Steps to Create a Career Development Plan

By Susan M. Heathfield, Human Resources Expert
The Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM) identified18 conditions that must be presentin the workplace for employees to experience engagement. Then, employees were asked to rate theiroverall satisfactionwith each of these factors in their workplace.Four of the lowest rated seven conditions were related to training,professional development, andcareer development. So the growth and development needs of employees are not a priority in many workplaces Yet, when employeesidentify the factorsthat they must have from work, career growth and development is one of the top five.A career development plan is a win for employers and employees. The plan focuses on the employees’ needs for growth and development and the assistance the organization can provideso that the employee has the opportunity to grow his or her career.
What to Avoid in Career Development PlanningThere are issues and statements that you want to avoid as you and the employees who report to you create career development plans.
For example, you want to avoid:Guaranteeing or forming a contractwith the employee by promising that the company will provide training or any other promised benefit. The best that you can do is to say that you will help howeveryou can, but that the company growth, economic circumstances, priorities, and goals will impact theemployee’s desired developmentalpath,promotions, andcareer goals. Nothing is guaranteed.In states such as Michigan where laws are interpreted literally, you want to avoid statements that over-commit the employer. For example, at a client company, I hadput up a career opportunity bulletin board in the lunchroom. The company attorney advised me that the board implied that employees were promised careers and asked me to call it job opportunities board instead. Know your state and international governmental laws. The managerowningor having responsibility for carrying out the plan. The career development plan belongs to the employee. You can facilitate its pursuit, explore options with the employees, provide opportunities for the employee when possible, encourage the employee to have goals for growth and expansion of his or her career and skills, but youcannot do it for them. They must own their plan.Overcommitting your time or resources. As much as you are devoted to helping the employees who report to you grow, you have alimited amount of time available tohelp, in addition to the rest of your job. For example, unless you are already aware of a great class or resource, researching options for the employee to develop skills is not your job.You can steer the employee in certain directions, but you cannot do the work for him. Do not take onthe responsibility of finding a greatclass in listening for a poor communicator. If it turns out to be a poor choice, you are responsible in the employee’s eyes and if it doesn’t produce the desired results, you are also responsible. Both the Human Resources department and you can help the employee explore his or her options, but the employee is responsible.If the employee finds what he thinks is a great development opportunity, he is responsible for selling the company on the idea – not you.
Steps in Discussing Career DevelopmentYou can createcareer development planswith you employees by taking these simple steps.Tell the employee that you want to meet with him or her to discuss career development plans and hopes. Ask the employee to think in advance about his or her options for growth and development and how they see their career unfolding in your company. Encourage the employee to think about how they’d really like to see their careers progress.Suggest that the employee think about and come prepared to discuss:--What professional job or career growth goals does the employee hope to achieve within three years?What can the employee do to ensure that he or she is making progress on this career path?--What resources and support can the organization provide so that the employee can accomplish these professional job or career growth goals?--What professional and personal goals will help the employee improve or develop great performance in their current job?--What additional support can this organization provide so that the employee is able to accomplish these goals?Hold the meeting and direct the conversation to these questions. Be flexible because the employee may have other avenues that he or she wants to discuss. As a manager, your job is to know all of the options available to the employee such asjob shadowing,mentoring, and coaching on particular skills. Many employees don’t consider development in terms beyond taking a class, and this is a limited view of development and the options that are available in organizations that havevision.Fill out the appropriate form and turn it intoHuman Resourcesfor review and additional input.Options for Career Development PlansFor career development planning to work, you need to expand your view of development and that of your employees. A training class is not the only way to develop employees. In fact, development that is provided in-house is often more effective.