UNIT VI STUDY GUIDE
Career Development
Course Learning Outcomes for Unit VI
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
6. Evaluate resources used with career development programs.
6.1 Discuss training and developmental goals necessary for success in a chosen role.
6.2 Explain outcomes of personal developmental goals.
Required Unit Resources
In order to access the following resources, click the links below.
Davis, P. J. (2015). Implementing an employee career-development strategy. Human Resource Management
International Digest, 23(4), 28–32. https://search-proquestcom.libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/docview/2093305057?accountid=33337
De Vos, A., & Cambré, B. (2017, May). Career management in high-performing organizations: A set-theoretic
approach. Human Resource Management, 56(3), 501–518.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direc
t=true&db=bsu&AN=123108031&site=ehost-live&scope=site
San Mateo County Community College District (Producer). (2004). Introduction to career advantage [Video].
Films on Demand.
https://libraryresources.columbiasouthern.edu/login?auth=CAS&url=https://fod.infobase.com/PortalPl
aylists.aspx?wID=273866&xtid=34493
Unit Lesson
Introduction
In this unit, we will evaluate resources utilized with career development programs. Creating a professional
career development plan for yourself is basically creating a roadmap for your success. When this is well
thought out early in one’s career, it provides an opportunity to accomplish career development goals and
possibly a sense of professional development fulfillment. This unit will take an in-depth look at what a career
development journey looks like, and the resources used along the way.
According to the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM, n.d.), career development is the process
in which employees progress through different stages in their careers, where each stage is characterized by a
unique set of issues, tasks, and themes. Through a clear and solid career development program,
organizations can design and implement strategies that align personal interests, goals, and business
objectives of both the organization and individual employee. Career development consists of two processes
that are career planning and career management.
•
•
Career planning consists of the actions and activities that an individual performs to give direction to
his or her work life (Binney, 2018). Managers and human resources (HR) often assist employees in
this area as they asses their skills and abilities to aid in establishing a career plan with the focus of
the career plan on the individual and his or her personal responsibilities.
Career management is the process of preparing, implementing, and monitoring the career path of the
employee with a keen focus on the needs and goals of the organization (Binney, 2018).
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A successful career development program merges the interests of both the individual
and the GUIDE
organization
UNIT x STUDY
and ensures a successful foundation for both parties.
Title
Roles in the Career Development Process
There are some employees who believe that the organization is responsible for leading them into a successful
career. However, each employee is responsible for his or her career, and for some, this may need to be
clearly explained. Each employee understands his or her own unique needs and aspirations; therefore, it
would be logical that each employee take an active approach in planning for his or her own career.
Managers and those who supervise employees should be the connection between the employee and the
organization. According to Ferrazzi (2015), there are four roles that a manager can play when helping
employees further their employee development. They are coach, advisor, referral agent, and evaluator.
HR professionals also play a key role in the career development process. They must ensure that that they
design career and learning paths that give employees enriching experiences to achieve their goals, along with
coaching managers on supporting employees in the process. The employee, manager, and HR must be
actively involved in putting together a structured career path. In this process, gaps against the current job or
potential position are evaluated along with a developmental plan.
According to Mooney (2011), individual development plans (IDPs) give information on the employee’s
learning outcomes and intentions along with the support necessary to meet the employee’s goals. The IDP
should incorporate components of the adult learning concepts as discussed in Unit II.
There are several templates available for IDPs; however, at a minimum, an IDP should include the details
below.
•
Employee profile: Basic information would suffice for the profile, such as name, title, name of
employee manager, and any other relevant position information.
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•
•
•
•
•
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Career goals and objectives: This should include the position(s) that the
employee
would
like to
pursue, along with the time frames and short- and long-term goals with
estimations of actual
Title
completion dates.
Development objectives: The objectives are statements that align both the employee and
organization’s goals and objectives.
Training and development interventions: Interventions are the activities that the employee will engage
in to build the appropriate knowledge, skills, abilities, and behaviors for a given role with estimated
completion dates.
Outcomes: Here, the developmental efforts will be assessed by the outcomes set.
Dates and signatures: These include sign-offs by both the manager and employee.
The interventions found in training and development include but are not limited to traditional classroom
training, eLearning, shadowing assignments, on-the-job training, professional conferences, mentoring, and
many other training and development activities.
Approaches to Career Development
There are a number of approaches that organizations can use to support their career development initiatives.
According to SHRM (n.d.), organizations that provide a wider variety of developmental experiences are more
likely to meet the various cultural, personal, and skill development needs of their employees. We will explore
six different approaches used in career development.
