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myHR: February 12, 2025

Skills to Help Grow Your Penn Career

Focusing on skills is one way to grow your career.  The University provides resources to help enhance your current skills and develop new ones. To support a strategy to cultivate your talents and abilities and grow a career at Penn, consider using Workday.

Tools You Can Use

Start with your Workday career profile. If you applied for a Penn staff job through Workday, which went live in July 2019, the skills you provided in your application are most likely in your current worker career profile, but they may need to be updated. If you were hired before Workday was implemented, you must manually add your skills if you haven’t already done so.

Skills in your career profile remind your managers of your value and provide a basis for discussing development opportunities during performance reviews. Your career profile allows you to self-assess your skills from beginner, intermediate, experienced, advanced, and expert. If you apply as an internal candidate for a staff position, your skills are reviewed by recruiters and hiring managers.

For instructions on how to find and edit your career profile, view the Self-Service: Your Career Profile tip sheet.

Your career profile contains a tab to enter your interests in jobs and skills, whether you want to move up or onto another path. You can directly compare your current role to the job profiles you select in the Job Interests tab by clicking Workday’s Compare to Job button at the bottom.

Workday’s Opportunity Graph is another robust mapping, visualization, and action tool. You can better understand possible transitions based on how others have moved around at Penn since July 2019. You can take a deeper dive into the job profile details to understand the qualification requirements and explore learning opportunities and job profiles that match your interests. You can also find information about accessing your Opportunity Graph in the Self-Service: Your Career Profile tip sheet.

Tailored Training

Workday Learning provides training recommendations tailored to you. Recommendations come from your learning history, skills, and skill interests entered in your Workday career profile and a comparison to those with similar positions.

Workday matches keywords and descriptions with courses offered at the University and LinkedIn Learning. It presents the recommended courses in your Workday Learning’s Discover section. In Discover, keep track of and explore these categories:

  • Based on Your Skills to Develop
  • Recommended for You
  • Based on Your Interests

Workday resources help you develop your skills and Penn career.  If you need additional help, please call the Penn Employee Solution Center at 215-898-7372 or submit a help ticket online.

Enhance Your Assertiveness Skills

Are you ready to speak up with confidence and make your voice heard? At the Assertiveness Skills virtual workshop on March 20 from 12:30 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. you will learn to communicate your needs so that others can help you meet them. You’ll walk away with practical tools to use assertive language and behaviors in everyday, work-related situations, with strategies that can be immediately applied to improve your confidence and communication at work.

Workshop facilitator and Talent and Organizational Development Consultant Manroocha Singh, says the program teaches you to define assertiveness, explore the "Assertiveness Continuum," identify personal barriers, demonstrate assertive language and behaviors, and apply these skills in everyday work situations.

"This course is a great opportunity to explore our personal blocks to assertiveness, and different ways we can navigate them in order to boost effective communication,” Singh says. “Participants will be able to test out these techniques when working through some common work-place scenarios," she adds.

In the workshop, Singh will highlight three ways to use assertive behaviors at work: 

  1. Practice effective ways of saying “No”- Saying “No” can be difficult, but sometimes it’s necessary. If you must, be polite, firm, clear, and direct. Don’t say “maybe” when you mean “no,” and don’t give a reason if you don’t want to. Use assertive body language such as direct eye contact, a confident posture, and - when appropriate - a genuine smile. Also, eliminate hinting because being indirect is the enemy of assertiveness.
  2. Offer an alternative to saying “No” – You may need to ease into the process of saying “no.” You can do this by offering an alternative response, such as:
    1. “I’d like to help you with that project, unfortunately, that deadline won’t work with my schedule. Is the deadline flexible?”
    2. “I’d love to participate; however, I’m not comfortable with the role you are proposing for me. Is there a different way I can help?”
    3. “Could we discuss other ways I might contribute?”
  3. Say “Yes,” but set your boundaries – Agree with conditions. Say something like: “I can get it done by (date)….” or “I can only offer you one hour.” Also, make sure you get complete information before committing yourself. That means finding out what exactly needs to be done, the deadline, and how long it will take.

Assertiveness Skills will also show participants how to recognize the assertiveness matrix (from passive to assertive to aggressive), identify personal blocks to assertiveness, and demonstrate assertive language and behaviors. These skills will improve relationships at work and in other areas.

Whether you’re communicating in person, over the phone, or in writing, assertiveness helps you express your views and goals while recognizing other people’s perspectives.

Register for the Assertiveness Skills workshop to develop confidence for everyday situations and create win-win solutions for you and your coworkers.

For more professional development opportunities, visit the Learn & Grow section of the HR website. 

Discover more ways to Grow Your Penn Career with tools in Workday.

Resilience for Your Many Roles

In a complex and busy world, we all play many roles. You may be in a support position during one meeting, then switch to leadership mode for the next meeting. Health professionals and researchers are often also family caregivers, as well as patients managing their own care. In tough situations, even responsibilities we love can stretch us to the limit.

To help you build resilience to face various challenges and bring your best to valuable relationships, Penn is offering a series of Resilience and Well-being workshops this spring, March 18 through May 1. Led by the groundbreaking Positive Psychology Center, these 90-minute sessions help you develop skills that are proven to increase well-being, improve interpersonal connections, and grow as an individual.

