Short presentation on the range, purpose & techniques for career management and guidance in the workplace

1. The Range, Purpose & Techniques
for
Career Management and Guidance
in
the Workplace
Presentation by
Ann Sullivan
Saturday 5th December 2009

2. Career v Career Management?
Lifelong, self-monitored process of career planning that
involves choosing and setting personal goals, and formulating
strategies for achieving them.
(Business Dictionary.com)
“Can be defined as the sequence of jobs that a person has
during his or her working life”
(King, Z 2004 Career Management, CIPD)
Handling different aspects of a career activity successfully,
usually in the form of meeting pre-established activity
objectives. Career management usually refers to
maintenance of all aspects of the career planning and
development processes.
(Eresumes.com/eglossary- http://www.eresumes.com/eglossary.html)
“We need to redefine it as the individual’s lifelong
progression in learning and in work.”
(Tony Watts, 1998 Reshaping Career Development for the 21st century)
“An individual's "course or progress through life (or a distinct
portion of life)“
(Oxford English Dictionary)
“A blend of formal and informal activities that should be
pursued throughout one’s working life”
(Greenhaus, JH & Callanan, C (1994) Career Manaagement)

3. What is Career Management in the Workplace?
Balancing the individual & organisational perspective
Employee
Employer
There is a clear business case for career management
‘developing resources from within is critical for future growth and
sustained competitive advantage’
(CIPD – Career Management 2004, p10)

4. The Wider Context of Career Management
Economic
Technological Career Political
Management
Socio-
Cultural

5. Effective Career Management
Senior
Management
Commitment
Line Managers
More investment Activities aligned
taking career
in knowledge, with real
management
skills & tools business needs
seriously
EFFECTIVE
CAREER
MANAGEMENT

6. The Components of Career Management
The range of practices, processes and techniques that are
part of the wider ‘people management’ strategy and
which can be used to balance the career priorities and
aims of individual employees with those of the
organisation.
Adapted from CIPD’s ‘Managing Employee Careers’ Survey (2003)

7. Career Planning & Support
• Induction – Personal Development Plans
• Appraisal
• Regular developmental reviews with line manager
• Mentor Support
• Career discussions
• Career resources
hip
3-w
To guide &
ers
ay
support the
rtn
pa
individual to take Career
rtn
pa
responsibility for Management
ers
their own ay
3-w
hip
development

8. Career Information, Advice & Guidance
• In house career information/advice – drop in centre,
one to one, electronic resources
• Career counselling or coaching
• Career workshops/courses
Pros & Cons
• often only used in crisis situations eg restructuring,
pre-retirement
• employees may develop unrealistic aspirations /
expectations or decide they want to leave
• individuals encouraged to take responsibility for their
development & to consider a broader range of
opportunities in the organisation
• IAG can be both formal & informal

9. Internal Job Markets & Job Posting Systems
• Internal job market
• Online job posting or vacancy boards
• Use of web-based systems
Pros
Self development culture
Savings in recruitment costs
Cons
Equal ops Challenges
Good candidates may not apply

10. Development Activities & Programmes
Higher level types of developmental
activities/programmes
Build capability & maximise individual’s potential
in line with business needs
Supports the organisation to aspire to greater success &
strategically enhances the L&D function
Key Activities
• Secondments
• Work Shadowing/Placement
• Industrial Updating
• Coaching
• Mentoring
• Knowledge transfer/sharing best practice initiatives
Managers play a key role!

11. Initiatives Aimed at Specific Groups
• High-potential development schemes – “Hipos”
• Succession planning
• Graduate entry schemes
• Development or assessment centres
• Career moves managed by the organisation

12. Evaluating & Implementing Changes to
Career Management Activities/Programme
HOLISTIC
“Human capital.... reflects a view of people as value creating
assets rather than primarily as costs.”
“Organisations of all kinds exist only to provide value for
their stakeholders. It is people and their capability that is
the foundation stone of the value chain. Nothing can be more
strategic than maximizing the capability of people.”
(Mayo, A 2004 Creatiing A Learning & Development Strategy)
PRACTICAL
“There has been very little research done to sufficiently
investigate the impact of career management practices, in
spite of the evidence that these practices are capable of
making a positive contribution.”
(Jacowski,T 2007 Career Management Defined)
Monitoring & Evaluation
• Organisational perspective
• Individual perspective
• HR/L&D perspective

13. Career Management v Talent Management
Career Management
• Ideally ‘holistic,’ all embracing and a key component of the
HR strategy
Talent Management
• Depends on the perception of ‘talent’
• Tends to have a narrower focus than career management &
is just one aspect of HR strategy
• A talent management strategy is more often focused on
particular groups of staff and specifics such as succession
planning and potential high flyers, talent pools
The Future....
A forward thinking approach may be to focus on the
knowledge, skills & ‘talents’ of the whole organisation to
develop the widest possible pool of talent
“Releasing talent for business benefit requires organisations to
understand individuals in their totality as much as it requires
identifying potential successors for business critical roles”
(Mce J, 2008 Talent Management: What Does It Really Mean?)

14. Become the CEO of Your Career!
“Nothing can ever replace the commitment of the
individual to the career management process”
Greenhaus, JH & Callanan, C (1994) Career Manaagement (p387)