Employee self-assessment tools: The employee self-assessment approach is a systematic process in
which an employee identifies his or her career goals and preferences. This process will take the form of an
assessment tool such as the Myers Briggs or the Keirsey temperament sorter.
Apprenticeships: Often, apprenticeships are associated with the development of technical skills. Employers,
unions, and trade associations design, manage, organize, and finance approved apprenticeship programs
that are government approved and combine classroom instruction and on-the-job experience. Also in the
apprenticeship approach, some organizations may hire workers and train them in critical skills because of a
short supply of certain positions.
Job rotation, enlargement, and enrichment programs: If you recall from Unit III, job rotation refers to the
movement of employees between different jobs. An employee is assigned from one position to another within
the same department or a different one for a specified period of time, which is usually 6 months to 2 years.
This allows the employee to acquire skills and knowledge from different areas across the organization. With
job enlargement, the employee is given additional and or different tasks within the same job. This gives the
employee a variety of responsibilities by adding more tasks. Job enrichment deepens the experience of the
job by adding related responsibilities such as tracking, planning, organizing, and completing reports.
Projects, committees, and team participation: Another career development approach is the involvement of
special projects, committees, and task forces. In this approach, cross-cultural communication skills are
developed. Employees also gain exposure and knowledge from areas outside of their current role along with
building skills in cross-cultural decision-making and collaborative methodologies.
Coaching and mentoring: If you recall from an earlier unit, the coaching delivery method is where one-onone instruction and guidance are given to learners to help improve their performance in each area. Typically,
this method is used to aid in performance deficiencies, but it can also act as a motivational tool for those who
are performing well. On the other hand, mentoring is a relationship between two individuals who have a
developmental orientation. Mentoring usually pairs a senior colleague (often the mentor) with a junior
colleague or peer (the mentee or protégé). These relationships can be either formal or informal. Formal
mentorship programs are developed in response to a specific organization’s development need or issue. For
example, a part of a talent-management program may require leaders to mentor up-and-coming leaders in the
event of a leader’s departure from the organization through retirement, voluntary or involuntary termination, or
some other departure cause. Informal mentorships are a less structured approach where the mentorship
evolves in a more spontaneous manner. It is often initiated by the mentee self-selecting someone to assist
their career development. The informal mentorship does not involve development plans or sticking to a
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timeline and objectives. Often, the mentee will reach out to the mentor to get advice
issuesGUIDE
or inquire as
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they arise.
Title
Universities, colleges, associations, and continuing education programs: Many organizations offer
tuition reimbursement programs to their employees to support their education and development. These
programs are used by organizations that have a workforce that requires individuals to maintain special skills
through certifications and continual education requirements.
Often, the organization will require that the education program attended by the employee be a program that is
directly related to his or her job responsibilities. The programs should also be aligned with the employee’s
career goals and plan. By doing this, the organization is able to build the talent needed to meet its goals. It
also brings satisfaction to the employee, ensuring that he or she sees a return on the invested time and
energy to obtain the certification or university degree through career progression and mobility.
Conclusion
Some organizations will use education programs as an intervention to build a pool of talent internally and
externally. For example, an organization may partner with a university to create curriculum that aligns with the
needed skills of an organization. Employees are then given an opportunity to obtain additional skills through
the partnership agreement made with the university whenever the organization needs to upskill. This is also a
great way for organizations to recruit external talent. The same curriculum built by the university and the
organization can be used to teach students outside of the organization, making them highly viable potential
candidates for the organization thus ultimately creating potential career development roadmaps to success for
these candidates.
References
Binney, E. (2018, October 9). Be intentional about your career development. Society for Human Resource
Management [SHRM]. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hr-topics/organizational-andemployee-development/pages/be-intentional-about-your-career-development.aspx
Ferrazzi, K. (2015, July 31). 7 ways to improve employee development programs. Harvard Business Review.
https://hbr.org/2015/07/7-ways-to-improve-employee-development-programs
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Mooney, J. T. (2011, June 14). Ramp up professional growth with individual development
plans.
Society for
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GUIDE
Human Resource Management [SHRM]. https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/hrTitle
topics/organizational-and-employee-development/pages/individualdevelopmentplans.aspx
Society for Human Resource Management [SHRM]. (n.d.). Developing employee career paths and ladders.
https://www.shrm.org/resourcesandtools/tools-andsamples/toolkits/pages/developingemployeecareerpathsandladders.aspx
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