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NTU Career Aspiration System
EPL & T-Shaped

Do you have what  21st  Century employers are looking for? How T-shaped are you based on your CAS Feedback?
 
What does "T-Shaped" mean?
Employers today prefer individuals who are “T-shaped”, meaning those with not only with the depth of professional knowledge and skills but also a set of broad, transferable skills that enable them to adapt to a wide variety of work situations.


As more 21st Century employers look to hire such individuals, your NTU CAS feedback and your career development based on the EPL approach gives you the perfect opportunity to identify where your skills lie and learn ways to develop them.

Those with a high EPL motivational profile have the potential to be T-shaped employees. While they have the potential, they will still need to work on both the broad skills and deep expertise to become more T-shaped.
 
Broad Skills (also known as “transferable” skills)

Broad skills and competencies are in the E and L career spaces. Develop yourself in these areas to increase your value to potential employers.
 
These skills include:
  • influencing people
  • working collaboratively with others
  • innovating and creating value
  • thinking critically & creatively to solve complex problems.
The E and L competencies and skills form the breadth of skills or the arm of the T-shape while the P competencies and skills form the depth of knowledge and skills, or the leg of the T-shape. Find out what are some key competencies and skills identified as important for E and L domains (see Entrepreneurial Development and Leadership Development).
 
If you are more T-shaped and already have the transferable (broad) skills such as creative thinking, leadership, communication, teamwork, problem-solving as well as a depth of professional knowledge and competence (e.g., engineering), you will have more job opportunities to consider.
 
EPL T-Shaped Breadth (E + L, the arm of the ‘T’)
Do you have Entrepreneurial & Leadership skills? If you do, how can you further refine these skills further? 
What if you have the broad skills but no depth of professional expertise? What can you do?
EPL T-Shaped Depth (P, the leg of the 'T')
Do you have the professional or technical expertise for a job you hope to land after graduation? If you do, how can you deepen your professional knowledge and gain even more expertise?
What if you have the depth of professional knowledge and skills but not the broad skills of E and L career spaces ? 


References
Brown, T. (2005). Strategy by design. Fast Company, 95, 52-54.
Chan, K. Y., Ho, M. H. R., Chernyshenko, O. S., Bedford, O., Uy, M. A., Gomulya, D., Sam, W. L., & Phan, W. M. J. (2012). Entrepreneurship, professionalism, leadership: A framework and measure for understanding boundaryless careers. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 81(1), 73-88.
Chan, K. Y., Uy, M. A., Ho, M. H. R., Sam, Y. L., Chernyshenko, O. S., & Yu, K. Y. T. (2015). Comparing two career adaptability measures for career construction theory: Relations with boundaryless mindset and protean career attitudes. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 87, 22-31.
Chan, K. Y., Uy, M. A., Chernyshenko, O. S., Ho, M. H. R., & Sam, Y. L. (2015). Personality and entrepreneurial, professional and leadership motivations. Personality and Individual Differences, 77, 161-166.
Guest, D. (1991). The hunt is on for the Renaissance Man of computing. The Independent (London), 17.
Uy, M. A., Chan, K. Y., Sam, Y. L., Ho, M. H. R., & Chernyshenko, O. S. (2015). Proactivity, adaptability and boundaryless career attitudes: The mediating role of entrepreneurial alertness. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 86, 115-123.
Hansen, M. T., & Nohria, N. (2004). How to build collaborative advantage. MIT Sloan Management Review, 46(1), 22.

Internet Sources
Brooks, K. (2012). Career Success Starts With a "T". Available from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/career-transitions/201204/career-success-starts-t
Devan Nair Institute on "T-shaped" workforce. Available from: https://e2i.com.sg/opening-of-devan-nair-institute-for-employment-and-employability-on-1-may-2014/
Civil Service College on T-shaped collaborative stars. Available from: https://www.cscollege.gov.sg/knowledge/odyssey/practising%20od/pages/Grooming%20T-shaped%20Collaborative%20Stars.aspx
 





Developed By

Developed by NTUitive & the Career Aspiration Group for Undergraduate and Post-Graduate Students at the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
You can contact us at the survey operations office at +(65) 6794 3855 or send an email to ntuitiveinfo@ntuitive.sg for assistance.