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What is Employee Career Development?

D. Jeffress
D. Jeffress

Employee career development refers to a series of steps that an individual can take to establish and reach career goals and increase his or her productivity in the workplace. An individual usually works with supervisors and human resources (HR) managers to plan out an attainable career path within a company or industry. Employee career development strategies include exploring continuing education options, productivity training, establishing a network of professional connections, and actively seeking advancement and promotions.

An employee in need of career guidance can speak to the HR director of his or her company. Most HR workers are happy to help employees determine their options and plan for the future. An individual can also obtain employee career development resources from self-help books and websites that provide detailed information on how to achieve professional goals. In addition, many psychologists and career counselors specialize in helping individuals identify their abilities and set occupational objectives.

It is essential for employees to maintain a good rapport with their supervisors and company executives so they will be among the first people considered for promotions.
It is essential for employees to maintain a good rapport with their supervisors and company executives so they will be among the first people considered for promotions.

The first step in employee career development is usually determining what exactly a worker aspires to be. In order to make a career plan, an individual must identify his or her strengths and goals. An employee can find career assessment and personality tests online that can help him determine what type of work is best. Once assets and objectives have been established, the worker can begin exploring different means of achieving success. He or she may decide to pursue a college degree or obtain certification in a specific field to improve his or her chances of finding meaningful work.

An employee in need of career guidance can speak to the human resources director of his or her company.
An employee in need of career guidance can speak to the human resources director of his or her company.

The initial steps of employee career development also include building a solid resume and a strong list of professional references who can attest to a worker's abilities. Potential employers usually put a great deal of emphasis on an applicant's work history and references. An individual should highlight his or her personal strengths, skills, accomplishments, and objectives, and relate them to the job he or she is trying to get.

An employee might take courses to learn new skills to help them advance in their career.
An employee might take courses to learn new skills to help them advance in their career.

Once individuals have obtained positions and gained sufficient experience within a company, they can meet with supervisors to help them assess their strengths and recognize the areas in which they can make improvements. Supervisors can help workers prepare for advancement possibilities by providing expert training and keeping them informed of openings. It is essential for employees to maintain a good rapport with their supervisors and company executives, so they will be among the first people considered for promotions. By utilizing employee career development strategies, proactive, motivated workers are often able to reach their goals and enjoy a high quality of life.

Discussion Comments

SauteePan

Cafe41-I think a company also encourages its employees to attend trade meaningless and join professional organizations related to their field because it is also going to help not only the company but the employee themselves.

Being affiliated with a national organization lends credibility to the employee and gives the company additional market exposure in these meetings.

cafe41

Sunny27-If we pay attention to the employee and develop their strengths it really promotes workplace motivation which is probably one of the best employee motivation techniques available.

If they have a future in a company and can progress they are more likely to stay with the organization and the organization benefits by having a seasoned employee.

Offering opportunities for the employee to take courses online with tuition reimbursement is a great retention tool and something that a lot of companies are doing right now.

Other incentives also include promotions based on obtaining advanced degrees. Offering a job satisfaction survey that asks what areas of the company the employee would like to work in is also beneficial.

Here the manager can review the employee goals with the employee and try to map out an action plan together on how the employee can achieve the desired result.

Sunny27

I think if you put together an employee career development plan it will go along way in improving employee productivity.

It's important to have an employee job satisfaction survey to determine how employees feel about the job and what areas they feel they can improve.

Sometimes self assessments are very beneficial in pointing out potential career development paths. For example, if a person works at a job that will requires substantial amount of paperwork with very little interpersonal interaction with others but is very extroverted they would probably want to seek an alternative career path.

This type of person would work well in sales and a potential career development plan might include a transition to working with the sales team. This increases workplace motivation because if the employee is not happy with the current job but has a lot of potential in other areas of the company and the employer recognizes it and does something about it you'll have a better chance of retaining the employee.

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    • It is essential for employees to maintain a good rapport with their supervisors and company executives so they will be among the first people considered for promotions.
      By: Andres Rodriguez
      It is essential for employees to maintain a good rapport with their supervisors and company executives so they will be among the first people considered for promotions.
    • An employee in need of career guidance can speak to the human resources director of his or her company.
      By: Dmitry Vereshchagin
      An employee in need of career guidance can speak to the human resources director of his or her company.
    • An employee might take courses to learn new skills to help them advance in their career.
      By: Syda Productions
      An employee might take courses to learn new skills to help them advance in their career.
    • Taking online courses can help an employee advance their career.
      By: a4stockphotos
      Taking online courses can help an employee advance their career.
    • Employee career development may involve conducting researching about the industry.
      By: Africa Studio
      Employee career development may involve conducting researching about the industry.