[Excerpt] Person-Centered Career Planning is an approach to career development that helps people with disabilities develop and realize their dreams. It uses job seekers\u27 dreams, goals, personal preferences, interests, and needs as the cornerstone of the career planning process. The bottom line of Person-Centered Career Planning is to help people figure out what they want to do, and help them organize a plan to get there.  Person-Centered Career Planning focuses on identifying what the job seeker wants to do rather than skills and limitations he or she may have. It does not have to involve a big meeting, nor is it only for people with the most significant disabilities. People with all kinds of experiences can benefit from identifying their interests, preferences, and needs in career development

Institute for Community Inclusion

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Colleen Condon, Kristin Fichera, & Danielle Dreilinger
MORE THAN JUST A JOB: PERSON-CENTERED CAREER PLANNING
THE INSTITUTE BRIEFIcI
Institute for
Community 
Inclusion
OCTOBER 2003
WHY DO YOU DO IT?
Good career planning, not just "job placement," is essential for people to 
find jobs that work for them. Everyone knows that a good-quality job 
match is necessary for a person to succeed. It is not enough to simply 
"place" someone in a job. Employment specialists must work with job 
seekers to see what is important to them in a job and work with them to 
find a job that meets their criteria.
At the core of Person-Centered Career Planning is the belief that the job 
seeker must be the primary director of his/her career. If the wants, needs, 
abilities, and dreams of the job seeker are not taken into account during 
job development, it is likely that the job seeker will not stay in the 
position that is found. Person-Centered Career Planning can improve job 
satisfaction and retention: When a job seeker is the driving force behind 
the career plan and job search, they will find a job that works for them 
and stay in that job longer!
A job means many things to many people, extending beyond a way to 
earn money and be productive. For most people a job is also a vehicle 
for greater access to community participation, personal relationships, and 
enhanced quality of life. In Person-Centered Career Planning, what a job 
seeker wants from employment will be defined—and redefined—again 
and again. 
WHEN DO YOU DO IT?
People's goals and preferences change over time. Therefore, Person-
Centered Career Planning is an evolving process, one that encourages 
change and growth. A change in plans by the job seeker is natural, 
healthy, expected, and encouraged. The average American has eight 
to ten jobs and two to three career changes during their lifetime. It is 
important to help job seekers establish a process that they can return to 
at any time, with or without assistance from an employment specialist. 
Person-Centered Career Planning can be used when someone is looking 
for their very first job, when they want to learn new skills, when they 
want to get promoted, when they want to change careers, and even 
when they are satisfied in their job and everything is going well.
PERSON-CENTERED CAREER PLANNING: 
WHAT IS IT?
Person-Centered Career Planning is 
an approach to career development 
that helps people with disabilities 
develop and realize their dreams. It 
uses job seekers' dreams, goals, personal 
preferences, interests, and needs as the 
cornerstone of the career planning 
process. The bottom line of Person-
Centered Career Planning is to help 
people figure out what they want to do, 
and help them organize a plan to get 
there. 
Person-Centered Career Planning 
focuses on identifying what the job 
seeker wants to do rather than skills 
and limitations he or she may have. It 
does not have to involve a big meeting, 
nor is it only for people with the most 
significant disabilities. People with all 
kinds of experiences can benefit from 
identifying their interests, preferences, 
and needs in career development.
IN THIS BRIEF, YOU WILL LEARN TO:
l View career planning as an ongoing 
process rather than a one-time 
event.
l Develop a job seeker-focused, job 
seeker-directed orientation to career 
planning.
l Build careers around the personal 
preferences and aspirations of job 
seekers.
l Include job seekers' personal as well 
as professional support networks in 
career planning.
THE ICI PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT SERIES
VOLUME 12, NUMBER 1
THERE ARE FOUR KEY COMPONENTS WHEN DEVELOPING A QUALITY PERSON-
CENTERED CAREER PLAN:
1.  ORGANIZING RESOURCES
2.  FIGURING OUT WHAT MAKES A JOB A "GOOD" JOB
3.  CHOOSING A JOB
4.  ESTABLISHING A LIFELONG PROCESS OF PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT
WHO IS INVOLVED?
Person-Centered Career Planning 
may involve many people or just a few. 
However, the involvement of a network of 
trusted people is usually a key component 
of the career planning and decision- 
making process. The job seeker works with 
the employment specialist to identify who 
might be helpful to involve, and the job 
seeker has the final say in deciding who 
participates and how. 
When deciding whom to involve, there are a few 
key questions to ask:
l How well do they know the job 
seeker?
l Can they contribute to planning?
l Are they willing to participate?
l Will they follow through on 
commitments?
