Design Document

Brown Bag Workshop (1) Build Your Career Trajectory in the County of
Monterey
Brown Bag Workshop (2) Career Movement: Ace the Application Process

Client
County of Monterey – Learning and Organizational Development
Michael Rosales, Yvonne Walker

MIST Team
Project Manager: Joshua Eisenberg
Team 1: Andrew McCarty, Damian Perez, Lynnette Mann, Aaron Tisdale

Project Overview
County of Monterey supports professional development opportunities for their
employees. The brown bag format permits employees to utilize their lunchtime break to gain
information regarding a multitude of topics including career advancement possibilities, personal
traits that can lead to advancement, and improving job application skills.

Our team will build two brown bag lunch sessions regarding career succession, marketed
as “County of Monterey HR Secrets for Career Growth.”

The first session, “Build Your Career Trajectory in County of Monterey”, will discuss
career growth opportunities in County of Monterey and build professional knowledge, skills, and
abilities (KSAs) which reflect the values of the County of Monterey. The second session,
“Career Movement: Ace the Application Process”, will explore common mistakes while
providing successful strategies employees exhibit during the process of applying for promotion
and transfer opportunities.

The overarching outcome is that County of Monterey employees will intentionally

develop the KSAs for their current job and career aspirations. They will do this by regularly
writing journal entries documenting progress/performance regarding published KSAs and review
these entries with their manager. Evaluation will also include/measure the frequency of internal
applications and promotions of participants compared to the overall population of County of
Monterey employees.

Client and Organizational Goals

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 Recently the county sent an engagement survey to their employees. The results of this
survey suggest there is an opportunity to strengthen the relationship between employees and the
employer of the County of Monterey. The Human Resource Learning and Development
department is leading the charge, through training, to improve employee retention and
succession. This training will provide career support for employees by helping them understand
the knowledge, skills, and abilities necessary for career advancement and by providing
continuing career conversations.
● The goal of the training from the perspective of the county is to increase employees’
retention.
● The goal of the learners for participating in the training is to:
○ Identify and document the skills necessary for current performance and
future advancement.
○ Navigate the application process.
○ Communicate their professional skill-set to others.

Learner Analysis: Primary Concerns and Attitudes

The Human Resource Department has determined employees do not have sufficient
knowledge regarding career movement within the department structure of the County of
Monterey. Preliminary data from a countywide employee engagement survey indicate that
employees desire training regarding career succession. Additionally, employees have not
historically provided detailed responses to application questions, often leaving sections blank or
writing “N/A” when asked to comment on relevant job experiences. HR is concerned that
employees with long work histories in the county do not understand the need to advocate for
themselves because they believe, due to their experience, they will automatically be selected for
opportunities.

Learner Analysis: Prior Knowledge and Experience

The training is open to all employees of the County of Monterey, which will include a
range of educational and practical experience. The majority of employees have experienced the
application process minimally once. The survey results suggest a lack of knowledge about the
opportunities and processes for advancement within the county. Employees have not had
previous experience with career succession planning or support from the County of Monterey.

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Content Analysis
The County of Monterey identifies four categories of KSAs (adapted from the State of
California Leadership Competency Model):
● Developing Personal Credibility
● Fostering a Team Environment
● Maximizing Performance Results
● Creating Organizational Transformation
Each category is further divided into four to eight competencies, which each include “behavioral
tendencies” for executive leadership, managers/supervisors, and general employees. This
structure clearly outlines the intended behaviors for any employee at their current position, and at
higher positions within the County of Monterey.
The HR department advocates the use of the S.T.A.R. (Situation, Task, Action, Result)
Method as employees prepare for the interview process. Using the S.T.A.R. method, employees
show competencies by recalling prior experiences and describing the situation, task at hand,
action taken, and the results. Employees who also participated in the KSA workshop will be able
to incorporate knowledge, skills and abilities in describing prior experiences.

Learning Objectives

Build Your Career Trajectory in County of Monterey

By the end of the training, participants will be able to:
● Identify strengths and an area of growth from each of the four KSA categories:
○ Developing Personal Credibility/Worth
○ Fostering a Team Environment
○ Maximizing Performance Results
○ Creating Organizational Transformation
● Develop an action plan that outlines which skills from the KSA list they will focus on
developing and engaging in conversations with their supervisor
● Regularly record specific anecdotes that demonstrate proficiency for the selected KSAs
after training

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Career Movement: Ace the Application Process
By the end of the training, participants will be able to:
● Describe the S.T.A.R. Method.
● Apply the S.T.A.R Method to answer verbal and written questions throughout the
application process.
● Formulate strategies for completing the application and resume, and preparation for
interview.
● Describe common pitfalls applicants face in the application process.
● Describe best practices prior to, during, and after the application process.

