Career development consists of personal improvements undertaken by the individual employee, training, development and educational programs provided by the organization and various institutes.
The career development is the process of guiding the placement, movement, and growth of employees through assessment, planned training activities and planned job assignment.
The most important aspect of career development is that every employee must accept their responsibility for development. Various career development actions prove useful if an employee is committed to career development.
Career Development Actions
The career development actions are:
• Job Performance: Employee must prove that their performance on the job is to the level of standards established, if they wants career development.
• Exposure: They should expose their skills, knowledge, qualifications, achievements, performance etc. to those who take the decision about the career progress.
• Resignation: Employee may resign the present job, if they find career opportunities elsewhere are better than those of the present organization.
• Change the Job: Employees who put organizational loyalty above career loyalty may change the job in the same organization if they find that career opportunities in other jobs in the same organization are better than those of present job.
• Career Guidance: Counseling provides, information, advice and encouragement to switch over to other career or organization, where career opportunities are better.
So, there are two types of mobility in career development actions: Internal and External mobility.
Why Career Development Program?
• Growth opportunities
• Quality of working life
• Competition for high talent personnel
• Avoid obsolescence
• Retention of personnel
• Improved utilization of personnel
Effective Organizational Career
Effective organizational career development techniques include:
• Challenging initial job
• Dissemination of career option information
• Job postings
• Assessment centers
• Career development workshops
• Continuing education and training
• Periodic job change
• Sabbaticals
Self-Assesment Process in Career Development
Individual career development is a three-step self-assessment process:
• Identification and Organization: Identify and organize your skills, interests, work-related needs, and values.
• Conversion into General Fields and a Specific Goals: Convert these inventories into general career fields and specific job goals.
• Testing against Realities: Test these possibilities against the realities of the organization or the job market.