Family members, friends, professionals, and 
employers might be involved, but it will be 
different for everyone. Some job seekers 
will want to work one-on-one with their 
employment specialist. Others will want to 
call a few people to solicit their opinions, 
and still others will want a big meeting 
with everyone they know. 
HOW DO YOU DO IT?
Many of us engage in career planning 
more or less haphazardly and with varied 
success. The involvement of a network 
of people whom we trust and care about 
is usually a key component of our career 
planning and decision-making process. 
The process described below is a more 
formal version of what anyone might use 
in making major career decisions, but it is 
a very helpful process for anyone seeking 
employment.
 FIGURING OUT WHAT MAKES A JOB A "GOOD" JOB
The first task should be to develop a profile of the 
activities, likes, and dislikes of the job seeker at home, work, 
school, and recreation. The employment specialist will need 
to gather information such as what choices the job seeker 
has made, why they made those choices, what has influenced them, and 
why they liked or disliked certain activities. Many times the answers to 
these questions are not obvious, so the employment specialist needs to be 
ready to probe with many questions.
Every individual should be given the opportunity to dream. Many ideas 
can come from a dream. When it comes to working, people should be 
encouraged to reach for the stars; then their dreams can become the 
starting point for career exploration. Talking with people about their 
dreams can help you learn more about them and help them to think 
about things they enjoy, which may lead to a job, or perhaps part of a job. 
The next step is to look at recurring themes from the profile that was 
developed and try to tie them together into coherent standards for jobs. 
Many times job seekers' interests, likes, dislikes, and dreams are ignored in 
favor of skills, aptitudes, and learning assessments. Employment specialists 
need to attend to the hopes, dreams, and aspirations of job seekers as the 
starting point for job development. At this point, begin to brainstorm 
ideas about possible jobs, tasks, locations, and contacts anyone might have.
Last, it is still important to look at possible barriers to succeeding in the 
kinds of jobs that were listed. The point of this is not to eliminate jobs 
from consideration but to "get a leg up" on solving problems that need 
attention in order to achieve a successful placement. Some barriers will 
almost always be identified; that is why people with disabilities come to us 
for assistance rather than getting a job on their own.
ORGANIZING RESOURCES
This is when the job seeker and employment specialist 
decide who will be involved in the process and what 
the process will look like.  Again, this will be different 
for everyone. For some it will be a large gathering with 
numerous family members, friends, and professionals in attendance. For 
others it will be a series of individual meetings with an employment 
specialist or phone calls to key individuals in their lives.
2 • Institute for Community Inclusion
SOME THINGS TO THINK ABOUT WHEN DECIDING 
WHETHER A JOB IS A GOOD MATCH:
What was the initial stated career goal (including job title, 
salary, hours, and benefits)?
• Does this job fit with it?
• If not, are these compromises the job seeker is 
willing to make?
What is the culture like at the potential place of 
employment?
• Is this a culture that the job seeker wants and 
will fit in with?
Does the job seeker currently have the ability to do the job?
• If not, what training is needed to help them 
get the skills?
• How will they get this training?
CHOOSING A JOB
Once job development efforts have resulted in a 
possible job match, the job seeker and employment 
specialist use the information to decide whether 
that job meets the goals outlined. Since the career 
planning process is intended to be used over an extended period, 
you can also use this analysis phase to examine whether a current 
job still meets a job seeker's needs.
People make compromises all of the time in life choices, and 
job choices are no different. Also, it is often difficult to gather 
all of the information about a job before deciding to make a 
commitment. Job matching is an art, not a science, and many 
decisions have to be made by "feel" and "intuition." There 
is no magic formula that will distinguish between making a 
sensible compromise and settling for an unacceptable job offer. 
It takes a good working relationship with the job seeker and 
potential employer, as well as the ability on the part of the 
service provider to give advice while respecting the job seeker's 
ultimate responsibility to make his or her own life choices and 
compromises.
Sara—The Power of a Dream
Sara was a thirty-five-year-old woman with a significant developmental disability who had been working in a sheltered workshop 
for over ten years. One day she told Joe, her 
employment specialist, that she wanted to work 
outside of the workshop doing something new. 
When Joe asked Sara what she wanted to do, she 
could not come up with any ideas. He then asked 
her about her interests. Sara stated that she liked 
to do needlepoint, spend time with her nieces and 
nephews, and go shopping. When asked about her 
dreams, Sara exclaimed, "I want to become the 
mayor of Boston, and I want to rebuild the city 
under water!"
Were these realistic dreams? Hardly. But Joe 
didn't shut her down. Instead, he asked why. 
