CAREER PLANNING
Meaning and Definition of Career Planning
The process that enables individuals to choose their career goals and the way through which he can achieve those goals is called career planning . From organisation's perspective , career planning assists the employees in planning their careers in such a way which is beneficial for the organisation as well . Career planning crafts a pathway of growth and development of the employee from the time he joins the organisation , till the time he retires . It also identifies potential employees who can be useful for the organisation and train them for their roles . Managers use it as a technique for career mapping of employees who have recently started working . Identification , growth , planned - employment and re - employment of talents are needed for career planning .
According to Schwind , Das and Wagar , " Career planning is the process of enhancing an employee's future value " .
According to Schermerhorn , " Career planning is a process of systematic matching career goals and individual capabilities with opportunities for their fulfilment " .
According to McMahon and Merman , " Career planning is a deliberate process of becoming aware of self , opportunities , constraints , choices , and consequences , identifying career - related goals , and programming work . education , and related development experiences to provide the direction , timing and sequence of steps to attain a specific career goal " .
Characteristics of Career Planning Following are the characteristics of career planning :
1 ) Participative Process : Being a participative process , career planning assigns jobs on the basis on merit only . This results in enhancing employee's self - esteem and efficiency .
2 ) Monitors Employee's Abilities and Attitudes : Carcer planning monitors employee's abilities and attitudes , hence , it makes possible to group people on the basis of their views and ideas and assign them a supervisor who can understand and believe in them . This results into stronger bonds within groups and helps organisation find employees who are capable and are eligible for internal promotions .
3 ) Developmental Process : Career planning is not an event but a technique that helps develop human resources and manage them in a manner that utilises their maximum potential .
4 ) Continuous Process : Career planning is not a single time activity ; rather it is a continuous process . 5 ) Life - Long Learning Process : Career planning ensures learning throughout life . It comprises of decision making ability , personal development , self - management and securing employability .
Objectives of Career Planning Following are the objectives of career planning :
1 ) To Attract and Retain Talented Employees : Career planning ensures that the organisation's pool of talent is sustained , employees stay in their jobs for long - term and the turnover rate is minimised . The employees feel motivated as they witness growth in their careers and get promoted and become loyal towards the organisation . A healthy corporate culture develops and flourishes as employees grow within the organisation . It also saves the cost of hiring new employees .
2 ) To Know Each Employee's USP : Every employee has a USP ( Unique Selling Proposition ) and career planning helps to identify them and plan their careers according to their skills , capabilities and their eagerness to get trained and taught in order to get promoted in that field .
3 ) To Guide and Persuade Employees : The guidance and persuasion provided by career planning helps employees to know their capabilities . It also enlightens employees about their personal interests , skills , strengths and weaknesses and their impact on the job .
4 ) To Foresee Future Vacancies : Career planning foresees vacant job positions at managerial level that might arise in the future as a result of resignation , retirement or death , etc. Thus , it proves to be a useful tool for human resource demand forecasting as it plans ahead and saves the organisation from any kind of mismatched hiring for managerial position .
5 ) To Assist in Growth and Development of the Organisation : Career planning helps in growth and development of the organisation as well as it recognises the employees that could be used to fill future vacancies . Hence , it starts working on their development , prior to the time the need arises . If career planning is done effectively , job enlargement can also be done so that any requirement arising in the future due to job design and technological upgradations can be easily met . It also ensures increased productivity and development of the organisation .
6 ) To Ensure the Availability of Managerial Talent at all Levels : Career planning uses the available resources in such a manner that results in highly contented and fruitful employees . It also makes sure that capable employees get enough exposure to take up responsibility matching their talent and skills , whenever needed .
7 ) To Combine Individuals and Organisational Needs : The main objective of career planning is to integrate employee and organisation requirements . Career planning scans for employee traits that can be exploited for the growth of the organisation . It assists in comprehending the association between personality and occupational objectives and their alignment with organisation's mission and objectives .
8 ) To Enhance Employee's Self - Esteem and Motivation : Career planning enhances employee's self - esteem and motivation by providing them jobs that match their set of skills and also at times , by providing them promotions .
Process of career planning