Skip to main content

How to Use the Matrix

You can enter the matrix numerous ways. If you are a first-year student (e.g. early stage), you may want to only view actions and programming events relevant to the stage that you’re presently in. Or, if you’ve identified interest in developing a particular competency, (e.g. leadership and professionalism) you may only want to look at that competency across the stages of development. You can also use this matrix for self-assessing your skills, monitoring your progress, or creating an individual professional development plan.

Core Competency Elements Description Actions & Programs
Self-Assessment/Self-Awareness
  • Emotional intelligence
  • Interpersonal skills
  • Personal/professional identity
  • Self-improvement and growth – feedback
  • Wellness, work-life integration, resilience
  • Financial Literacy
  • Change management
  • Ability to critically develop interests, attitudes, abilities, skills, and values to inform decision making processes
Communication
  • Effective communication
  • Interpersonal understanding
  • Mentoring relationships
  • Collaboration and team-building
  • Networking
  • Ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, for various audiences.
  • Ability to empathize, listen, and be sensitive to others.
  • Ability to effectively respond to advice and criticism, as well as be able to guide and provide constructive criticism.
  • Ability to contribute to groups, avoid and/or resolve conflicts, motivate others, and foster a collaborative environment.
  • Ability to build relationships with others, establish rapport.
early stage →
mid stage →
late stage →
Academic Development (Scholarship,
Teaching & Mentorship)
  • Conceptualize research/scholarship
  • Teaching
  • Initiative
  • Critical thinking and problem solving
  • Ability to define a research question and strategically plan an approach
  • Ability to plan a course, implement activities, and assess student learning.
  • Ability to be pro-active, self-motivated, persistent and decisive.
  • Ability to generate and test theories and seek solutions to problems.
early stage →
mid stage →
late stage →
Leadership & Professionalism
  • Professional ethics
  • Goal and milestone planning
  • Leadership of diverse teams
  • Problem solving strategies and solutions
  • Evaluation and feedback
  • Ability to behave in a manner consistent with the ethical standards of a given field.
  • Ability to strategically plan and set goals and milestones.
  • Ability to lead a group, create a vision, build a sense of purpose, and motivate a group regardless of their race, gender, sexual orientation or religious affiliation.
  • Ability to define a problem and devise solutions with sensitivity to the context.
  • Ability to provide constructive criticism.
early stage →
mid stage →
late stage →
Career Development
  • Personal and professional organization/planning
  • Professional flexibility
  • Professional competitiveness
  • Ability to set goals for your personal and professional life and envision how to achieve those goals.
  • Ability to develop skills that are useful in multiple work environments.
  • Ability to develop materials and utilize resources that will make you competitive on the job market.
early stage →
mid stage →
late stage →