Career Development

Our Approach

At Pepperdine, we believe work is inherently valuable — an opportunity to serve God and others in pursuit of abundant life together. Throughout our community, there are plentiful inspiring examples of esteemed colleagues who have established and grown their careers at Pepperdine, serving the University in varied and compelling ways. As an institution of higher learning, we prioritize the holistic and continuous development of faculty and staff and provide numerous opportunities for employees to build dynamic, meaningful, and lasting careers.

At Pepperdine, you are encouraged to clarify your purpose and goals, take ownership of the value you bring to your team, department, and the University, and grow your career in pursuit of your next professional opportunity.

Identify your professional aspirations.

Determine what you want out of your time at Pepperdine and why. Perhaps you seek to advance and grow your career here, do transformational work with our students, lead others in meaningful work, or build a community. At Pepperdine, if our students leave with nothing more than a degree and a job opportunity, we did not maximize their time here. Similarly, if staff are leaving each day with nothing beyond a paycheck, we are missing out on a fuller life at Pepperdine. Identify your professional aspirations and explore your divine calling to gain clarity on why you want to grow your career.

Broaden your perspective on career development.

The idea of a career lattice demonstrates how career progression may involve lateral or diagonal moves, rather than just vertical ones (like a ladder). Careers often do not follow a predetermined path from entry-level to senior-level, but rather involve the pursuit of present opportunities where you can gain diverse experiences, skills, and perspectives. This idea is especially important at Pepperdine for the following reasons:

Pepperdine benefits from a dedicated workforce committed to its distinctive mission and culture. Because of this, when possible, we seek to promote from within. Internal promotions provide for organizational flow, ensuring continuity of work for departments as employees grow into new roles.
Where opportunities may be limited in a single department, there are plentiful opportunities across Pepperdine. With six schools and numerous functional areas, the University and our colleagues benefit when knowledge is spread from one area to another. Some of our most successful colleagues have served the University in several different areas, enhancing their perspective, appreciation for Pepperdine, and the value they are able to bring to the University.

Achieve mastery in your current role.

The 70-20-10 learning model is a framework for career development that is used to describe the allocation of time successful professionals spend on learning and development.

70% Experiential Learning: Most training happens through day-to-day experience with on-the-job tasks. At Pepperdine, learning and development happens naturally as you take on strategic projects, optimize workflows, collaborate on assignments, and master the daily tasks within your role. As you continually refine your skills and abilities, you will find that mastery is key to staying motivated. Daniel Pink writes in Drive, “The joy is in the pursuit [of mastery] more than the realization.”
20% Social Learning: Training also happens through our regular interactions with leaders, mentors, colleagues, and those in our external networks. Seek out opportunities to engage with different colleagues, ensure you have a mentor, and engage in collaborative projects. These interactions allow for knowledge sharing, relationship building, and a broader perspective.
10% Formal Learning: The smallest, yet still significant, portion of training happens through structured programs, workshops, courses, and seminars. These opportunities, such as attending conferences, obtaining specialty credentials, earning an advanced degree, or participating in Pepperdine-led learning sessions, play an important role in providing foundational knowledge and skills.

Build Unique and Valuable Skills.

Cal Newport, in his book So Good They Can’t Ignore You, introduces the idea of career capital, which states we must master rare and valuable skills to build a “bank” of excellence that we can then exchange for the things that make work great for us at a given moment—whether flexibility, autonomy, purpose, promotion, or others. Consider the skills that are needed and valued in your field and what actions you can take to gain mastery (recalling that most of these opportunities will happen on-the-job with experiential learning). If you are pursuing a new role that requires different skills than you currently have, consider ways you can upskill—whether taking advantage of Pepperdine’s tuition remission benefits, Library resources, LinkedIn Learning courses, or publicly available resources like Libby.

Demonstrate value

Growing your career at Pepperdine necessitates more than simply meeting expectations and fulfilling the daily tasks and responsibilities in your role. Consider how you might exceed expectations and improve the University in unique and important ways. Speak with your supervisor about opportunities you see to improve processes, reduce costs, or increase efficiencies. Beyond making suggestions, bring thoughtful proposals and action plans for how to implement new solutions, staying mindful of resources and budgetary constraints.

Expand your experience and leadership capacity

If you have mastered your current role and have bandwidth for greater contributions, consider proposing a stretch project or out-of-scope initiative you might lead. These projects afford you the opportunity to learn a new skill, develop strengths outside your typical job scope, or highlight your potential influence. Some ideas to expand your experience and leadership capacity might include:

Ask to lead a staff meeting.
Create or update standard operating procedures.
Ask to serve on a committee or taskforce.
Benchmark the offerings, initiatives, or processes of other high-performing institutions.
Conduct a request for proposal on a new software or resource.
Create collaboration opportunities with other teams and departments.

Engage with the Pepperdine Community.

Sharing life abundant in community is part of Pepperdine’s distinction. Beyond our daily tasks, we are charged with building and nurturing the personal connections that fuel our shared work and life together. Engaging with colleagues in the Pepperdine community leads to authentic relationship building, making you aware of upcoming opportunities and needs, and making others aware of your unique skills and talents. From major community events such as Founder’s Day, Step Forward Day, Pepperdine Honors, or President’s Briefings, to learning, development, and wellness workshops, take time out of your workday to participate in the life of our community and get to know colleagues and operations outside of your area.

Act as an ambassador.

Being an ambassador at work goes beyond completing tasks; it embodies a holistic approach to professional conduct and shared commitment to the University’s dual mission of Christian faith and excellence. This may include, among others, the following:

maintaining a positive attitude
acting with integrity
treating others with dignity and respect
communicating clearly and concisely
assuming goodwill and maintaining benevolent assumptions
dressing professionally and adhering to appropriate dress codes
exercising sound judgment in decision-making
Acting in these ways embodies Pepperdine’s mission, demonstrating your commitment to furthering it and illustrating to your supervisor and others your desire to grow your career at this distinct place.

Meet with Your Supervisor to Discuss Your Development Plan

Rather than waiting for your supervisor to offer a performance review or initiate a development plan, you should own your career by regularly asking for feedback, opportunities for growth, and share your professional aspirations. By partnering with your supervisor or other leaders in your department, you can gain valuable insight into the immediate team needs and long-term vision for your department, finding ways to apply your skills to the highest value projects.

Identify a mentor.

We are all on a journey, encountering many people who shape us and from whom we can learn. Just as iron sharpens iron, so too can our community members support and challenge one another in daily life and work. Is there someone with whom you are able to speak about best practices at work, navigating your career, and lessons learned? Is there someone you admire and seek to emulate? Is there someone you may give your experience and expertise to? Seek out a mentor in the Pepperdine community, informing them of your aspirations and why you think they are able to support you in achieving those aspirations.