Preventative > Career Planning and Development


What is Career Planning and Development?

Career planning and development is a cyclical and on-going business process that takes place in organisations and with individuals.

Organisational career planning and development involves appraising the organisation’s vision, mission, strategies and corporate culture and then identifying the roles and positions required to achieve set goals. Employees’ skills and competencies are then audited and assessed to determine training and other developmental needs to ensure staff develop the abilities to match organisational needs. Audit findings are discussed with staff members who prioritise their developmental and career needs and pursue targeted activities. Finally, staff output is monitored and measured to ensure that both organisational and employee goals are being met.

Individuals who seek career planning and development on their own behalf are committed to furthering their careers and ensuring they work in professions that match their mental, emotional and financial needs.

How does it work?

Professional career planning and development is used by employers and by individuals.

Employers who use the service are generally committed to the long-term economic performance, productivity and safety of their organisations. They understand that investing in their employees’ careers increases workplace productivity, safety and morale.

ITIM career planners and developers follow a six-step process, based on the research and best practice guidelines of Court and Hanson (1998), when working with organisations to implement career plans. It involves:

1. Appraisals of organisation vision, values, culture and business strategy. This ensures that current and prospective employees develop and demonstrate the necessary key skills, knowledge and motivations. This step links with employee recruitment and selection.

2. Profiling the necessary qualifications, knowledge, behaviours and motivations required for each position in the organisation.

3. Employee audit and assessment. This stage involves conducting skills’ audits, aptitude and personality surveys, competency-based performance evaluations and personal interviews with each employee to determine their strengths and developmental needs.

4. Feedback meetings with each employee. This is a vital step in the process because employee development only begins once a staff member has accepted their assessed developmental needs and is committed to improvement.

5. Create and implement a development plan. This stage involves individual staff members prioritising their developmental needs and pursuing certain activities to address these needs. This means they may need to attend training workshops, undertake special assignments and appoint mentors or corporate coaches. Once employees have received developmental feedback and created a plan for improvement their enthusiasm can quickly wane if their manager does not have the skills or motivation to provide them with the type of empowering coaching or development they truly need.

6. Measuring and monitoring progress and success. This stage involves the creation of a process to measure and monitor the success of the development plan at both individual and organisational levels. Follow up measurement ensures individuals receive periodic feedback on their progress. This ensures accountability and motivates staff to achieve the agreed level of skill and performance.

Some organisations request a confidentiality clause between the consultant psychologists and each employee in relation to certain personal data collected on employees. This is consistent with privacy regulations and increases employee participation.

The full implementation of the development cycle can take as little as six months in smaller organisations to as long as two years in larger entities.

Employers who have successfully implemented career planning and development programs appoint senior level staff, such as human resource managers, to ensure the cycle is integrated into the organisation’s formal policies and procedures and is not disrupted. It is also necessary to ensure that the importance and purpose of career planning and development is communicated to staff on a regular basis in accordance with an agreed schedule.

Individuals who use the services of career planners and developers are committed to improving their career options. This helps them to meet their long-term financial goals while remaining mentally stimulated and emotional satisfied. The first step involves completing a range of surveys that are interpreted by skilled psychologists. The second step entails meeting with a psychologist who discusses the findings with the individual and provides them with a range of options that match their skills, abilities, personal character and life goals. Detailed career planning and development reports are provided to all clients.

Is Career Planning for You?
Career planning and development is ideal for organisations that are committed to remaining competitive and productive. Professionals within these organisations are aware of the costs associated with recruiting and retaining key personnel and the impact employees’ career decisions have upon strategic business planning. As a result, they appoint the services of professional occupational psychologists who implement appropriate career planning and development strategies to ensure they maximise their human resources.

Alternatively, many individuals today take responsibility for doing something about their own careers, rather than relying on their employers to do it for them. Individuals who request professional career planning and development support generally say they are:
• Not enjoying their current job
• Wanting more from their career and life
• Bored and discontented at work
• Worried about workplace changes that have left them behind
• Unsure what they want in a career
• Finding they drift from one job to the next
• Wanting a more satisfying job
• Wanting a higher salary
• Thinking they are no longer good at anything
• Worried about redundancy
• Saying their lives are out of balance

What are the Benefits of Managing Change?
Professional career planners and developers provide a range of benefits to employers, employees and other individuals.

Benefits for employers:
• Ensures all career development initiatives are aligned with the organisation’s strategic direction and business plan requirements
• Creates an organisational culture that supports career planning and development
• Develops organisational talent already familiar with the organisation’s vision, values, goals and protocols
• Meets succession planning requirements by preparing and promoting new leaders
• Remains competitive amidst growing labour shortages
• Retains dynamic, innovative and energetic staff
• Contributes to the establishment of a safe, productive and positive work environment

Benefits for employees and other individuals
• Re-familiarises them with their organisation’s strategies and objectives
• Ensures their career plans align with organisational objectives
• Meets expectations of existing job
• Provides the opportunity to develop within a changing role
• Expands responsibilities
• Identifies training needs
• Gain an understanding of own strengths and development areas
• Improve self-confidence
• Reduce stress levels
• Increase work satisfaction
• Improve decision-making skills
• Find out what motivates them at work
• Receive a clearer focus for the future
• Have a career plan in place that complements their lifestyle
• Able to talk with an independent and unbiased career professional
• Rediscover balance and a sense of purpose in life.