Process

The career planning procedure involves the following steps:

1.      Recognize individual needs and aspirations: Most of the individuals do not have apparent cut idea regarding their anchors, career aspirations, and goals. Therefore the human resource professionals have to help a worker by providing as much information as possible indicating what type of work would suit the worker most, experience, taking his skills, , and aptitude into account. Such kind of assistance is extended through workshops/seminars when the worker is subjected to psychological testing, simulation exercises, etc. The fundamental purpose of such kind of exercise is to help an employee form apparent view regarding what he should do to make his career within the company. Workshops and seminars develop employee interest by showing the worth of career planning. They help workers set career goals, recognize career paths and uncover particular career growth activities (discussed later). This individual attempt may be supplemented by printed / taped information. To assist workers in a better way, organisations build a data bank consisting of information on the career histories, skill evaluations & career preferences of its workers (known as talent inventoryor skill).

2.      Analysing career opportunities: Once career require and aspirations of workers are known, the organisation ought to provide career paths for each of position. Career paths indicate career progression possibilities visibly.   They show the various positions that one could hold over a while of time, if one is capable to perform well. Career paths alter over time, certainly, in tune with employee's requirement and organisational requirements. When framing career paths, the claims of experienced persons lacking professional degrees and that of young recruits with outstanding degrees but without experience have to be balanced properly.

3.      Aligning needs and opportunities: After workers have identified their requirement and have realised the existence of career chance the remaining difficulty is one of alignment. This procedure consists of two steps: first, recognize the potential of worker and then undertake career growth programmes with a view to align workers requirements and organisational chances. Through performance appraisal, the potential of workers may be assessed to some extent. Such kind of appraisal would help reveal workers who need further training, workers who can take up additional responsibilities, etc. After recognizing the potential of workforce certain developmental techniques like, planned position rotation, supervisory coaching, special assignments, understudy programmes, job enrichment, can be undertaken to update workers knowledge & skills.

4.      Action plans and periodic review: The matching procedure would uncover gaps. These have to be bridged through particular career development efforts & organisation supported attempt from time to time. After initiating these steps, it is essential to review the entire thing every now and then. It will help the worker know in which direction he is moving, what changes are probable to take place, what types of skills are required to face new and emerging organisational challenge. From an organisational point of view also, it is essential to discover how employees are performing, what are their goals & aspirations, whether the career paths are match along individual requirement and serve the whole corporate goals, etc.