CAREER DEVEOPMENT
Career development is the essence of human development . It is a combination of all the sociological . psychological , physical , economic , and coincidental aspects outlining the series of professions , jobs , or occupations likely to be undertaken by an individual in his / her entire career .
It is the duty of each organisation to provide its employees with opportunities for career development . It is the process which enhances the employee's capability to grow and assists him / her in choosing a different career . It can be defined as an organised process through which the human resource of an organisation is directed through numerous organisational levels .
According to Pietrofesa and Splete , " Career development is an on - going process that occurs over the life span ; includes home , school , and community experiences " .
According to Gysbers and Moore , " Career development is self - development over the life span through the integration of the roles , settings , and events of a person's life " .
According to Reardon , Lenz , Sampson , and Peterson ; Sears , " Career development is total constellation of economic , sociological , psychological , educational , physical , and chance factors that combine to shape one's career " .
Characteristics of Career Development
Following are the main characteristics of career development :
1 ) It is a continuous process .
2 ) It aids in developing and sharing transferability of proficiencies and skills . 3 ) It raises employee satisfaction as it brings individual and organisational goals in line .
4 ) It helps employees in enhancing their competencies and skills that are needed to fulfil the current as well future roles of leadership inside an organisation .
5 ) It makes an organisation's work culture more proficient .
Objectives of Career Development
The objectives of career development are as follows :
1 ) To formulate intervention strategies that help in developing , involving , rewarding and retaining skilled employees .
2 ) To analyse and implement suitable career counselling models in the organisation .
3 ) To identify how the assessment procedures are applied during career development intervention .
4 ) To identify how technology is used during career development intervention .
5 ) To plan , design and implement career development programmes that are applicable throughout the career .
6 ) To search , understand , assess , and circulate information pertaining to education and career among the employees which are in congruence with organisational needs .
7 ) To achieve excellence through procurement of relevant skills , capabilities and information .
8 ) To create and develop a group of skilled employees who can implement the organisation's business strategies efficiently .
9 ) To enable development and succession planning so that growth of organisation can be ensured in the long run .
10 ) To improve the employees and organisation by assessing career development programme and utilising the result effectively .
Steps Involved in Career Development Plan
An organised and focused technique that reviews where currently an individual is in his career and where he intends to be by using SMART goal setting is called career development plan . Identifying the career goals of a person and developing an action plan for his / her overall growth helps him to meet those goals effectively . Both short - term as well as long - term goals alongwith the actions , courses and various types of developments needed to achieve them , constitute a career development plan .
Following are the steps to design a career development plan :
Step 1 : Self - Assessment : The first step is self - evaluation of existing skills , capabilities , aptitude , and knowledge . Various books , journals , and career development tools on internet can assist an individual if he / she is unsure regarding career path to be chosen .
Step
2 : Goal - Setting : According to career and personal interests , long - term as well as short - term goals of the individual should be set . They can be either moving up the organisational ladder o enrichment of the current job . The following points must be considered while setting career goals :
1 ) Goals for career development in future ahead of the current year .
2 ) Essential competencies to be inculcated for career growth and success . 3 ) Adverse impact of any organisational modifications on individual's development .
4 ) The top three goals from the enumerated list of goals should be concentrated upon .
5 ) Discussions with superiors regarding work performance , aptitudes , and knowledge is essential . Also , feedback should be sought regularly .
Step 3 : Formulate a Plan of Action : The time required to achieve the listed goals and the competencies needed for them should be pre - determined . Also , the deviation between these goals and existing position along with the skills needed should be evaluated . Plan of action may comprise of on - the - job training , education , mentoring , lateral movement , purposeful demotion , working in a different geographical culture or region to gain experience , or taking up short - term assignments to discover a new field before entering it . The action plan must be dynamic enough to adjust with the changing goals of individuals .
Importance of Career Development The following points highlight the importance of career development :
1 ) Evaluates Capabilities Critically : Employee performance is reviewed on a regular basis in a good career development programme . If required , the employee must also discuss the feedback that he has got from performance evaluation . This discussion will be the basis for projecting his / her career path of the future . Sometimes , it is performed after evaluating the employee's potential critically . This evaluation makes it clear to the employee if he is suitable for the job or not and is informed accordingly . On getting the evaluation report regarding his / her job - fit , he either decides to continue or discontinue with the organisation thus decreasing prospects of job - failures .
2 ) Creates a Pool of Talent : Human resource planning recognises the long - term and short - term personnel requirements to prepare for the changing scenarios of organisation's requirements . One of the outcomes of human resource planning is career development . A career development plan is proven effective when ensures that the desired talent is available with the organisation when needed .
3 ) Talent - retention : Usually , talented employees prefer to work for organisations that have effective career development plans for their workforce . Employees in such organisations are seen to be more devoted and loyal These plans also help in talent retention as the already rare talented employees are highly sought by other recruiters .
4 ) Enhances Employee Aspirations : Career development opportunities are witnessing excellent prospects due to rapid growth in several rectors especially IT . This has resulted in an increase in satisfaction levels since organisational opportunities have succeeded in matching personal expectations . Also , the aspirations of the present day workforce have risen in the same proportion that their educational level has increased . However , the n.anufacturing sector in India has been an exception . There is a gap between the organisational opportunities and the employee expectation leaving the workforce frustrated . Realistic expectations can be inculcated and frustration can be reduced if effective career counselling is conducted .
5 ) Work Life Balance : Employees are usually thoughtful about the quality of their work life and how they will be able to strike a balance between their personal and work life . Career development is the manifestation of the same . More and more people prefer challenging jobs provided they get ample growth opportunities in the job . A majority of the workforce strives for work life balance . Their jobs must match their family and personal interests to make them stay with the organisation . This is possible only through effective career planning . Career development programmes must match the expectation of the individual and the organisation to maintain good work - life balance .
6 ) Meets Legislative Criteria : Providing equal job opportunities is a crucial issue for companies . With the help of career development programmes , minority groups are better prepared for bigger roles within the company as they are required by the laws to receive growth opportunities . Such efforts put in by the stains the organisation's image and its reputation as a decent employer comes under suspicion . must take care that they do not become a reason for any discrimination suit . This kind of suit organisation
7 ) Enhances Organisational Competitiveness : When there is a scarcity of employees , an effective career development programme can prove crucial for those professionals who are looking for organisations that have excellent history of implementing career development programmes .
8 ) Keeps Employees Updated : As a result of speedy changes in the field of technology and consumer demands , employees might find obsolescence in their skills . Career development plans help in avoiding obsolescence by providing trainings and education to the employees in advance regarding the dynamic changes in technology and consumer demand . Some financial , managerial , or diploma training programmes can help them keep themselves updated .
9 ) Establishes Goal - Congruence : Programmes on career development help employees bring their personal goals in line with the objectives and goals of the company . A career development programme needs not to be formal . Informal programmes on career development are already a part of many organisations such as training , succession planning , or performance appraisal .
