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Career Development Strategies

Go ahead! Educate staff on careers from A to Z

Mon, 05 May 2008 12:10

by Heather Jones

Most HR practitioners would agree that staff career development and career management is of significant importance for organisations today. In many organisations HR practitioners have implemented activities to address fundamental career development issues through performance management processes, training and development opportunities and succession planning.

However, the challenge is still to create, maintain and develop a reasonable ‘job fit’ between an individual and the organisation. A good employee-job fit is fundamental to levels of job satisfaction and work productivity.

For employees, a satisfying career can promote feelings of fulfilment, a sense of purpose and self-efficacy. Research has made a link between job dissatisfaction and mental and physical health problems and depressed feelings can be the direct consequences of a work life that is mismatched to an individual’s aspirations and inherent abilities.

Matshepo, a client of mine, is experiencing dissatisfaction with her current job and wants to change career fields. She says, “I am not happy in my job, but I don’t really know what career to pursue next.” As Matshepo works for a large retail organisation, she considered exploring career options in the company’s marketing department. “When I went there, everyone was too busy to give me information on what marketing is all about. I need further knowledge about my own career interests, abilities and skills and the different careers available within my organisation,” she says.

For employees like Matshepo, the career management process includes a number of steps, which are:

• gathering information regarding self and the various career fields available
  
• developing an accurate picture of one’s unique talents, interests, values and life career history, as well as alternative jobs available
  
• developing realistic career goals and
  
• developing and implementing a strategy and feedback mechanisms to achieve these goals

Self-knowledge (interests, values, abilities, life career histories) and knowledge of career fields is fundamental to making more appropriate career decisions. Organisations can greatly assist their employees to obtain and explore this type of information through a focused effort on career education.

Career education can be done through:

1. A company career brochure containing descriptions of the career fields available within the organisation, job descriptions and skills and talents needed and career path options

2. A career library (containing articles, magazines, books and videos on various careers and internet access to relevant career and self-assessment sites)

3. Career self-exploration and career field exploration workshops

4. The provision of individual career guidance opportunities for staff

5. The establishment of a company Career Resource Centre

6. Arranged talks by key employees within the organisation on their careers (their daily activities, work and life experiences, educational background and career interests and abilities)

7. The provision of handbooks on training and development, learnership and study assistance opportunities within the organisation

8. Communicating information via the intranet on career self-management, job dissatisfaction, burnout, obsolescence and retrenchment, etc

9. The training of line managers on effective career guidance techniques

10. Workshops on CV writing and interview skills

Increased levels of job satisfaction leads to improved staff morale and motivation and this leads to increased organisational productivity and staff retention. So, don’t be late, Educate!