What appealed to her about rebuilding the city 
underwater? Why did she want to be the mayor? 
What did being a mayor mean to Sara? What lay 
behind her dreams? 
After talking and exploring together, Joe and 
Sara realized what her dream "meant": Sara loved 
politics, and she was unhappy with her weight. After 
speaking with her mother (with Sara's permission), 
Joe found out a few key things: When Sara was 
swimming in the ocean she did not feel as self-
conscious about her weight. Her brother had worked 
in a senator's office while in college, and Sara had 
been intrigued by it. Joe realized that Sara's tight 
work area at the workshop made her uncomfortable; 
she would be more comfortable if she could spend 
all of her time underwater. 
Joe and Sara used these interests and her desire 
to change to pursue a course of action. Sara found 
a new job in a large college library, joined the 
volunteer squad for a political campaign, and started 
to meet regularly with a nutritionist to lose weight.
Lessons learned:
• Even an "impossible" dream holds important 
clues to a person's interests and needs.
• Make sure to ask about a job seeker's interests. 
It's important to know what drives the person.
• Ask questions to find out the "whys" behind job 
seekers' answers. 
• People are more open to working with you when 
you don't ignore their dreams. 
Justin—Exceeding Everyone's Expectations
Justin had been out of high school for two years and was working at a local fast food restaurant. Everyone in his life saw this as a great success, except for Justin. What he really 
wanted to do was work in an office like the rest of his family, but due 
to his Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder he was told that an 
office job was not realistic. After begging for a chance to learn how 
to use computers, Justin was enrolled in a program to learn basic 
word processing skills. He completed six months of training, but 
scored very low on all the word processing tests and only typed eight 
words per minute with 70% accuracy. A team meeting was held to 
determine Justin's next step.
Attending the meeting were Justin, his father Pete, his sister 
Theresa, his employment specialist Jodi, his VR counselor Bob, and 
his training instructor Lisa. The meeting began on a very negative 
note, with Lisa and Bob describing what a failure the computer 
training program had been for Justin. Everyone at the meeting, 
except for Justin and Jodi, agreed that an office job would not be 
realistic for him and thought that he should concentrate on working 
at the restaurant. 
Justin was obviously upset by their reaction. He and Jodi had met 
the day before to talk about his desire to work in an office and the 
skills he would bring to an office position. He talked about wanting 
to get dressed up everyday, to commute into Boston, and to work in 
a corporate environment. 
After a long meeting, a compromise was made: Justin would 
continue working at the restaurant four days a week and spend one 
day looking for a job. He asked everyone for assistance with his 
job search. Four months later, Justin's persistence paid off: He was 
offered a full-time job working in a mailroom at the same company 
as his sister. She had arranged for an informational interview and 
tour of the mailroom for Justin, which led to the job. Even though 
there was a gap between the exact skills needed for the job and 
Justin's current abilities, Jodi helped him recognize all the skills 
he learned working at the restaurant: time management, customer 
service, working in a fast-paced environment, and the ability to 
respond to immediate needs and handle multiple tasks. After initial 
job coaching from Jodi, Justin became independent on the job with 
some natural supports from his co-workers.
Five years later, Justin has been promoted twice within his company. 
He now works the front desk in the main reception area greeting 
guests, logging in packages, and doing some basic data entry on his 
own computer. 
Lessons learned:
• Believe in people and their abilities.
• Work with job seekers' enthusiasms.
• Help people recognize the transferable skills they have.
ESTABLISHING A LIFELONG PROCESS OF PLANNING 
AND DEVELOPMENT
If we are committed to career 
planning as an ongoing process, 
evaluation is not the ending but 
the beginning of a feedback 
loop. Employment specialists need to develop 
structures that encourage and enable job 
seekers to reevaluate their current employment 
situation and move on to other job options 
when desired. Traditionally, job seekers have 
had to develop job-related problems or lose 
their jobs before further career planning would 
be offered. Ongoing evaluation is meant to 
legitimize job change as healthy, natural, and 
expected, rather than atypical or problematic. 
The evaluation process, done at regularly 
scheduled intervals or in response to specific job 
seeker/family requests, is meant to answer the 
following questions:
l Have things changed for the job seeker, 
his/her significant others, or in the job?
l Is the job seeker dissatisfied, bored, or 
having concerns with his/her job?
l Is the employer dissatisfied or having 
concerns with the work performance of 
the job seeker?
