Chapter 15

Career Management and Development

Definition of Terms

1. Career Development- prepares a person for progression along a designated career path
2. Career Management- the process through which employees becomes aware of their interest,
values, strengths, and weaknesses
3. Career- a general course that a person chooses to pursue throughout his working life
4. Career Planning- a process whereby an individual sets career goals and identifies the means to
achieve them
5. Organization’s Career Pathing- is that phase of HRM that sets up paths along which the
individual moves and progresses over time in the organization
6. Career path- a flexible line of progression through which an employee typically moves during
employment with a company
7. Career anchor- self-concept based on differing work motives and abilities/guides ; stabilizes and
integrates a person’s work experiences
8. Career plateau- likelihood of additional hierarchical promotion or further job advancement is
low or permanently or temporarily blocked
9. Career pathing- process by which an employee and his supervisor plan a career progression that
takes into account present experiences and skills

Objectives of Career Development

1. To meet the immediate and future HR needs of the organization on a timely basis
2. To inform the organization and the individual about potential career path within the
organization
3. To utilize existing HR programs to the fullest by integrating the activities that select, assign,
develop, and manage individual careers with the organizations plans

Career and the Individual

a. Finding a Suitable Field

1. Influence of parent, relative, or friend
2. Reading and study/colleges course catalogue
3. Through counselling or testing
4. Professors, including academic adviser
5. Natural and forced opportunity

In addition:

1. Reference book about career information

2. Computer assisted career guidance
3. Career information in newspaper and magazines
 4. Speaking to people

b. Conducting a Job Campaign

3 Major aspects of Job Campaign
1. Job hunting tactics :
 Identify objectives
 Identify potential contribution
 Use multiple approaches and tactics
 Use networking

Potential sources of contacts through Networking

 Friends
 Parents and other member of the family
 Faculty and staff
 Former or present employer
 Community groups, churches
 Trade and professional associations
 Student professional associations
 Career fairs
 Persist
 Take rejection in stride
 Avoid common mistakes

 Not knowing what type of work one wants to do

 Not taking the initiatives to generate job leads
 Having a poor resume
2. Preparing a resume
3. Performing well in an interview

c. Establishing Career Goals- career planning in the form of goal setting and establishing a career
path ideally precedes finding a job
d. Establishing a Career Path- this pertains to a series of positions in one or more organizations
leading to a long term goal
e. Career Advancement Strategies and Tactics
The following strategies and tactics of organizational politics can be interpreted as ways of
advancing one’s career:
1. Make an accurate self-appraisal
2. Stick with what you do best
3. Identify growth fields and growth companies
4. Find the right organization for you
 5. Display good job performance
6. Obtain broad experience
7. Find a sponsor and a mentor
8. Document your accomplishments
9. Rely on networking
10. Make the necessary career transitions
11. Cope with career plateaus
f. Career Switching- this refers to changing from one career to another
g. Making Career Changes- career change or career switching is a natural life progression as most
studies show that the average jobseeker will change careers (not jobs) several times over the
course of his lifetime. Here are the 7-step plan to help and lead you on a path toward career
change success:
1. Assessment of likes and dislikes
2. Researching new careers
3. Transferable skills
4. Training and education
5. Changing in or out
6. Job hunting basics
7. Be flexible
h. Retirement Planning- this complete the career cycle. People should adequately plan for
retirement both psychologically and financially

CAREER STAGES- each person’s career goes through stages, and the stage you are in will influence your
knowledge and preference for various occupations

1. Growth stage- the period from birth to age 14 during which a person develops a self-concept by
identifying with and interacting with other people such as family, friends, and teachers
2. Exploration stage- the period (roughly from 15 to 25) during which a person seriously explores
various occupational alternatives, attempting to match this alternatives with his interest and
abilities. In addition, many individuals change career in mid-life.
Two factors in this stage appear to be:
a.) initial job assignment
b.) characteristics of the first supervisor or mentor
3. Establishment stage- the period (roughly 26 to 44) that is the heart of most people’s work lives
4. Maintenance stage- between the ages of 45-60 during which the person receives his place in
the world of work and most efforts are now directed at maintaining that place
5. Decline or disengagement stage- 60 and above the period during which many people are faced
with the prospect of having to accept reduced levels of power and responsibility and learn to
accept and developed new roles as mentor and confidante for those who are younger
CAREER PLANNING- is important to both organizations and individuals. It requires careful coordination
between the two. The HR managers are the one who usually represent the organization in the career
planning process

