A professional career plan is essential for maintaining and attracting talented employees in companies. By offering training and supporting the growth of employees, adapting them to changes in the productive sector, labor loyalty is increased. The workplace motivation and commitment of the team is reflected in various aspects, including support in the development of their career plans.
By highlighting professional growth opportunities for each employee through a career plan, staff performance and motivation is maximized. For this reason, this tool has become very popular and has proven to be very useful for companies looking to grow with their employees. In a world where it is essential to improve productivity, competitiveness and adaptability to change, many companies are investing in strengthening the skills of their employees, allowing them to perform multiple tasks and grow professionally. Therefore, the selection of personnel by competencies has become a key factor to ensure the sustainability and good functioning of a company.
The speed of changes, the shortage of human talent and the restrictions caused by social distancing have led to a focus on internal talent to fill vacant positions due to people at risk or who must be isolated. However, it is equally important to create an attractive company to attract new talents, who see real development opportunities in the organization.
What is a career plan?
A professional career plan is a process in which professional goals, objectives and aspirations are established, and then the actions and resources needed to achieve them are evaluated. Online courses are an efficient way to implement a personalized career plan for each company.
Its importance has increased in recent years, and in job interviews, candidates often specifically ask about the company’s career policies, being a key factor in the decision to continue in the selection process or stay in a company.
Main objectives when implementing career plans.
Behind each action carried out by a company, there is usually a purpose. In the case of career plans, the organization can seek the following goals:
- Attract and retain talent: An attractive career development plan can be a key factor in attracting and talent retention . According to studies, lack of opportunities for growth and personal development is one of the main reasons why a professional decides to change jobs. One out of three workers said they left their last position due to a lack of new skills or improvement in their performance, so it is important to consider this aspect if the company wants to reduce turnover or attract the best professionals in the market.
- Create an efficient and competitive environment: Customized career plans help improve effectiveness and growth in the company, by providing employees with the necessary tools to develop their skills and take on new responsibilities. This can increase the overall productivity of the company and reinforce areas where a worker is weaker, allowing them to reach their desired level. At the same time, by developing skills tailored to their interests and ambitions, employees will feel more satisfied and fulfilled in their work.
- Greater job stability: Career plans also aim to achieve stability in the workforce, allowing a large number of employees to progress and take on greater responsibilities within the company, instead of having to rely on hiring external personnel to fill leadership positions.
- Cover current and future needs of the company: The goal of career plans is to cover the needs of the company through the training and development of current workers. If the company plans to introduce new systems or machinery, existing employees can be prepared instead of hiring others. With proper planning, internal talent can be found that meets the needs of the company.
Steps for implementing a career plan:
The process of implementing career plans in a company includes:
- Determine the goals of the plan, taking into account both the professional goals of the employees and the medium-term needs of the organization.
- In addition, the necessary skills must be defined for each position in order to evaluate whether an employee is prepared to assume new responsibilities and advance in their career within the company. Once these steps are established, personalized career plans can be created to help employees achieve their goals and contribute to the growth of the company.
- Hold meetings with employees: It is important to have several meetings with employees to understand their goals and develop their career plan together. The more effective the plan, the more committed and motivated the employee will be with the company.
- Use different training methods: Training and development of human talent should be attractive and motivating for the employee, so it is important to use different learning methods such as coaching, expert lectures, practical workshops, etc. Gamification can also be a good option as it is based on a system of goals and rewards to motivate the employee to achieve the established goals.
- The process of implementing career plans in a company includes: Documenting the career plan of each employee: It is important to record the steps to be taken in each employee’s career plan, such as goals, actions, training, check points and internal promotions.
Finally, career planning is essential to find an appropriate path in the company that satisfies both personal needs and goals as well as the development and growth of the company. It is important to keep in mind that these plans must be consistent with the business objectives of the organization and the characteristics of the sector in which it operates. The success of the process depends largely on the ability to balance the needs of the company and those of the worker or professional, who are seeking to form prepared teams and grow in their career, respectively.