Stages in the Career Development
Career development of employees or, better said, the 20% that make a difference in the company is not in some training sessions or workshops. It assumes a coherent organization of career development initiatives, so that we can produce performances, medium and long term, and to contribute at the same time, effective succession plans.
The company is the one that has to make a “first step”, proposing a concrete step in career development. There are two reasons why the organization needs to initiate this dialogue. First, if the career development is materialized into a successful company will benefit from it even more than the employee. Secondly, the company has logistical and financial resources to address this problem. Further, we present the five stages of the career development should follow.
A). aligning the objectives. A development plan which aims to career performance and, implicitly, profit must be aligned in two sets of objectives: the organization and the employee. To obtain a reliable picture of the objectives, the company must conduct an assessment of direction and their own needs and the knowledge, experience and interests of the employee.
B). the time factor. Employees sometimes tend to focus on the final outcome of the plan of career development: I will become project manager! It is a good thing. However, the organization must ensure that initial enthusiasm is right dosage and that the employee is fully aware of the timing plan career development. If, for example, the ultimate goal of the plan is achieving the necessary project management skills, the employee must accept that the period of 6 months is reasonable in terms of data and we need to focus primarily on accumulation.
C). Options. Usually, when the employee organization proposes a plan for career development, he is thinking primarily in advancement. However, this option is not always suitable for any company and for any employee. Employee must be helped to give out what he really wants and what direction of development will bring professional satisfaction. Therefore, all alternatives should be discussed: promotion, lateral development, relocation or increased allocation of tasks.
D). Risks assumed. Any step in career involves some risks. Nothing is obtained without effort and without sacrifices. Only employee who can assume these risks is truly ready for a step forward in his career.
E). Learning, not training. The concept of learning is more comprehensive than the training and refers to a range of methods and processes of learning and accumulation of new skills. A good development plan for the employee should identify the needs for learning, and the ways this process can be effective. Typically, success depends on various input information and design of their coherent interaction.