Evaluation Strategy

Level I—Participant Reaction

In the last 5-10 minutes of the session participants fill out the session reaction survey.
Participants give scale rankings for questions like:
● I learned about resources or supports that I didn’t know existed before this session
● The information in this session was meaningful to me
● I plan to continue documenting KSA anecdotes as part of my normal work
● This session was a good use of my time
● I would go to more lunch sessions like this one if they were offered
● Logistics/Facilities questions (e.g., chairs/tables were comfortable, etc)
Participants give answers to open ended questions like:
● Are there topics you would like to learn about in future workshops?
● Is there anything you would suggest to improve the training content or training
delivery?

Level II—Performance
For the first workshop, at the end of session survey will also include a “quiz” to evaluate
their knowledge of what materials exist to support their KSA development (and where to find
them) as well as ask short answer questions about how the different KSAs show up in their
current work and how they can develop those KSAs. These will be evaluated based on a rubric.
For the second session, participants will be given a quiz consisting of a scenario of a
character going through the application through interview process. The participant will describe
what practices in the scenario align good practices as well as bad practices. For bad practices, the
participant will make suggestions as to how the character can improve their responses.

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Level III—Transfer to the Workplace
Recommendation 1: Managers/supervisors would follow up with participants based on
their KSA action plan and identify if new anecdotes exist or if steps are being taken to gain
experience in weak areas or address weak areas. If this is not possible, a survey can be sent a
month later asking if employees have added KSA anecdotes, and provide a space for participants
to share those anecdotes. This survey can also ask about challenges in continuing to develop and
document these skills. This would be self-reported data and may not be as reliable, but it is easier
and more in our level of control.
Recommendation 2: Create an assessment rubric and a certificate for employees who
demonstrate (through work anecdotes) proficiency (as determined on the rubric) in each
competency for a given KSA category (one of the four). This would allow participants to slowly
progress towards earning 4 certificates (one for each category) and can assess transfer. Transfer
can be supported through publicly sharing strong anecdotes of KSA demonstration through email
or other department update structures.

Levels IV & V—Business Impact and Return on Investment

Recommendation 3: At the beginning of each workshop, the Learning and Development
facilitator will collect the name and department for each participant on a sign in sheet. This will
be used to track attendance and follow up surveys or other documentation. The facilitator will
submit the completed sign in sheets to HR to provide a means to track these employees and
compare them to the rest of the population on a routine basis. Tracking can be used to determine
if attrition is lower and if transfer/succession application and acceptance are both higher than
average. Based on approximate costs of training/onboarding new employees, an ROI can be
calculated based on changes in retention rates.

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Design

Course Title - Build Your Career Trajectory in County of Monterey

Agenda and Teaching/Learning Activity Descriptions

Introduction
The facilitator will share the benefits of a long-term career in the County of Monterey
and the KSAs required for career growth. Participants will be guided through the four categories
of KSA’s the County of Monterey has adopted.

Activities
The presentation will cover the following topics.
1. Developing Personal Credibility/Worth
2. Fostering a Team Environment
3. Maximizing Performance Results
4. Creating Organizational Transformation
Facilitator will guide participants through the following activities.
1. Pair/group-share introduction and share one from each table/group
2. Brief presentation of the four KSA categories in the Leadership Competency Model
Facilitator models an example for each category from their current role
3. Participants identify one area of strength and an area of growth from KSA categories and
write a specific anecdote that demonstrates proficiency for the selected KSAs
4. Compose an email to your supervisor that identifies your desired area of growth and a
request for support in developing that competency as you return to work
5. Participants will share out their current anecdote and their identified growth area
6. Survey

Summary

Facilitator will recap all the learning objectives. A paper-survey will be completed and
turned into the facilitator. The facilitator will process and follow-up as needed.

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Course Title - Career Movement: Ace the Application Process

Agenda and Teaching/Learning Activity Descriptions

Introduction
An inside look into the application and interview process at the County of Monterey.
Participants will have an upper-hand over an external applicant by knowing how to discuss what
the county looks for in successful applicants.

Activities
The presentation will cover the following topics:
1. Situation, Task, Action, Result (S. T. A. R.) Method
2. County Application process
3. Common pitfalls
4. Get the advantage - HR tips

Facilitator will guide participants through the following questions and activities.
1. Facilitator describes their solution to a company problem modeling the S.T.A.R. Method.
After sharing that anecdote, the facilitator connects this anecdote to interview advice.
2. Facilitator shares what HR is looking for in written applications and interviews, as well
as common pitfalls.
3. Mock Interview: Groups of three will trade off roles with one person being the
interviewer, one the interviewee, and one the assessor with a S.T.A.R. Method checklist.
Facilitator will monitor and note positive/negative observations to share trends with the
group.
4. Facilitator summarizes trends and offers advice based on any observed weaknesses. Job
aids are passed out that identify strategies and pitfalls.
5. End of session survey is deployed.

Summary

Facilitator will recap all the learning objectives. A paper-based survey will be completed
and turned into the facilitator. The facilitator will process and follow-up as needed.