A. Career management for New Employees- new employees usually encounter a number of
potential problems including their initial job and its accompanying challenges
B. Career management for Mid-career Employees- some mid-career problems include mid-career
plateau and job less

LATE CAREER STAGE- this is the final stage in an employee’s career where he has already reached an age
of adulthood and should eventually prepare himself, either for a bigger responsibility or for retirement

The aging work force and the use of early retirement programs to shrink companies work forces
have 3 implications

1) Companies must meet the needs of older employees

2) Companies must take steps to prepare employees for retirement
3) Companies must be careful that early retirement programs do not unfairly discriminate
against older employees

Developmental Needs during Late Career

1. Understanding older employees

2. Performance standards and feedback
3. Education and job restructuring
4. Establishment of flexible work patterns
5. Development of retirement planning programs
6. Early retirement

CAREER PLATEAU- this defined as the “point in a career where likelihood of additional hierarchical
promotion is very low”

Plateauing - means unanticipated and unwanted levelling of career due to the elimination of layers of
management through corporate restructuring

Employees can have career plateau for several reasons

1. Lack of ability
2. Lack of training
3. Low need for achievement
4. Confusion about job responsibilities
5. Slow company growth resulting in reduced development opportunities

The following are possible remedies for plateaued employees

1. Employees understand the reason for plateau

 2. Employees should be encouraged to participate in development activities
3. Employees should be encouraged to seek career counselling

Management Career States

1. Learners of Comers- these individuals, considered to have advancement potential, are not
performing up to par at present
2. Stars- these individuals are seen as doing high quality work and are considered to have high
advancement potential
3. Solid Citizens- these managers, seen as doing good or even outstanding work, have foe one
reason or another little, if any chance for further advancement
4. Deadwood- these individuals are seen in having little or no chance for advancement, and their
current performance is seen as marginal or inadequate

Causes of Plateaus
a) Changing skill requirements
b) Flattening organizations
c) Boomer bulge
d) Increase automation
e) Contingent worker
f) Shifting career expectations

3 actions that can aid in managing the plateauing

1. Prevent plateaus from becoming in effective

2. Integrate the relevant career-related information systems
3. Manage ineffective plateaus and frustrated managers more effectively

Rehabilitating Ineffective Plateau

1. Provide alternate means of recognition

2. Develop new ways to make their current jobs more satisfying
3. Effect revitalization through reassignment
4. Utilized reality-based self-development program
5. Change managerial attitudes toward plateaued employees

Other options: lateral movement, job enrichment, exploration of possible alternatives,

realignment, demotion, and the last resort is termination

Identifying Occupational Orientation

Career counselling expert John Holland says that a person’s personality is another determinant
of career choices
Identifying Career Anchor

A career anchor is a self-concept based on differing work motives and abilities

There are 5 career anchors:

1. Managerial competence- the primary orientation of people in this group is to develop

managerial abilities of interpersonal competence, analytical competence, and
emotional competence required at high levels of management.
2. Technical/Functional Competence- the primary orientation of these people is actual
work they do and their wish to continue using and developing their existing skills,
rather than increasing organizational level
3. Security- the orientation of these group of people is primarily to search for security
4. Creativity- orientation of these people is toward creating something that is entirely
their own, whether it be a product, a company, a work of art, or a personal fortune
5. Autonomy-independence- an orientation to avoid working under the constraints of
organization life, and looking for freedom and independence

Career Management Responsibility of the Manager, the Human Resource Manager, the Company and
the Employee

1. Avoid reality shock

2. Provide challenging initial jobs
3. Be demanding
4. Provide periodic job rotation and job pathing
5. Provide opportunities for mentoring

Human Resource Manager’s Role

The human resource manager should provide information or advice about training and
development opportunities or provide specialized services such as testing to determine employees
values, interest, and skills, help prepare employees for the job searches, and often counselling on career
related problems

Company’s Role

Companies are responsible for providing employees with the resources needed to be successful
in career planning

1. Career workshops
2. Information on career and job opportunities
3. Career planning workbooks
 4. Career counselling
5. Career paths

Employees Role

Regardless of how sophisticated the company’s career planningsystem is