Resilience and Well-being training is designed to grow your appreciation of positive experiences as well as your ability to manage difficulties.

You are welcome to attend the whole series to maximize your resilience or select the sessions that best fit your interests and schedule. Registration is free to Penn faculty, staff, and postdocs for all Resilience and Well-being workshops.

Resilience & Optimism, March 18, 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.

The first session takes place on campus. Participants will discuss the building blocks of resilience, with a focus on developing the mindset of optimism, including the six core strategies of optimism that further our ability to navigate challenges and grow through the demanding situations we confront.

Avoiding Thinking Traps, April 2, 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.

This virtual session will discuss common patterns in thinking that undercut our well-being and ability to respond effectively to challenging situations and simple strategies to break out of old habits of thinking.

Positive Emotions, April 16, 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.

This session will explore the importance of positive emotions in managing stress and creating energy in our lives, as well as how to identify and navigate barriers that get in our way of experiencing more joy, curiosity, awe, and other positive emotions.

Joy Multiplier, May 1, 12:30 p.m. - 2 p.m.
The last virtual session will explore communication styles that either build or erode trust and how to strengthen our relationships by responding with authentic engagement to other people’s positive experiences.

Heart-Saving CPR and AED Tips

While long-term wellness habits are the foundation of heart health, medical crises like cardiac arrest call for quick action. Knowing what to do and where to call before emergencies happen can save lives.

Heart Attacks vs. Cardiac Arrest

According to the American Heart Association (AHA), “a heart attack occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is reduced or blocked.” One common heart attack symptom is chest pain or discomfort. The AHA’s heart attack warning signs guide notes that symptoms can vary. If you suspect it’s a heart attack, don’t hesitate to call 911 or your local emergency medical services.

Cardiac arrest, on the other hand, “occurs when the heart malfunctions and stops beating on its own.” If someone nearby collapses and is unable to respond, that may be a sign of cardiac arrest. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills and automated external defibrillator (AED) kits can help bystanders assist until medical professionals arrive.

Immediate CPR can double or triple your chances of survival after cardiac arrest. Fortunately, basic hands-only CPR takes minutes to learn and the Penn community has access to advanced CPR and AED training and AED kits in over 100 University locations.

First, Call Emergency Responders

Experts from the Penn Division of Public Safety and the Center for Resuscitation Science agree: the first thing that should be done when you see someone collapse is to direct another person to call the PennComm Emergency Communications Center (215-573-3333, or 511 from any campus phone), or 911 if you are outside of the Penn patrol zone. Also, grab an AED if one is nearby.

If you are alone, you should call PennComm at 215-573-3333, or 911 and set your phone to speaker mode to speak to the dispatcher for instructions.

CPR Training Access

For more extensive training, the AHA has a directory of classes/training sites across the U.S. that host classes led by AHA-certified instructors.

Penn’s Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT), a student-run service organization, offers CPR/AED classes led by AHA-certified trainers for Penn community groups. These trainings may be scheduled by request. Contact MERT online to start the scheduling process or request additional details. Your department may be charged a fee based on the number of participants in your group.

For basic hands-only CPR, MERT recommends Penn Medicine’s 90 second video or the American Heart Association’s one-minute instructional video.

Learn more at the Division of Public Safety Emergency Preparedness web pages.

Healthy Recipes: Lemon Garlic Chicken with Veggies

This quick and flavorful chicken dish is a protein-packed zesty mix of garlic, lemon, and oregano. Paired with a vibrant medley of sautéed cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and zucchini, it makes a deliciously satisfying and healthy meal. Ready in under 30 minutes, this dish is perfect for busy weeknights.

Click here to send us your healthy recipes and tips.

Ingredients:

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, sliced in half for quicker cooking
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 cup broccoli florets
  • 1 zucchini, sliced

Directions:

  1. Marinate the chicken: In a bowl, mix olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add chicken breasts and coat well. Let marinate for 10 minutes.
  2. Cook the chicken: Heat a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Place the chicken in the pan, cooking for 5-6 minutes per side or until cooked through and golden brown.
  3. Add veggies: Add cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and zucchini to the skillet with the chicken. Sauté for 4-5 minutes or until veggies are tender but still crisp.
  4. Serve: Transfer to a plate and garnish with additional lemon juice if desired.

Meet With a Registered Dietitian Today!

  • One-on-one, virtual sessions you can schedule at any time that works for you
  • 100% covered under many insurance plans
  • Available to spouses and dependents
  • Fill out the Ramp Health Nutrition Counseling Sign Up Form or call 800-484-7720.

Did You Know: The Holistic Penn Challenge Starts Next Week

The Holistic Penn Challenge on the Personify Health wellness platform helps you develop a healthy habit of your choice as you progress along a virtual gameboard. You can set daily goals for your selected habit, track your progress, and earn Be in the Know wellness campaign rewards! The two-week Holistic Penn Challenge starts Monday, February 17. Visit the Penn Healthy You webpages and the HR events listing for more wellness resources.