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Development Notes

Materials & Deliverables

● Lesson plan for two brown bag sessions (30-45 minutes each) including participant
activities, handouts/job aids
● Marketing pre- and post-sessions: memo to managers with talking points, poster for the
breakroom to influence office culture
● PowerPoint presentation
● Facilitator’s guide
● Facilitator’s follow-up guide

Budget
The budget for this training will include materials cost for handouts and job aides:
● Session advertisement posters
● Printouts for training activities
● Printed facilitator guides
● KSA posters for employee common spaces

Implementation Notes

Training Delivery
Recommendation 4: In order to create a successful training model that transfers into the
workplace, an initial training group (that is primed for success and includes supervisors who will
follow up with them) should be selected.

A delegated County of Monterey employee from the Learning and Development

department will deliver the workshops. Presentations will be scripted and utilize PowerPoint
slides and a facilitator guide. Facilitator guides will include branching options for discussion
points. The options will be categorized by the current career level of the participants. A
management level employee will receive different discussion points as compared those
individuals in an entry-level position. We recommend the County of Monterey organize these
workshops in a way that they can anticipate the makeup of the audience. Materials and activities
for both workshops are designed to be delivered and completed in a 45-minute workshop. The
size of the workshops can vary between 5 and 30 because they are voluntary. To account for
this, multiple discussion points are provided. A smaller group can cover particular topics in
more in depth or complete more discussion points.

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Pre-training
Supervisors/managers should share news of this training with their staff with positive
framing (include talking points) and should recommend attendance. Supervisors/managers
should follow up individually with employees as much as is possible to have conversations about
why the training would be useful (communicate excitement). Informational handouts should be
presented, and an introductory email should be sent. Posters advertising the session should be
displayed in common areas

Post Training
Supervisors/managers should follow up with attendees to communicate excitement for
their attendance (include talking points) and ask about what they learned. They should
specifically ask about what growth areas the attendees identified and help brainstorm ways to
grow.

Training Blueprint Contributors

Role Name Title

Instructional Designer Andrew McCarty Graduate student, CSUMB

Aaron Tisdale Graduate student, CSUMB

Project Manager Joshua Eisenberg Graduate student, CSUMB

Client County of Monterey Learning and Organizational

Development
Michael Rosales Management Analyst II

Subject-Matter Experts Yvonne Walker Principal Administrative Analyst

Suzanne Paluck HR Manager

Editor Lynn Mann Graduate student, CSUMB

Damian Perez Graduate student, CSUMB

Project Advisor Jeanne Farrington Professor

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Project Schedule

Week Date Milestone Comments

2 Tuesday, May 29 Kick Off Meeting with client

3 Friday, June 1 Research meeting with SME

3 Tuesday, June 5 Review Project Definition

3 Tuesday, June 5 Project Definition (PD) Due

4 Thursday, June 7 Project Definition Review (with client)

4 Saturday, June 9 Meeting with Dr. Farrington

4 Tuesday, June 12 Draft High-Level Design Document

5 Thursday, June 14 Share Draft Design Document with client

5 Tuesday, June 19 Design Document Due

6 Thursday, June 21 Design Document Review (with client)

6 Tuesday, June 26 Storyboard and Draft Materials

7 Thursday, June 28 Storyboard and Materials Review (with client)

8 July 9-15 Usability Testing

10 Tuesday, July 24 Final Materials

Critical Success Factors

● Support and encouragement from supervisors for participants to attend is critical to the
success of this workshop.
● Specific guidance will be provided to promote the workshop as well as to provide follow
up support for workshop initiatives.
● Quality of facilitation will also impact the success of the workshop; detailed facilitator
guides, including speaking notes, will ensure successful implementation.

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Project scope
In acknowledging the short timeframe to deliver the materials to client, multimedia rich
options have been dismissed. With that being said, the client will receive professional grade
materials that seamlessly fit within the existing materials of the County of Monterey Human
Resources Department. Our timeline incorporates multiple client check-in opportunities to
review and provide feedback. By incorporating this into the timeline, it removes any possible
delays and keeps the project on track.

Content
Yvonne Walker and Suzanne Paluck, from the Human Resources department, are the
subject matter experts. They provide guidance on the scope and sequence of the workshops, as
well as a historical lens to the county’s past trainings. Knowledge of previous county
initiatives assists in avoiding ineffective topics and strategies.

Delivery
Both sets of workshop materials will be delivered in an electronic format. The primary
recipient is Michael Rosales. Materials will be organized into two folders - one per workshop
topic. Each folder will hold the PowerPoint slides, facilitator guide, promotion flyers, and poster
working files.

Client involvement
The success of this project relies on the collaboration efforts of both parties: CSUMB
Graduate students and the client, County of Monterey Human Resources department contacts.
Client feedback will be incorporated in the drafts and final products as outlined on the project
schedule.

Team commitment
Team 1 has been meeting a minimum of two times per week. Effort is also made for all
team members to join in on client check-in calls. Each team member is conscious of the
importance of the timeline and will continue to honor it. The team is motivated by the potential
impact this training can have on individual's career pathway and by the realization that a county
comprised of high caliber workers will better serve their community.

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