Career Planning

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Meaning
Career planning is the process by which one selects career goals and the path to these goals. Career development is those personal improvements one undertakes to achieve a personal career plan. Career management is the process of designing and implementing goals, plans and strategies to enable the organization to satisfy employee needs while allowing individuals to achieve their career goals. So, due to this career planning and development is necessary to each and every employee in an organization. The need of career planning and development is felt in each and every organization of todays global world.

Need for Career Planning

Career Planning is necessary due to the following reasons:
1. To attract competent persons and to retain them in the organization. 2. To provide suitable promotional opportunities. 3. To enable the employees to develop and take them ready to meet the future challenges.

4. To increase the utilization of managerial reserves within an organization.

5. To correct employee placement. 6. To reduce employee dissatisfaction and turnover. 7. To improve motivation and morale.

Career Development
Career development is essential to implement career plan. Career development consists of personal improvements undertaken by the individual employee, training, development and educational programmes provided by the organization and various institutes. The most important aspect of career development is that every employee must accept his/her responsibility for development. Various career development actions prove useful if an employee is committed to career development.

Steps involved in Career Development System

There are four steps in establishing a career development system. They are:
1.

Needs: -Defining the present system i.e. this step involves in the conducting a needs
assessment as in a training programme.
Establish roles and responsibilities of employees, managers, and the organization. Identify needs; establish target groups. Establish cultural parameters; determine organizational receptivity, support, and commitment to career development. Assess existing HR Programme or structure; consider possible links to a career development programme. Determine prior attempts at solving the problem or need. Establish the mission or philosophy of the programme. Design and implement needs assessment to confirm the data or collect more data. Establish indicators or criteria of success.

Steps involved in Career Development System

2. Vision: -The needs of the career system must be linked with the interventions. An ideal career development system known as the vision links the needs with the interventions.

Create a long-term philosophy. Establish the vision or objectives of the programme. Design interventions for employees, managers, and the organization. Organize and make available career information needed to support the programme.

Steps involved in Career Development System

3. Action Plan: -An action plan should be formulated in order to achieve the vision. The support of the top management should be obtained in this process.

Assess the plan and obtain support from top management Create a pilot programme

Assess resources and competencies.

Establish an advisory group. Involve advisory group in data gathering, programme design, implementation, evaluation and monitoring

Steps involved in Career Development System

Results: -Career development programme should be integrated with the organizations on-going employee training and management development programmes. The programme should be evaluated from time to time in order to revise the programme.
Create long-term formalized approaches.

Publicize the programme.

Evaluate and redesign the programme and its components