Career Planning

Career planning is an essential aspect of effective HRM

“A career denotes a succession of related jobs, arranged in a

hierarchy of prestige through which an employee moves in an
ordered and predictable sequence” - Wilensky

“A career is a sequence of separate but related work

activities that provide continuity, order and meaning to a
person’s life” – Edwin Flippo

A career is individually perceived sequence of attitudes

and behaviours associated with work related experiences
and activities over a period of life
 Career Planning - Terms
 Career Goal = Future position an employee aims at as
a part of one’s career progress
 Career Cycle = stages through which one’s career
evolves
 Career Path = Line of progression an employee moves
 Career Progression = Employee’s right moves that
steers through his progress in the job
 Career Development = Personal actions an employee
takes to achieve his career goals
 Career Anchors = self perceived talents, attitudes,
motives and values that guide a person’s career over a
period of several years
 Career counselling = advising employees on setting
career goals and suitable career path
 Career Planning – Why / Need
 To attract competent employee and to retain them

 To provide promotional opportunity – aspiration

 To enable the organisation to meet future needs

 To enhance utilisation of inhouse potentials

managerial
 To correct / balance in placement plans / system
 To minimise employee dissatisfaction and attrition
 To improve employee motivation and morale
 To improve organisational climate and culture -
 Career Planning - Process
 Competency mapping – analysing individual skills,
knowledge, ability etc.
 Career opportunity mapping – within and in industry
as available to the similarly placed employees
 Career Demand – analysing career demand on a
particular employee in terms of quali., knowledge,
skills, training received, attitude etc.
 Co-relating specific job to different career
opportunities
 Establishing career goals, short time & long time
 Formulating career strategies – areas of change and
adjustment
 Action Plan – preparing and implementing
 Career Development Cycle/Stages
 Exploratory Stage – Adjusting to new job, swim / sink
situation

 Establishment stage – Settling down in a career, feed

back, performance appraisal, promotion

 Mid-career / Maintenance stage – Retaining the name,

reputation and good will , peak of performance

 Late / decline stage – ceases to learn or grow,

preparatory to retirement
 Career Development - tools
 No standard prescription – different corporates made
different experiments
 Career Path model – through HR subsystems like
placement, rotation, transfer, empowermnt.
 Grade creation model – intermediary grade created as
stepping stone
 Understudy model –
 Acting / officiating model –
 Deputation model –
 Business Group model –
 Fast Track model - Specialised Training Development