomy, freedom, and flexibility - or we may drift into a portfolio of skills by seeking to balance other life commitments. This is where we leverage our skills in short term and temporary contracts, rather than be permanently employed by an organisation; and the payoff is in achieving greater "work-life balance", and potentially further educate ourselves (Inkson & Elkin, 2008, p. 84) at the same time. A portfolio career can open "additional opportunities, or enhanced career versatility" (p. 84), providing we feel able to risk unemployment at the end of a contract, and can deal with the stress of living off our wits, so to speak.

Portfolio career holders are likely to hold multiple contracts, work across a range of employers, have a very varied day and commitments, have to bid for work, bill for work, and keep on top of the administration, paperwork, certifications and insurances (Legg, 2022). Leave and retirement plans have to be built in: as does sudden axeing of contracts if there is an economic downturn. We are more likely to be remote workers (Legg, 2022), but we may be co-located at our contract-holder's office (many government contractors require this). 

We tend to conflate portfolio career holders with precarious workers. But the precariat (Standing, 2013) experiences "temporary work [with] stress [at] its precariousness, marginalising effect, and lack of career progression" (Inkson & Elkin, 2008, p. 84). Precarious workers are those for whom "their labour is insecure and unstable, so that it is associated with casualization, informalisation, agency labour, part-time labour, phoney self-employment and the new mass phenomenon of crowd-labour" (Standing, 2015, p. 6). These are people who are marginalised through lack of choice, and lack of self-determination. 

Whereas portfolio career holders tend to be contingent workers at the higher end of the scale, who have more choice, and more earning potential. Not always, but often. 

However, it can be difficult to make sense of a career through portfolio work, so those of us who work with people who hold a variety of skill sets may need to use some type of narrative structure to help our clients make sense of their own identity and worth (Inkson et al., 2015); and to provide a redirect when they are feeling too diffuse!

Sam

References:

Handy, C. (1989). The Age of Unreason. Business Books.

Inkson, K., Dries, N., Arnold, J. (2015). Understanding Careers (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.

Inkson, K., & Elkin, G. (2008). Landscape with Travellers: The context of careers in developed nations. In J. A. Athanasou & R. Van Esbroeck (Eds.), International Handbook of Career Guidance (1st ed., pp. 69-94). Springer Science + Business Media B.V.

Legg, B. (2022). What is a portfolio career? [image]. The Portfolio Collective. https://portfolio-collective.com/content/articles/what-is-a-portfolio-career/

Standing, G. (2015). The Precariat and Class Struggle. RCCS Annual Review, 7, 3-16. http://doi.org/10.4000/rccsar.585

Standing, G. (2013). Defining the precariat: A class in the making. Eurozine. Retrieved from https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/18276/1/Defining%20the%20precariat%20Eurozine%20Apr%202013.pdf

read more "Portfolio careers"

AI job applications

It appears that AI is helping people to apply for a LOT of jobs. In the UK, it seems that the job "market is awash in people applying for jobs" (Financial Times, 2024, 4:50). Application numbers have increased, and the supposition is that it is because tailoring a CV and application letter has - with the rise of AI - become significantly easier. However, recruiters are noting a lot of "sameness[, ...where] the same phrases" (5:02) are occurring in candidate applications. Not only are candidates finding roles to apply for via AI on social media, but they are pasting the ad and job descriptions into an AI platform to create the application letter and CV for each job; which can be done very quickly. Candidates then indiscriminately apply for EVERYTHING that crosses their paths and looks remotely promising (effectively putting in hundreds of applications). 

So candidates "aspirations and experiences [are] now being synthesized by machines", where employers too are jumping on the AI bandwagon, "increasingly relying on their own AI-driven tools to sift through the deluge of applications" (Naveen, 2024, p. 1). We appear to be creating a process where "applicants and employers should consider the broader implications of this technological arms race" (p. 2). Recruiters say "they're not actually seeing many good candidates using AI" tools, and that they are now considering standard documentation alternatives, as they feel they "just can't trust" this mass of AI generated applications. "Others are saying, if [candidates] use AI, we will immediately throw it out" and not forward the application to employers (Financial Times, 2024, 5:48).