If the answer to all three is "no," then, for the 
time being, no job change is needed. However, 
even when all parties are satisfied with the 
current state of affairs, it is important that 
regular reviews take place since it is highly 
likely that changes will occur. If the answer to 
any of the above questions is "yes," the reasons 
need to be analyzed. If the job seeker and other 
interested people decide a job change is needed, 
then it's time to repeat the career planning 
process. Remember the obvious: People's likes, 
dislikes, hopes, dreams, and aspirations change 
over time. At a minimum, should a job change 
or modification be required, then the job profile 
and standards should be quickly reviewed 
with the job seeker and the other members of 
the career planning group. The composition 
of the career planning group will probably 
change over time as the job seeker expands his 
or her network of contacts and as members' 
professional roles change.
Vol. 12 No. 1, Institute Brief • 4 
ICI offers training and consultation on person-centered planning and other job development 
activities for employment staff and job seekers. 
Contact Cecilia Gandolfo for information about how we can help you improve your outcomes.
Cecilia Gandolfo
617.287.4342 (voice)
617.287.4350 (TTY)
cecilia.gandolfo@umb.edu
RESOURCES—WHERE TO GO FROM HERE
Career Development and Job Search Books
• Demystifying Job Development: Field-Based Approaches to Job Development for People with Disabilities. 
David Hoff, Cecilia Gandolfo, Marty Gold, & Melanie Jordan. 2000, TRN, Inc. 
• The Career Guide for Creative and Unconventional People. Carol Eikleberry, Ph.D. 1995, Ten Speed Press. 
• What Color Is Your Parachute: A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters & Career-Changers. Richard N. Bolles, 
2002, Ten Speed Press (updated annually). 
• Job Search Handbook for People with Disabilities. Dr. Daniel J. Ryan. 2000, Jist Publishing. 
Assessment and Career Exploration Tools
America's Labor Market Information System and America's Career Kit have a number of excellent resources: 
• America's Career InfoNet (www.acinet.org) includes a wealth of information on job trends, wages, and 
national and local labor markets. 
• O*NET Online (http://online.onetcenter.org) is a database that describes a wide variety of occupations 
and their requisite skills and earning potential. 
• O*NET Career Assessment and Exploration Tools (www.onetcenter.org/product/tools.html) has several self-
assessments. 
ICI Publications  (available at www.communityinclusion.org)
• Starting with Me: A Guide to Person-Centered Planning for Job Seekers. Tools for Inclusion, July 2002, 
Order #TO14 
• Stories of Success: Using Networking and Mentoring Relationships in Career Planning for Students with 
Disabilities and Their Families. Tools for Inclusion, February 2001, Order #TO12
• Networking: A Consumer Guide to an Effective Job Search. Tools for Inclusion, January 1999, Order #TO7 
Institute for Community Inclusion
UMass Boston
100 Morrissey Boulevard
Boston, Massachusetts 02125
NON PROFIT
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PAID
BOSTON, MA
PERMIT NO. 52094
This publication will be made available 
in alternate formats upon request.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Publications Office
Institute for Community Inclusion
UMass Boston
100 Morrissey Blvd.
Boston, Massachusetts 02125
617.287.4300 (voice)
617.287.4350 (TTY)
ici@umb.edu
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to acknowledge Phil Zukas, 
Laurie Anderson, and Sean Condon for their 
contributions to this brief, as well as Melanie Jordan, 
David Hoff, John Butterworth, and Cecilia Gandolfo.
WWW.COMMUNITYINCLUSION.ORG
Visit
WWW.COMMUNITYINCLUSION.ORG
TO READ THIS BRIEF ONLINE;
FIND OTHER PUBLICATIONS ON THIS TOPIC; OR
SIGN UP FOR ICI’S EMAIL ANNOUNCEMENT LIST
This publication was funded by a grant from the Rehabilitation 
Service Administration of the US Department of Education 
(grant #H235M010131). The opinions contained in this 
publication are those of the grantees and do not necessarily 
reflect those of the US Department of Education.
Help your job seekers make satisfying job choices. 
The ICI publication Starting with Me: A Guide 
to Person-Centered Planning for Job Seekers lays 
out a step-by-step process for consumers who 
may not have experience finding jobs.


More Than Just A Job: Person-centered Career Planning

[Excerpt] Person-Centered Career Planning is an approach to career development that helps people with disabilities develop and realize their dreams. It uses job seekers' dreams, goals, personal preferences, interests, and needs as the cornerstone of the career planning process. The bottom line of Person-Centered Career Planning is to help people figure out what they want to do, and help them organize a plan to get there.  Person-Centered Career Planning focuses on identifying what the job seeker wants to do rather than skills and limitations he or she may have. It does not have to involve a big meeting, nor is it only for people with the most significant disabilities. People with all kinds of experiences can benefit from identifying their interests, preferences, and needs in career development.person_cetered_planning.pdf: 1062 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

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