Career development: The importance, roadmap, and stakeholder responsibilities

16/12/2024 15:56

Career development is one of the core factors that help individuals achieve professional goals while also contributing to improving organizational performance. For individuals, career development creates opportunities for advancement, improves income, enhances skills, broadens knowledge, and unlocks personal potential. From an organizational perspective, building a career development roadmap for employees is key to attracting, retaining, and maximizing the capabilities of the workforce, thus creating a sustainable competitive advantage. In the context of globalized economies and rapid technological advancements, investing in career development is not only essential for individuals and businesses but also serves as a foundation to promote innovation and economic growth.

Career Development can be understood in various ways. The simplest definition is a specific profession or job that generates income and sustains livelihood. Career development is the process of enhancing and expanding an individual’s knowledge, skills, experience, and job positions over time, thus satisfying personal goals and contributing positively to organizations or communities.

ROLE OF CAREER DEVELOPMENT

According to a recent workforce survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), career development ranks among the top seven factors for employee retention, alongside compensation and benefits policies, corporate culture, work-life balance, recognition and encouragement, effective leadership, and job security.

  • For Employees:
    • Provides support and guidance for career-related decisions.
    • Allows employees to evaluate their goals and better shape their career paths.
    • Helps establish realistic, feasible career goals that align with organizational conditions.
    • Promotes multi-dimensional communication between employees, direct managers, and management at all levels.
    • Provides feedback on performance, strengths, weaknesses, and future opportunities to improve work style, job efficiency, and skills for further career advancement.
    • Ultimately, these factors enhance personal capacity and job satisfaction.
  • For Organizations:
    • Integrating employees’ career goals into organizational strategy helps achieve strategic objectives effectively.
    • Attracting and retaining high-quality talent: The ability to support career development creates a strong employer brand.
    • Maximizing workforce efficiency: Career development encourages motivation and engagement, leading to higher performance and commitment.
    • Retaining high-quality employees: Employees who see clear career opportunities are more likely to stay, reducing recruitment and onboarding costs.
    • Transparent communication: Encourages open discussions about employee performance, promoting a culture of transparency and a modern organizational environment.

CAREER ROADMAP

A career roadmap is a detailed plan outlining the development stages or steps in an individual’s career over time. It includes phases for developing knowledge, skills, experience, and positions to achieve long-term career goals.

The roadmap is not necessarily limited to one organization but may extend across an entire industry or sector. However, many employees experience comprehensive career growth within a single company, especially in traditional cultures like Vietnam, where long-term commitment is valued. This is more common in large organizations that provide diverse structures, strong development environments, and ample career opportunities.

There are five main types of career roadmaps:

  1. Vertical Career Path:
    • Employees advance to higher-level positions within the same profession or field, increasing responsibility and authority without changing job focus.
    • Example: In finance, the career path may progress from Accountant → Chief Accountant → Financial Director.
  2. Horizontal Career Path:
    • Employees expand their skill sets by taking on equivalent roles in different departments or areas.
    • Example: A marketing staff member transitions to product management or sales to gain a broader understanding of the market.
  3. Diagonal Career Path:
    • Combines promotion and skill expansion across various departments or fields, preparing individuals for senior leadership roles.
    • Example: An engineering professional becomes a technical team leader, then transitions to operations management, and eventually to Production Director.
  4. Leadership Career Path:
    • Focuses on developing management and leadership skills to attain senior executive positions.
  5. Specialist Career Path:
    • Emphasizes deep expertise in a specific field without pursuing leadership roles.
    • Example: Experts in research and development or specialized technical areas.

CAREER DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

The career development process involves four steps and requires close collaboration between employees, direct managers, and the HR department:

  1. Self-Assessment:
    • Identify personal needs, career goals, and individual capabilities.
    • Analyze available career opportunities.
  2. Evaluation:
    • Compare personal aspirations with organizational career systems.
    • Identify strengths and weaknesses relevant to future roles.
  3. Goal Setting:
    • Set clear, achievable goals with corresponding action plans for each stage.
  4. Implementation:
    • Execute the action plan and review it periodically for necessary adjustments.

This process is cyclical: After implementation, self-assessment is repeated to evaluate career progress and propose adjustments for the next phase.

STAKEHOLDER RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. Employees:
  • Assess their aspirations, opportunities, and capacity for improvement.
  • Identify goals, methods, and solutions to achieve career objectives.
  • Propose actionable steps and timelines for achieving targets.
  1. Organizations:
  • Provide performance evaluations and feedback on strengths, weaknesses, and alignment with long-term organizational goals.
  • Offer resources, training programs, and tools to help employees achieve their objectives.
  • Ensure goals are measurable, realistic, and supported by the organization’s commitment.
  1. HR Department:
  • Plays a pivotal role in proposing, designing, and implementing career development policies.
  • Ensures alignment between individual aspirations and organizational needs.

RECOMMENDATIONS

  • For Individuals:
  1. Set clear career goals with specific short-term, mid-term, and long-term plans.
  2. Continuously develop professional and soft skills.
  3. Build and maintain professional networks.
  4. Seek opportunities for challenges, growth, and innovation.
  5. Find mentors for guidance and career advice.
  6. Regularly evaluate progress and adjust plans as necessary.
  • For Organizations:
  1. Establish clear and transparent career roadmaps for all positions.
  2. Invest in training and skill development programs.
  3. Foster a culture of learning, innovation, and personal development.
  4. Offer diverse growth opportunities, including promotions, cross-departmental rotations, and mentorship programs.
  5. Provide competitive compensation, benefits, and timely recognition for contributions.

Career development is essential for both individuals and organizations, especially in a rapidly changing economic and technological landscape. By creating structured career roadmaps, fostering growth opportunities, and supporting employees, organizations can build a loyal, skilled workforce, ensuring long-term success and sustainability.

Translated from Viet Nam Textiles and Fashion Magazine by Vinatex

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