There is also the issue of the black box nature of AI. AI brings with it "concerns about transparency and" explicability (Atwell, 2024). We cannot open the box and see what is going on: and without being able to do that, both candidates and recruiters are blind to "the rationale behind AI-generated recommendations to make informed choices and avoid overconfidence in automated results" (Atwell, 2024). We end up in that space of low trust in the model (Financial Times, 2024). If there were more "Transparency[, it could...] build trust and allows individuals to identify potential biases in the algorithms" (Atwell, 2024).

There appears to me to be no sense in creating "a macabre dance between applicants wielding AI and employers deploying their own algorithmic filters", with "humans and institutions are entangled in a digital tug-of-war" (p. 1). Perhaps we might start seeing job ads with the warning 'do not use AI in your application', similar to academic submissions, and which also use AI detection systems to reject applications (Financial Times, 2024). Or perhaps we might start relying on job assessment centres where our skills are validated before we can apply. 

It will be an interesting space to watch.

Sam

References:

Atwell, G. (2024). AI and career counseling, advice, information and guidance and Generative AI. AI Pioneers. https://aipioneers.org/ai-and-career-counseling-advice-and-guidance/

Financial Times. (2024, October 7). Recruitment is broken, what are businesses doing to fix it? | FT Working It [video]. YouTube. https://youtu.be/FrQFFH2V8g0

Naveen, P. (2024). The Rise of AI in Job Applications: A generative adversarial tug-of-war. AI & Society. Advance online publication, 1-2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00146-024-02054-3

read more "AI job applications"

The CDI Journal

Continuing with the series on open access journals (read more here), this time we consider a for-profit publication house periodical. Originally called the International Journal of Career Management and established in 1996, the Career Development International (CDI) is a partially open access Emerald Insight journal (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2025). CDI explores careers and development, often in an organisational setting, sitting under training and development, in the career development and promotion sector. In 2021, CDI was 25 years old, and published a "retrospective of the major trends, research constituents, thematic structure and key factors explaining the citation impact of CDI articles between 1996 and 2020" (Varma et al., 2021, p. 113).

At a little over 40 articles published each year, over 80% of published articles have multiple authors, most often hailing from The Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, the USA, UK, Israel, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong and New Zealand (Varma et al., 2021).

Publishing between six and seven issues annually, this is a hybrid journal, which means that article submitters pay to be published. Further, unlike the other two open access journals I have mentioned - NICEC and CJCD, here - not all the articles in IJCD can be downloaded and read without cost. It is a bit of a pick and mix as to whether there is free access or not. And, also unlike NICEC and CJCD, the entire issue cannot be downloaded.

However, at least some articles are free to download, and that is a bonus for career practitioners everywhere.

Sam

References:

Emerald Publishing Limited. (2025). The International Journal of Career Development.  https://www.emerald.com/insight/publication/issn/1362-0436

Varma, A., Kumar, S., Sureka, R., & Lim, W. M. (2022). What do we know about career and development? Insights from Career Development International at age 25. Career Development International, 27(1), 113-134. https://doi.org/10.1108/CDI-08-2021-0210

read more "The CDI Journal"

Effective PowerPoint slides

It is interesting how wrong we can get something as seemingly simple as creating a PowerPoint slide deck. A slide deck is - in my opinion - a bit like a fish bone diagram (Ishikawa, 1968; image accompanying this post, FabianLange, 2008). A root cause analysis process, if we will.

When creating a slide deck, we begin with what we are aiming to deliver (our 'problem'), create slides with the bare bones of what we want to communicate on each slide of the deck: replacing equipment, process, people, material, environment and management with our own rough headings. We should think of what story we want to tell, and collect our evidence to support that story. We may do this using a story board; we may write this out long-hand; we may type up our headings in a Word document or in PowerPoint itself. Then, under each heading, we add anchors for each point that we want to work through, relating to that slide. Some say no more than 20 words/slide (Nguyen et al., 2016); some say no more than 40 words/slide (Tufte, 2003). But JUST enough to frame the fish. 

