Developing Careers

1. 9 Developing Careers © 2001 by Prentice Hall 9-1

2. Challenges • Establisha sound process for helping employees develop their careers. • Understand how to develop your own career. • Identify the negative aspects of an overemphasis on career development. • Understand the importance of dual-career issues in career development. • Develop a skills inventory and a career path. • Establish an organizational culture that supports career development.

3. Career Development An ongoing and formalized effort that focuses on developing enriched and more capable workers.

4. Career Development System: Linking Organizational Needs with Individual Career Needs Organizational Needs Individual Career Needs • What are the organization’s • major strategic issues over • the next two to three years? • What are the most critical • needs and challenges that • the organization will face • over the next 2 - 3 years? • What critical skills, know- • ledge, and experience • will be needed to meet • these challenges? • What staffing levels will • be required? • Does the organization have • the strength necessary to • meet the critical challenges? • How do I find career • opportunities within the • organization that: • Use my strengths • Address my • developmental needs • Provide challenges • Match my interests • Match my values • Match my personal style Issue: Are employees developing themselves in a way that links personal effective- ness and satisfaction with the achievement of the organization’s strategic objectives?

5. The Career Development Process Assessment Phase Direction Phase Development Phase

6. The Assessment Phase of Career Development • Self-Assessment • Self-assessment is increasingly important for companies that want to empower their employees to take control of their careers • Whether done through workbooks or workshops, self-assessment usually involves doing skills assessment exercises, completing an interests inventory, and clarifying values. • Organizational Assessment • Some of the tools traditionally used by organizations in selection are also valuable for career development. Among these are: • Assessment centers • Psychological testing • Performance appraisal • Promotability forecasts • Succession planning

7. Common Assessment Tools Self-Assessment Organizational Assessment Career workbooks Career-planning workshops Assessment centers Psychological testing Performance appraisal Promotability forecasts Succession planning

8. Sample Skills Assessment Exercise Use the scales below to rate yourself on each of the following skills. Rate each skill area both for your level of proficiency and for your preference. Proficiency: 1 Still learning 2 OK — competent 3 Proficient Preference: 1 Don’t like to use this skill 2 OK — Don’t particularly like or dislike 3 Really enjoy using this skill Skill AreaProficiency x Preference = Score 1. Problem solving _______ _______ _______ 2. Team presentation _______ _______ _______ 3. Leadership _______ _______ _______ 4. Inventory _______ _______ _______ 5. Negotiation _______ _______ _______ 6. Conflict management _______ _______ _______ 7. Scheduling _______ _______ _______ 8. Delegation _______ _______ _______ 9. Participative management_______ _______ _______ 10. Feedback _______ _______ _______ 11. Planning _______ _______ _______ 12. Computer _______ _______ _______ 9-8

9. The Direction Phase of Career Development • Individual Career Counseling • This refers to one-on-one sessions with the goal of helping employees examine their career aspirations. • Information Services • Information services provide career development information to employees. • Job-posting systems • Skills inventories • Career paths • Career resource center

10. Career Path A chart showing the possible directions and career opportunities available in an organization; it presents the steps in a possible career and a plausible timetable for accomplishing them.

11. Alternative Career Paths for a Hotel Employee Waiter/ Waitress Pantry Worker Pastry Cook Sauce Cook Short- Order Cook Sous- Chef Bus- person Liquor Store- room Steward Host/ Hostess Beverage Manager Asst. Banquet Manager Banquet Manager Store- room Clerk Assistant Steward

12. The Development Phase of Career Development • Mentoring • Mentoring relationships generally involve advising, role modeling, sharing contacts, and giving general support. • Coaching • Employee coaching consists of ongoing, sometimes spontaneous, meetings between managers and their employees to discuss the employee’s career goals and development. • Job Rotation • Job rotation involves assigning employees to various jobs so that they acquire a wider base of skills. • Tuition Assistance Programs • Organizations offer tuition assistance programs to support their employees’ education and development.

13. Making Career Development an Organizational Priority • Stress commitment to career growth and development in formal communications with employees. • Make career development a priority at all levels of the organization, starting at the top. • Provide managers with the people skills they need to develop their subordinates. • Emphasize that career development is a collaborative effort and that the employee must take primary responsibility for his or her own career. • Require managers to meet with their subordinates regularly to review personal career goals and objectives.

14. Making Career Development an Organizational Priority (cont.) • Ask managers to outline employee achievements and strengths when conducting an appraisal review session. • Encourage managers to collaborate with subordinates to develop a career vision. • Emphasize that part of the manager’s job is helping employees develop career action plans. • Encourage employees to take advantage of continuing education and other development activities. • Require managers to develop collaborative rather than top-down, control-oriented working relationships with their subordinates.

15. Effective Coaching Techniques • Create a Coaching Context • Identify your purpose in the coaching role • Set parameters • Actively Listen to the Person • Limit interruptions from others and from yourself • Reflect back to the person what you heard • Ask Questions • View the goal of the interaction as helping the employee to find answers that works best for him or her • Don’t give advice; ask questions that explore assumptions • Give Useful Feedback • Let the employee identify his or her difficulties to overcome. Your input should help clarify what needs to be done.

16. Suggestions for Self-Development • Create your own personal mission statement. • Take responsibility for your own direction and growth. • Make enhancement your priority, rather than advancement. • Talk to people in positions to which you aspire and get suggestions on how to proceed. • Set reasonable goals. • Make investment in yourself a priority.

17. Advancement Suggestions • Remember that performance in your function is important, but interpersonal performance is critical • Set the right values and priorities. • Provide solutions, not problems. • Be a team player. • Be customer oriented. • Act as if what you’re doing makes a difference.