Career Development

Career- the sequence of employment positions that a person has held over his or her life.

Career development

The program that provides support so employees can continually add to their skills, abilities, and knowledge. This support includes:

1. Communicating clearly the organization’s goals and future strategies- where firm is headed and how I can be sharing in future- meet the dreams of career.

2. Creating growth opportunities- opportunities for new, interesting and professionally challenging work experiences.

3. Offering financial assistance- tuition fees or others.

4. Providing time for the employees to learn- paid off time to off-the-job training.

Individual Versus organizational Perspective

Individual- focuses on assisting individuals to identify their major goals and how to achieve them. His/her life inside and outside of the organization.

Organizational- monitor progress of special groups of employees, and to ensure that capable professional, managerial, and technical talent will be available to meet the organization’s needs. Career development from organization’s point perspective is also called organizational career planning.

Career Development Versus Individual Development

The difference is time frame

Career Development- it looks at long-term career effectiveness and success of organizational personnel.

Individual Development- focus on work effectiveness or performance in immediate or immediate time frames.

Career Development- Value for the Organization

1. Needed Talent will be available- better and strategic employment planning.

2. Organization’s Ability to Attract and Retain Talented Employees Improves.

3. Minorities and Women Have Comparable Opportunities for Growth and Development

4. Reduced Employee Frustration.

5. Enhanced Cultural Diversity

6. Organizational Goodwill

Career Development- Value for the Individual

1. Career development and success is measured by employee income.

2. Using abilities and skill to face expanded challenges.

3. Take greater responsibilities and increased autonomy in one’s chosen profession.

4. Salary and security from their job to obtain intrinsic career development, or “psychic income” too.

Internal VS External Career

There are five stages common in both:

Internal Career-

a. Exploration- self-assessment, ambitions and goals, motives, dreams, and choices.

b. Establishment- real choice-to take a job or not, doing the dirty work, working hard and searching mentors, career strategy.

c. Mid-Career: new ambitions, fear of leveling off, challenges at mid life, should I give up dreams, settle to what I have.

d. Late-Career: psychological preparation for retirement, new sources of satisfaction through teaching, sources finding off the job self improvement.

e. Decline- learning to accept reduced role, less structured life, new accommodation to family and community,

External career

a. Exploration- Advice and examples of relatives, teachers, friends, and coaches. Successes in school, sports and hobbies. Choices of education vocational school, college major or professional school.

b. Establishment- search for job, acceptance of job, doing the job, assignment to future training.

c. Mid Career- leveling off, transfer and/or promotion, maximum productivity, becoming more of a teacher/mentor than learner.

d. Late Career- more jobs involving teaching others, job assignments drawing primarily on maturity of judgment.

e. Decline- Formal preparation for retirement, Retirement rituals.

Holland’s General Occupational Themes

6 types of work environments as explained by him that help job seekers match their personality to a compatible profession.

1. Realistic-want to deal with things not people like- agriculture, mechanical, military, adventure.

2. Investigative- scientific, task oriented, thinkers, not people oriented like- math, medical services.

3. Artistic- enjoy creative self-expression, dislike highly structured job, like- music, dramatic, art, writing.

4. Social- welfare work, enjoy developing and teaching others, good in group settings, like social service, athletics, religious activities.

5. Enterprising- good facility with words, like- selling or leading, adventurous, public speaking and business management.

6. Conventional- prefer ordered, numerical work, enjoy large organizations, stable and dependable- like office Practices.

Career Enhancement

Think managing a career like an entrepreneur managing a small business.

1. Know yourself- strengths and weaknesses

2. Manage your Reputation- let others know your achievements, make your accomplishments visible.

3. Build and Maintain Network Contacts- join national and international professional organizations, attend conferences, and network at social gatherings.

4. Keep Current- update and develop your skills and abilities high in demand.

5. Balance your Specialist and Generalist Competencies- stay current with your technical specialty, and develop your general competencies to survive in changing environment.

6. Document your Achievements- seek jobs and assignment that provide challenges and offer objective evidence of your competencies.

7. Keep your Options Open- always keep prepared your contingency plans, “Hope for the best but be prepared for the worst”.