We don't use full sentences on slides: "A cluttered or overwhelming data slide can derail even the most compelling speaker, so only show data in your presentation if the data helps you better illustrate your conclusions" (Duarte, 2016, p. 65). What goes on the slide is an audience-cue for what we are about to say: "Just use key words that serve as a visual and support your message. Check each slide to see how you can make the text more compact. Scrap as much as you can" (Gruwez, 2014, p. 179). Less is definitely more, as "Text-heavy slides are boring.  Minimize text on slides", and even better; "Sometimes no text is the best option" (Karia, 2013, p. 46). To check that our deck and presentation will be clear, we need to: "Get to the point; Pick the right tool [i.e. graphic, diagram, image] for the job; Highlight what’s important [for the audience]; Keep it simple" (Duarte, 2016, p. 65). 

Our script, what we will SAY to our audience, goes in the notes area of each slide. With citations. We can including side-trips we can explore if we have time, or jettison if we are running late. We need to practice the presentation aloud. Duarte suggests roughly 3 hours (2016), but that depends on if you are presenting for TED, or for an assignment. But practice is how we know roughly where we should be at what time as we deliver, so we know whether there is time for a side-trip or not.

So the steps are:

1. Delivery aim/story
2. Draft slide deck headings (check fit with the story)
3. Slide audience anchors (very few words which tell the story)
4. Script (telling the entire story in the notes area, with citations)

The audience sees a slide. The presenter sees the slide and their notes (and possibly the presenter view, if they have a screen they can see during the presentation). We may give the audience a handout afterwards; example below (Reynolds, 2020, p. 71):

We can see from the example above that the slide is relatively simple, with the script packed into the notes area. The one thing this example lacks, for academic purposes, is a multiple works citation on the slide.

I hope this helps!

Sam

References:

Duarte, N. (2016). slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations. O'Reilly Media.

FabianLange. (2008). Ishikawa fishbone diagram (Creative Commons 3.0) [image]. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Ishikawa_Fishbone_Diagram.svg

Gruwez, E. (2014). Presentation Thinking and Design: Create Better Presentations, Quicker. FT Publishing International.

Ishikawa, K. (1968). Guide to Quality Control. Asian Productivity Organization.

Karia, A. (2013). How to Design TED Worthy Presentation Slides: Presentation Design Principles from the Best TED Talks (How to Give a TED Talk). Author.

Nguyen, K., Murillo, G., Killeen, R., & Jones, L. (2016). The Big Fish Experience: Create memorable presentations that reel in your audience McGraw-Hill Education.

Reynolds, G. (2020). Presentation Zen 3: Simple ideas on presentation design and delivery (3rd ed.). New Riders.

Tufte, E. R. (2003). The Cognitive Style of PowerPoint: Pitching Out Corrupts Within. Graphics Press LLC.

read more "Effective PowerPoint slides"

Referencing a revised classic book edition

How do we cite and reference a classic book that has been reissued with an introduction from another scholar? I ran into this problem recently when I came to cite the Veblen book in a previous post (here). Luckily we have the expertise of the American Psychological Association (2019) to draw on, who explain that "A republished work is one that went out of print (i.e., was no longer available) and then was published again; this is common for older works" (p. 302). We simply include the the original year of publication - or the approximate original publication year if an estimated BCE date - in brackets at the end of our reference (APA, 2019, p. 323), and I think we also explain where it was first published:

Veblen, T. (2010). The Theory of the Leisure Class: An economic study of institutions (revised ed., M. Banta, Ed.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published Macmillan & Co., Ltd., 1899). 

Then when we cite the republished work, we include both dates in the citation (p. 323):

(Veblen, 1899/2010).

We also need to remember who wrote the work we are reading or citing from. If we are reading the original work, then we cite the original work. But if we are drawing on the new editor's introduction, then we would cite the new editor's work like a book chapter (Royal Roads University, 2025): 

Banta, M. (Ed.). (2010). Introduction. In T. Veblen, The Theory of the Leisure Class: An economic study of institutions (revised ed., M. Banta, Ed., pp. x-xxvi). Oxford University Press. (Original work published Macmillan & Co., Ltd., 1899). 

We also need to remember that we can't cite/reference Socrates in the original Greek if we are actually reading a translated AND republished version. We need to ensure that our reference is accurate for the publication version we used (Royal Roads University, 2025). 

This can get quite complicated!

