Career development 1

What is Career Development?

Career development is an ongoing process, one
that you should be focused on as you approach
a career and progress through it.
Career development helps you take stock of
who you are and where you want to go in life.
In order to achieve growth, continue learning,
and achieve momentum in your career you
must

 Career progress and development is largely the outcome
of actions on the part of an individual. Some of the
important steps that could help and individual cross the
hurdles on the way „up‟ may include:
1. Performance: Career progress rests largely on
performance. If the performance is sub-standard, even
modest career goals can‟t be achieved.
2. Exposure: career development comes through exposure,
which implies becoming known by those who decide
promotion, transfers and other career opportunities. You
must undertake actions that would attract the attention of
those who matter most in an organization.
3. Networking: networking implies professional and
personal contacts that would help in striking good deals
outside (e.g., lucrative job offers, business deals, etc.) For
years men have used private clubs, professional
associations, old-boy networks, etc., to gain exposure and
achieve their career ambitions.

 Career planning seeks to meet the
following objectives:
 Attract and retain talent by offering
careers, not jobs.
 Use human resources effectively and
achieve greater careers, not jobs.
 Reduce employee turnover.
 Improve employee morale and
motivation.

3. Exploring careers through various activities
such as work-based learning, clubs,
community volunteer.

4. Creating and maintaining a “Career Plan
template” from grades 5 through 12.

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1. Every employee has a desire to grow and scale new heights
in his workplace continuously. If there are enough
opportunities, he can pursue his career goals and exploit his
potential fully.
2. He feels highly motivated when the organization shows
him a clear path as to how he can meet his personal
ambitions while trying to realize corporate goals.
Unfortunately, as pointed out by John Leach, organizations
do not pay adequate attention to this aspect in actual
practice for a variety of reasons.
3. The demands of employees are not matched with
organizational needs, no effort is made to show how the
employees can grow within certain limits, what happens to
an employee five years down the line if he does well,
whether the organization is trying to offer mere jobs or
long-lasting careers, etc.

3. when recognition does not come in time for
meritorious performance and a certain amount of
confusion prevails in the minds of employees
whether they are „in‟ with a chance to grow or not,
they look of greener pastures outside.
4. Key executives leave in frustration and the
organization suffers badly when turnover figures
rise. Any recruitment effort made in panic to fill
the vacancies is not going to be effective.

5. New employees mean additional selection and
training costs. Bridging the gaps through short-
term replacements is not going to pay in terms of
productivity.
6. Organisations, therefore, try to put their career plans
in place and educate employees about the
opportunities that exist internally for talented
people. Without such a progressive outlook,
organizations cannot prosper.

 Succession planning is: “ The process of
ensuring a suitable supply of successors for
current and future senior or key jobs arising
from business strategy, so that the careers of
individuals can be planned and managed to
optimize the organisations‟ needs and the
individuals‟ aspirations. “

 A typical succession planning involves the following
activities:
 1. Analysis of the demand for managers and
professionals by company level, function and skill.
 2. Audit of existing executives and projection of
likely future supply from internal and external
sources.
 3. Planning of individual career path based on
objectives estimates of future needs and drawing on
reliable performance appraisals and assessments of
potential.

 4. Career counseling undertaken in the context of a
realist understanding of the future needs of the firm
as well as those of the individual.
 5. Accelerated promotions with development
targeted against the future need of the business.
 6. Performance related training and development to
prepare individuals for futures roles as well as
current responsibilities.
 7. Planned strategic recruitment not only to fill short
term need but also to fulfill long term needs

Career development 1

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