How to develop career paths for employees: A practical guide for leaders

In a tight job market, employee development has become more than just a differentiator, it’s an expectation. Experts are retiring and technology is rapidly progressing, making it critical to fill skills gaps and maintain an experienced workforce. Organizations can plan ahead for this by career pathing, that is, the structured process in which employees set goals for developing competencies and taking on future roles. Career pathing goes hand-in-hand with succession planning, though the former is more driven by the employee and the latter is determined by the needs of the organization.

Career pathing 101

Before developing a career path for employees, it’s important to understand where to start. Career pathing is influenced by many internal and external elements. For the individual, intrinsic motivation is an underlying force that drives this process forward and gives you the starting point to begin discussions for their future.

Leaders should consider the fit between the employee and the work environment as culture, capability, and work format can all influence how well an employee performs now and in the future. Both employees and organizations benefit from allowing individuals to explore their desired roles and providing mentorship on what it will take to reach that goal. It’s also worth noting that sponsoring these types of activities shows an investment in the workforce on the part of the organization, one in which employees are sure to take note.

Career pathing step-by-step

Once the employee’s desires have been communicated and they express readiness to participate, leaders can begin to build a career path for employees that aligns their desires to current and future opportunities within the organization. Determining the career path requires that roles and responsibilities within the organization are clear and specific. Which leads me to the first step of the process:

Step 1: Review job descriptions

The best sources for what future roles of interest require are job descriptions that have been developed using accurate job analyses. These vetted documents are clear on the role requirements which reduces the potential for subjectivity. Employees and employers can review the job descriptions for positions that the employee is interested in pursuing to identify the competencies where they excel and those that they need to develop in order to perform the job successfully. This conversation should provide a clear path regarding which areas require the most growth in terms of their knowledge, skills, and abilities.

Step 2: Utilize applicable assessments

In addition to identifying competency gaps by comparing job descriptions, an effective way to gain insight into the employee’s capabilities would be to leverage reliable psychometric assessments. These assessments typically have reports that can be used for the purpose of enhancing an individual’s understanding of how they prefer to approach work and the tasks they face on a daily basis.

Some assessments, such as Talogy’s Caliper assessment, also incorporate job models that can help individuals compare their competencies to those commonly associated with a particular type of job category. Another useful tool to help identify strengths and development areas is the 360-feedback survey, which gathers input from an employee’s direct reports, peers, and managers. All of this information can help inform the individual about areas of strength and growth opportunities, which in turn informs which roles might make sense to include on their career path or those that might be less of a fit for them.

Step 3: Allow room for flexibility

It is important to remember that career paths for employees do not always travel in a straight line. Early career professionals may experience more soul-searching than those later in their career, and as a result, might spend more time learning different areas of the business or building their competencies in a number of areas before beginning to climb the ranks of the organization.

Be sure to look horizontally across jobs as well. Paths do not have to move vertically with each position and sometimes a horizontal shift can bring more job satisfaction than a promotion.

Step 4: Make a plan

At this point, you start to see the pieces come together, turning the career pathing into a personalized plan. This Individual Development Plan, or IDP, will include the roles of interest, competency strengths and gaps, training and certifications, mentorship goals, and milestones. In the document itself, it is helpful for the employee to describe their current situation and role, then outline the steps and opportunities they wish to take. The more specific, the better, however it is important to keep in mind that the timeline should be realistic and easily adjusted. After all, priorities, interests, and opportunities can change, and so it is best to consider the IDP to be a living document that adapts to the employee and opportunities within the organization.

The mutual benefits of career pathing

Career pathing works best when the employee and organization approach it as an ongoing journey rather than fixed destination. When leaders participate – sharing feedback and encouragement along the way – they place their employee on the road to professional success which injects a sense of meaning and connection into the company culture. The most important element in achieving this is open communication between the employee, their leader, and the organization. This allows for the creation of career pathing where both parties know what the employee wishes to achieve and work as a team to get there.

At the same time, there must be tangible opportunities for the employee to achieve the goals and milestones they put forth through personal development, role advancement, and recognition and rewards for their performance. With these, the employee is more likely to grow in aspiration, motivation, and necessary competencies, all of which benefit the organization beyond retention alone. As much as it is up to the individual to apply themselves to the plan, it is also up to the organization to make it possible and see it through to a successful completion.