Sam

References:

American Psychological Association. (2019). Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association: The official guide to APA style (7th ed.). Author.

Royal Roads University. (2025). Q. How should I reference classic literature in APA Style?. https://writeanswers.royalroads.ca/faq/199084

Veblen, T. (2010). The Theory of the Leisure Class: An economic study of institutions (revised ed., M. Banta, Ed.). Oxford University Press. (Original work published Macmillan & Co., Ltd., 1899).

read more "Referencing a revised classic book edition"

An update on the hidden job market

The work we find can often be attributed to our social connections - and inheritance factors. Those with wealth and power are more likely to have family or social networks which provide valuable career opportunities (Inkson et al., 2015). Further, "a well-established network can significantly increase the chances of being considered for job openings that might not be publicly advertised" (Otami & Amah, 2024, p. 55).

Digital platforms, such as LinkedIn and Facebook, are increasingly being used to share work opportunities. It is suggested that the "hidden job market" is where "job openings are [not] publicly advertised, [with] positions [being] filled through internal referrals or connections" (Otami & Amah, 2024, p. 56). It seems that 'good' personal networks are supposed to allow us access to the hidden job market. Further, we are only likely to hear about those 'hidden jobs' if we are connected to a wide range of people, working for a wide range of employers in our local area.

While I have explored the hidden job market before (here) this market may not be focused on the employee's networks. Careers New Zealand adds some interesting nuance to this idea: that it is where employers fill vacant roles "using their connections and networks instead of through advertising" which apparently forms around 70% of filled positions (2025). Sigh. There is that potentially mythical 70% being bandied about again.

Norwegian recruiters reported they felt that the hidden job market formed "40-70% of the total [job] market" (Zubovic, 2018, p. 39), which appears more inflated than "the [examined] literature which stated somewhere between 30 and 50%" (Zubovic, 2018, p. 39). I got excited when Zubovic cited Rees (1966) and Granovetter (1973) specifically, and collected those papers to read them. However, both were a fizzer.

Neither Granovetter (1973) nor Rees (1966) talk about the hidden job market per se: Rees doesn't talk about the hidden job market at all; just mentions that there is "additional hidden or disguised unemployment, represented by the people who, on balance, have been discouraged from entering the labor force" (p. 31); no mention of any percentages.

Granovetter explores diffusion studies; our social networks via "weak" triad ties (1973). This is where we know someone who knows someone, who knows someone: I know Jo, who knows Kim... so if I tell "a rumor to all [my] close friends, and they do likewise, many [of my friends] will hear the rumor a second and third time, since those linked by strong ties tend to share friends" (Granovetter, 1973, p. 1366). Granovetter reported that "American blue-collar workers find out about new jobs more through personal contacts" (p. 1371), and, when job information was tracked back to the source, "in 39.1 % of the cases information came directly from the prospective employer, whom the respondent already knew; 45.3% said that there was one intermediary between [themselves] and the employer; 12.5 % reported two; and 3.1 % more than two" (p. 1372). This is a close to 85% effective network where we are either connected to the employer we are seeking employment with (strong tie); or we are in a triad (weak tie), with one degree of separation (Milgram, 1967) from the person who can make that hiring decision. I don't see that this is a hidden job market. I read this as how we heard about the job - via short paths - not that the jobs were not advertised.

It was noted that younger people were more likely to be "using formal intermediaries (agencies, advertisements) than to those hearing through short paths" and who were more likely to be in less satisfying employment with less skill optimisation (Granovetter, 1973, p. 1372). This too is not a hidden job market: it is a missing network.

It appears there is still no literature that supports the hidden job market.

Sam

References:

Careers New Zealand. (2025). Researching job opportunities in New Zealand. https://www.careers.govt.nz/job-hunting/new-to-new-zealand/researching-job-opportunities-in-new-zealand/

Granovetter, M. S. (1973). The Strength of Weak Ties. American Journal of Sociology, 78(6), 1360-1380. https://doi.org/10.1086/225469

Inkson, K., Dries, N., & Arnold, J. (2015). Understanding Careers (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.

