Careers and Career Management
Introduction
Restructuring of organizations makes it
essential that companies reconsider the
concepts of career and career
management in order to retain and
motivate employees.
Companies successful at managing
employee growth that accompanies
business expansion emphasize that
employees are to be responsible for career
management.
Introduction
(continued)
These companies do provide resources
supporting careers such as development
opportunities, mentoring, and training
managers in how to coach employees.
A major challenge is how to balance
advancing current employees careers
with simultaneously attracting and
acquiring employees with new skills.
What Is Career Management?
Career management is the process
through which employees:
Become aware of their own interests,
values, strengths, and weaknesses.
Obtain information about job
opportunities within the company.
Identify career goals.
Establish action plans to achieve career
goals.
Why Is Career Management
Important?
From the companys perspective,
perspective
the failure to motivate employees to
plan their careers can result in:
A shortage of employees to fill open
positions
Lower employee commitment
Inappropriate use of budget allocated
for training and development programs
Why Is Career Management
Important?
(continued)
From the employees perspective,
perspective
lack of career management can result in:
Frustration
Feelings of not being valued by the
company
Being unable to find suitable employment
should a job change be necessary due to
mergers, acquisitions, restructuring, or
downsizing.
Career Management and Career
Motivation
Career motivation refers to:
Employees energy to invest in their
careers
Their awareness of the direction they want
their careers to take
The ability to maintain energy and direction
despite barriers they may encounter
Career motivation has three aspects:
Career resilience
Career insight
Career identity
The Value of Career Motivation
Components of Career Motivation
Career Resilience
Company Value
Innovation
Employees adapting to unexpected changes
Commitment to Company
Pride in Work
Career Insight
Employee Value
Be aware of skill strengths and weaknesses
Participate in learning activities
Cope with less than ideal working conditions
Avoid skill obsolescence
Career Identity
What Is A Career?
Traditional Career
Sequence of positions held within an
occupation
Context of mobility is within an organization
Characteristic of the employee
Protean Career
Frequently changing based on changes in the
person and changes in the work environment
Employees take major responsibility for
managing their careers
Comparison of Traditional Career
and Protean Career:
Dimension
Traditional Career
Protean Career
Goal
Promotions
Salary increase
Psychological success
Psychological contract
Security for commitment
Employability for flexibility
Mobility
Vertical
Lateral
Responsibility for
Management
Company
Employee
Pattern
Linear and expert
Spiral and transitory
Expertise
Know how
Learn how
Development
Heavy reliance on formal
training
Greater reliance on relationships
and job experiences
A Model of Career Development
Career development is the process by which
employees progress through a series of stages.
Each stage is characterized by a different set
of developmental tasks, activities, and
relationships.
There are four career stages:
Exploration
Establishment
Maintenance
Disengagement
A Model of Career Development
(continued)
Exploration
Establishment
Maintenance
Disengagement
Developmental
tasks
Identify interests,
skills, fit between
self and work
Advancement,
growth, security,
develop life style
Hold on to
accomplishments,
update skills
Retirement
planning, change
balance between
work and nonwork
Activities
Helping
Learning
Following
directions
Making
independent
contributions
Training
Sponsoring
Policy making
Phasing out of
work
Relationships
to other
employees
Apprentice
Colleague
Mentor
Sponsor
Typical age
Less than 30
30 45
45 60
61+
Years on job
Less than 2 years
2 10 years
More than 10
years
More than 10
years
The career management
process:
SelfAssessment
Reality
Check
Goal Setting
Action
Planning
Components of the Career Management
Process:
Self-Assessment
Use of information by employees to
determine their career interests, values,
aptitudes, and behavioral tendencies.
Often involves psychological tests.
Reality Check
Information employees receive about how
the company evaluates their skills and
knowledge and where they fit into
company plans.
Components of the Career Management
Process: (continued)
Goal Setting
The process of employees developing
short- and long-term career objectives.
Usually discussed with the manager and
written into a development plan.
Action Planning
Employees determining how they will
achieve their short- and long-term career
goals.
Design factors of Effective Career
Management Systems:
System is positioned as a response to
a business need.
Employees and managers participate
in development of the system.
Employees are encouraged to take an
active role in career management.
Evaluation is ongoing and used to
improve the system.
Design factors of Effective Career
Management Systems: (continued)
Business units can customize the system
for their own purposes.
Employees need access to career
information sources.
Senior management supports the career
system.
Career management is linked to other
human resource practices such as
training, recruiting systems, and
performance management.
Shared Responsibility:
Roles in Career Management
Employees
Manager
HR Manager
Company
Employees Role in Career
Management
Take the initiative to ask for feedback from
managers and peers regarding their skill
strengths and weaknesses.
Identify their stage of career development
and development needs.
Seek challenges by gaining exposure to
learning opportunities.
Interact with employees from different work
groups inside and outside the company.
Create visibility through good performance.
Managers Role in Career
Management
Roles
Responsibilities
Coach
Probe problems, interests, values, needs
Listen
Clarify concerns
Define concerns
Appraiser
Give feedback
Clarify company standards
Clarify job responsibilities
Clarify company needs
Advisor
Generate options, experiences, and relationships
Assist in goal setting
Provide recommendations
Referral agent
Link to career management resources
Follow up on career management plan
HR Managers Role in Career
Management
Provide information or advice about
training and development opportunities.
Provide specialized services such as
testing to determine employees values,
interests, and skills.
Help prepare employees for job searches.
Offer counseling on career-related
problems.
Companys Role in Career
Management
Companies are responsible for providing
employees with the resources needed to
be successful in career planning:
Career workshops
Information on career and job
opportunities
Career planning workbooks
Career counseling
Career paths
Evaluating Career Management
Systems
Career management systems need to be
evaluated to ensure that they are meeting the
needs of employees and the business.
Two types of outcomes can be used to evaluate:
Reactions of the customers (employees and
managers) who use the career management
system
Results of the career management system
Evaluation of a career management system
should be based on its objectives.