Milgram, S. (1967). The small world problem. Psychology Today, 1(1), 61-67. https://doi.org/10.1037/e400002009-005

Otami, A., & Amah, E. (2024). The Role of Social Networks in Job Search and Career Development. International Journal of Social Sciences and Management Research, 10(2), 52-62. https://doi.org/10.56201/ijssmr.v10.no2.2024.pg52.62

Rees, A. (1966). Now Is the Time to Lick Hard-Core Unemployment. Challenge, 14(6), 29-41. https://doi.org/10.1080/05775132.1966.11469880

Zubovic, E. (2018). The Role of Social Capital in the Search for a Job: A qualitative study investigating “the hidden job market” on Sørlandet. [Master's thesis, University of Agder]. https://uia.brage.unit.no/uia-xmlui/bitstream/handle/11250/2562203/Zubovic%2C%20Edin.pdf?sequence=1

read more "An update on the hidden job market"

First or third person?

Carrying on from an earlier post (here), should we write in the first or the third person in academic writing? Ah, this is such a great question! 

In the social sciences, we pretty much have two options from which to explore "processes, institutions, and events: One is from the outside, from a third person perspective", where "the observer stands apart from what is observed and remains, as much as possible, unaffected by what" we see (de Vaujany, 2023, p. v).  The alternative viewpoint "is from the inside, from a first person perspective. Here, the observer takes the impressions, affections, and intentions that connect her with the observed phenomena precisely as the starting point for social or philosophical analysis" (p. v). 

When we think about power in words, we could take the same first person paragraph I used in the last post:

"...we shall defend our island, whatever the cost may be. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender" (Churchill, 1940, s. 796).

And compare it to the same paragraph amended into a third person format:

The people will defend their island, whatever the cost may be. They will fight on the beaches, they will fight on the landing grounds, they will fight in the fields and in the streets, they will fight in the hills; they will never surrender.

Using the third person loses much of the punch and immediacy that the first person version contained. However, when writing academically, we may not want punch or immediacy. We may instead want to convey caution, care, deliberation, and judiciousness: in which case, the third person would work well for our needs. 

Some instructors specify that students adopt the "third person at all times (e.g., refer to yourself as 'the researcher')", relating that "There is no room for you or I in a master's thesis" (Bui, 2014, p. 95). When we come to science, the third person POV is more embedded: "Scientific writing is not of a personal or conversational nature and for this reason the third person is commonly used", with "I, we, you, me, my, our and us [...only appearing] in quotations" (Coffin et al., 2003, pp. 29-30). 

Others find the 'third person must be used' approach contrived, artificial, and dull (Becker, 2007).

If we are uncertain, we could experiment, as I have done here with the Churchill piece, in writing a snippet both ways to see which version may meet our need (Aitchison et al., 2010). Having a quid each way - so to speak - gives us the ability to consider "how students might find their voice" (McDowall & Ramos, 2017, p. 56). In using an immediate, direct narrative, i.e. our voice, our "reader [can] recognise it was not a robot that had done the research, but a living breathing person" who is telling the story (p. 56). That has value.

American sociologist and professor Howard Becker explains that he "began searching for alternatives to the third person (too pompous) and the first person (tiresome in excess and often inappropriate). That led to an orgy of second persons, stage whispers to the reader: 'You can see how this would lead to...'" (2007, p. 104) without explaining where - if anywhere - this would lead to. We appear to lack a 'one right answer' to the academic writing voice. If we are writing a report which will be submitted in our own name, writing in the first person may seem more logical. If we are writing reflection, trying to write that in the third person would feel disingenuous and clumsy. If we are writing a research article with others, or a solo literature review, third person may feel more appropriate; more objective... even though that objectivity is artificial as we humans are all biased to a greater or lesser degree (Basthomi et al., 2015). 

While I have a few other blog posts on this topic (here); it is over to each of us to use our judgement, and to chose our format to suit the channel, the audience, and sense of self.

Sam

References:

Aitchison, C., Kamler, B., & Lee, A. (Eds.). (2010). Publishing Pedagogies for the Doctorate and Beyond. Routledge.

Basthomi, Y., Wijayanti, L. T., Yannuar, N., & Widiati, U. (2015). Third Person Point of View in EFL Academic Writing: Ventriloquizing. Pertanika Journal of Social Sciences & Humanities, 23(4), 1099-1114. https://www.academia.edu/64167595/Third_Person_Point_of_View_in_EFL_Academic_Writing_Ventriloquizing

Becker, H. S. (2007). Writing for social scientists: How to start and finish your thesis, book, or article (2nd ed.). University of Chicago Press.

Bui, Y. N. (2014). How to Write a Master's Thesis (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications Ltd.

Churchill, W. L. S. (1940, June 4). "We shall fight on the beaches". In His Majesty's Government, House of Commons Debates (Vol. 361). Hansard. https://api.parliament.uk/historic-hansard/commons/1940/jun/04/war-situation

Coffin, C., Curry, M. J., Goodman, S., Hewings, A., Lillis, T., & Swann, J. (2005). Teaching academic writing: A toolkit for higher education. Routledge.

de Vaujany, F.-X., Aroles, J., & Perézts, M. (2023). The Oxford Handbook of Phenomenologies and Organization Studies. Oxford University Press.

McDowall, A., & Ramos, F. (2017). Doing decoloniality in the writing borderlands of the PhD. The Australian Journal of Indigenous Education, 47(1), 54–63. https://doi.org/10.1017/jie.2017.23

read more "First or third person?"

Criteria to compare journals

I have recently been talking to some people who are interested in establishing a journal. I was sent some journals links to explore as publication examples, but realised that - while the links were helpful, what I  really needed was a framework in order to evaluate them in a meaningful way.

I had a bit of a dig around in some peer-reviewed journals to get a feeling for the type of criteria that academics were looking for. I found a range of things that researchers considered were important, but interestingly, most came up with perhaps ten items (Huang et al., 2022; Knight & Steinbach, 2008; Miller & Serzan, 1984; Wijewickrema & Petras; 2017). I was interested in a lot more detail than that: how could we learn from others if we lacked detail?

So I put together my master list of criteria that I wanted to know more about, as follows. I have pulled these into a four column table, with the following desired criteria in column one; with the early thinking for the new journal is column two; other journal names in column three, and a weblink in column four. I was also thinking that we could only list the top three examples in columns three and four, to reduce clutter. So the first cut of the desired criteria is:

1. Field specification. This is the scope of the journal. What is in, what is out
2. Journal philosophy. A strapline that embodies what this journal is about
3. Journal values. Detailing the values this journal embodies
4. # issues/year. How many issues are delivered each year (and perhaps how many articles/issue)
5. Article types accepted. Research articles? Opinion pieces? Letters to the Editor? Literature Reviews? Book reviews? Case studies?
6. Range of authors. Not the same authors publishing in each issue
7. Technical v. theoretical. The spectrum end that the journal caters to
8. Themed issues (Y/N). Self explanatory
9. Likely Readership. Who the audience is
10. # circulation. How many notifications go out; how many articles are clicked through; how many subscribers there are
11. # Editorial Board members. Self explanatory
12. Editorial Board member academic reputation. Who the board members are and what academic clout they have (to build reputation and impact factor; see 29)
13. Organisational alignment. Is the journal aligned with a university, field, or professional organisation
14. Peer-review process. The clarity and documentation of the peer review process
15. # peer-reviewers. How many peer reviewers the journal has, and how many review each article
16. # words/range. The word count per article type (see 5)
17. Ethics requirements. What ethical process is required for each article type (see 5)
18. Preferred methodology. What methodology/methods are preferred for each article type (see 5)
19. Submission guidelines. The clarity and documentation of the submissions process
20. Submission format. The format required for submission
21. Submission tracking. Details of article submission tracking 
22. Illustration format. The format required for illustrations, including captions, placeholders in articles
23. Raw data required (Y/N). Raw data to be submitted to the journal alongside research articles
24. Style guide. This includes NZ English; Referencing style; Readability; Semantic difficulty; and First v. third person
25. Likely acceptance rate. How many articles are submitted versus how many are rejected
26. Likely time delay. How long it takes from submission to publication
27. Likely Visibility. How widely-read the journal is
28. Indexing. How easy indexing is, and how much that might cost
29. Impact Factor. What is the journal's impact factor
30. Electronic only?. Is the journal online only, or also printed in hardcopy
31. DOI. Is the journal registered for DOI numbers
32. Article costs. How much does a single article cost
33. Publication fees. Do authors have to pay to have their article published.
34. Who owns copyright?. Does copyright rest with the journal; with the author; or it is shared
35. Administration responsiveness. If the journal is emailed, how long does it take them to respond. 

I hope this helps anyone else doing this type of exercise!

Sam

References:

Huang, R., Tlili, A., Zhang, X., Sun, T., Wang, J., Sharma, R. C., ... & Burgos, D. (2022). A Comprehensive Framework for Comparing Textbooks: Insights from the Literature and Experts. Sustainability, 14(11), 6940, 1-19. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116940

Knight, L. V., & Steinbach, T. A. (2008). Selecting an appropriate publication outlet: a comprehensive model of journal selection criteria for researchers in a broad range of academic disciplines. International Journal of Doctoral Studies, 3, 59-80. https://doi.org/10.28945/51

Miller, A. C., & Serzan, S. L. (1984). Criteria for Identifying a Refereed Journal. The Journal of Higher Education, 55(6), 673–699. https://doi.org/10.1080/00221546.1984.11778688

Wijewickrema, M., & Petras, V. (2017). Journal selection criteria in an open access environment: A comparison between the medicine and social sciences. Learned Publishing, 30(4), 289-300. https://doi.org/10.1002/leap.1113

read more "Criteria to compare journals"

Using career assessments from other countries

It is quite a process to create, test and normalise career assessment instruments (Stuart, 2004), but living in the Antipodes, where we have such a small population - only 5m - it would also be a costly procedure. Pretty much the only quantitative tools we have in Aotearoa are tests which have been internationally-developed. So, if we career practitioners in New Zealand want to give our clients evidence-based assessments, we have to rely on those which have been developed elsewhere. But are those international assessments worth using, from a cultural appropriateness point of view, or should we avoid quantitative testing altogether?

Due to our geographic isolation, rural roots, and confluence of Pākehā, Māori and Pasifika ethnicities, New Zealand's multicultural society is unique. Māori and Pasifika cultures have tended to focus more on collective well-being, interdependence, and respect for the environment; as opposed to the Western individualism arising from the Pākehā settlers (Harmsworth, 2005; while noting that all three culture are moving closer together). Our social norms, leadership styles, and personal interactions of Aotearoa mean that we prize modesty, practicality, and resilience (Harmsworth, 2005). Due to Māori and Pasifika cultural influence, all New Zealanders may have more community-oriented career goals, on average, than other nations. In fact, the John Hopkins Institute collected and cross-tabulated UN volunteer data, which showed that New Zealand has the most volunteers by a third, even though our not-for-profit sector is smaller than some other nations (Belgium, Australia and Israel; GMVP, 2013). Volunteering in New Zealand appears more culturally endemic than in Australia; apparently 50% of Kiwis volunteer versus 5% of Aussies volunteer (SNZ, 2006; VNZ, 2024). 

Our differing values may mean that international test validity may not translate to test validity here in Aotearoa. But why should we use quantitative assessments anyway? Well, there are good reasons. It seems that clients who complete assessment instruments have a deeper understanding of their own interests, values and strengths (Heppner et al., 1994). In addition, clients tend to make more informed career decisions, and seem to experience less career indecision as a result of testing (Heppner et al., 1994). Even better, clients who took assessments as part of seeing a career practitioner experienced more positive career outcomes, including better career goal alignment, increased job satisfaction, and improved career advancement (Heppner et al., 1994).

It appears that knowing ourselves may assist our career decision making, how we further our careers, and make us happier in our work. So, as long as we don't put too much emphasis on the tests (don't treat them as gospel), then the tests give our clients some clarity.

Bonus.

Sam

References:

GVMP. (2011). The Global Volunteer Measurement Project. http://volunteermeasurement.org/

Heppner, M. J., O'Brien, K. M., Hinkelman, J. M., & Humphrey, C. F. (1994). Shifting the paradigm: The use of creativity in career counseling. Journal of Career Development, 21(2), 77-86. https://doi.org/10.1177/089484539402100202

SNZ. (2006). Finding and Keeping Volunteers [report]. Sport New Zealand [formerly SPARC]. http://www.sparc.org.nz/filedownload?id=850d18af-002f-40b7-b989-5a99e5b40f82

Stuart, B. (2004). Twelve Practical Suggestions for Achieving Multicultural Competence. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice 35(1) 3–9. https://doi.org/10.1037/0735-7028.35.1.3

VNZ. (2024). State of Volunteering Report 2024 [report]. Tuao Aotearoa | Volunteering New Zealand. https://www.volunteeringnz.org.nz/wp-content/uploads/f_SOV-report_2024_web.pdf

read more "Using career assessments from other countries"

Finding a JP

A "Justice of the Peace" is effectively a 'trusted' person in New Zealand, who is "responsible and known to be of good character", possesses "integrity" and has "an adequate education and to be known by the community" (Nabi, 2023). A JP can witness signatures on official documents, take declarations, and witness the swearing of affidavits or affirming affirmations (Ministry of Justice, 2025b) Some JPs can also serve as officers of the court in "jurisdiction[s] determined by statute, including minor offences and some traffic cases; issue of remands and bail; hearing of undefended cases; [and] presiding over defended trials" (Ministry of Justice, 2025b).

So in New Zealand, when we need signatures witnessed, documents certified, declarations made; we need a JP. 

JPs need to be computer/digitally literate, have good written and spoken English, and be well-regarded by their "community as a person of good sense, character and integrity" (CAB, 2022). So there should be no undisclosed/undischarged criminal convictions or bankruptcies (Ministry of Justice, 2025a). Further, JPs need to "have a genuine desire to serve [their] community and an adequate standard of education; be able to listen, understand and respond positively to others; be accurate and able to follow specific instructions; show initiative when given an unusual requests" (CAB, 2022).

Applicants need to be New Zealand citizens or residents, and on the electoral roll, who are willing to undertake judicial duties. People can apply to become JPs, but they have to be approved by their MP (and there must be need for more JPs in their area), or by the Associate Minister of Justice (CAB, 2022; Justice of the Peace, 2024a; Nabi, 2023). JP applicants fill in a nomination form, have an interview, then get 'provisional approval' by the Associate Minister of Justice. THEN there is training (both face-to-face and online) where the roles, responsibilities, and rights are checked via an online test. After that, the provisional JP's application has to be signed off by the Governor General, the now JP gets sworn in by a local District Court Judge (Justice of the Peace, 2025a). The process is quite involved, with lots of checks. A newly appointed JP can't undertake any duties until that last step of being sworn in by a District Court judge.

What is even better is that JPs don't/cannot charge for their services. But that also means that we need to ensure that we don't waste their time, make our requirements as convenient for them as possible, be organised and very prepared, and maybe give them a little koha as a thank you. Some limes from our tree, perhaps. A takeaway coffee. Some home baking. Some flowers.

And, whenever we need a JP, all we need to do is to go to this website: https://justiceofthepeace.org.nz/ (Justice of the Peace, 2025c) and enter our postcode, to get a list of JPs in our locale. 

Too easy!

Sam

References:

CAB. (2022, June 20). How does somebody become a Justice of the Peace?. Citizen's Advice Bureau. https://www.cab.org.nz/article/KB00001114

Justice of the Peace. (2025a). Becoming a JP. Royal Federation of NZ Justices’ Associations | Te Kāhui Pou Whakatau Ture o Aotearoa. https://justiceofthepeace.org.nz/Page/Landing/Becoming-a-JP

Ministry of Justice. (2025b). Justice of the Peace. https://www.justice.govt.nz/about/lawyers-and-service-providers/service-providers/justice-of-the-peace/

Justice of the Peace. (2025c). Welcome to the Royal Federation of NZ Justices' Associations - Quick Find. Royal Federation of NZ Justices’ Associations | Te Kāhui Pou Whakatau Ture o Aotearoa. https://justiceofthepeace.org.nz/

Nabi, Z. (2023, May 17). Difference Between JP and Notary Public in New Zealand. Legal Vision. https://legalvision.co.nz/commercial-contracts/difference-between-justice-of-the-peace-and-notary-public/

read more "Finding a JP"