Project Work of Human Resource Management

On
Some Experience on Career Planning

Submitted To:Dr. S.C. Roy

Faculty Of Human Resource Management

Submitted By :Kumar Vikram Aditya

Roll No. 1023
1st Year B.A. LL.B. (Hons)

Some Experience on Career Planning

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction
Aims And Objectives
Hypothesis
Research Methodology
Objectives of Career Planning
Need For Career Planning
Advantages of Career Planning
Disadvantages of Career Planning
Career Planning and Development Process
Career Planning and Development Stages
Scope of Organisational Career Planning
Limitations of Career Planning
SWOT Analysis in Career Planning
Case Study
Conclusion
Bibliography

INTRODUCTION
Career :A Career has been defined as the sequence of a person's experiences on different jobs over the
period of time. It is viewed as fundamentally a relationship between one or more
organizations and the individual. To some a career is a carefully worked out plans for self
advancement to others it is a calling-life role to others it is a voyage to self discovery and to

still others it is life itself. A career is a sequence of positions/jobs held by a person during the
course of his working life.
According to Edwin B. Flippo,A career is a sequence of separate but related work activities
that provide continuity, order and meaning to a persons life.
According to Garry Dessler, The occupational positions a person has had over many years.
Many of today's employees have high expectations about their jobs. There has been a general
increase in the concern of the quality of life. Workers expect more from their jobs than just
income. A further impetus to career planning is the need for organizations to make the best
possible use of their most valuable resources the people in a time of rapid technological
growth and change.
Career Development:Career development, both as a concept and a concern is of recent origin. The reason for this
lack of concern regarding career development for a long time, has been the careless,
unrealistic assumption about employees functioning smoothly along the right lines, and the
belief that the employees guide themselves in their careers. Since the employees are
educated, trained for the job, and appraised, it is felt that the development fund on is over.
Modern personnel administration has to be futuristic, it has to look beyond the present tasks,
since neither the requirements of the organisation nor the attitudes and abilities of employees
are constant. It is too costly to leave 'career' to the tyranny of time and casualty of
circumstances, for it is something which requires to be handled carefully through
systematisation and professional promoting. Fortunately, there has lately been some
appreciation of the value of career planning and acceptance of validity of career development
as a major input in organisational development. Career development refers to set of programs
designed to match an individuals needs, abilities, and career goals with current and future
opportunities in the organization. Where career plan sets career path for an employee, career
development ensures that the employee is well developed before he or she moves up the next
higher ladder in the hierarchy.
Career Management :The process for enabling employees to better understand and develop their career skills and
interests, and to use these skills and interests more effectively.

Career Planning:Career Planning is a relatively new personnel function. Established programs on Career
Planning are still rare except in larger or more progressive organizations. Career Planning
aims at identifying personal skills, interest, knowledge and other features; and establishes
specific plans to attain specific goals.
Aims and Objectives of Career Planning:Career Planning aims at matching individual potential for promotion and individual
aspirations with organizational needs and opportunities. Career Planning is making sure that
the organization has the right people with the right skills at the right time. In particular it
indicates what training and development would be necessary for advancing in the career
altering the career path or staying in the current position. Its focus is on future needs and
opportunities and removal of stagnation, obsolescence, dissatisfaction of the employee.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The researcher prime objective is to validate the significance of career planning and meaning
of career planning. The aim is to find out the need for career planning, objective of career
planning, advantages of career planning and development with respect to individual and with
respect to organisation and also the disadvantages of career planning. It also aims at the
stages of career planning and its development stages and finally the limitations of career
planning.

HYPOTHESIS
Career Planning can be defined as a systematic process by which one selects career goals and
paths to these goals. Career planning helps the employee to plan career in terms of his
capacity and within the context of the organisations needs the aim of career planning is to
integrate individual and organisations needs. Career planning is one important aspect of
human resource planning and development. Every individual who joins an organization
desires to make a good career for himself within the organization. He joins the organization
with a desire to have a bright career in terms of status, compensation payment and future
promotions. From the point of view of an organization, career planning and development
have become crucial in management process. An organization has to provide
facilities/opportunities for the career development of individual employees.

RESEARCH METHODLOGY
The various books, various articles, websites and newspaper are referred for this topic. The
sources from which the material for this research collected are secondary. So the
methodology used in the research has been Doctrinal. No non-doctrinal method has been used
by the researcher in this project work.

OBJECTIVES OF CAREER PLANNING

To attract and retain the right type of person in the organization.

To map out career of employees suitable to their ability and their willingness to be
trained and developed for higher positions.
To have a more stable workforce by reducing labour turnover and absenteeism.

 It contributes to man power planning as well as organizational development and

effective achievement of corporate goals.
To increasingly utilize the managerial talent available at all levels within the
organization.
To improve employee morale and motivation by matching skills to job requirement
and by providing opportunities for promotion.
It helps employee in thinking of long term involvement with the organisation.

To provide guidance and encourage employees to fulfil their potentials.

To achieve higher productivity and organizational development.
To ensure better use of human resource through more satisfied and productive
employees.
To meet the immediate and future human resource needs of the organisation on the
timely basis.

NEED FOR CAREER PLANNING

To desire to grow and scale new heights.

Realize and achieve the goals.
Performance measure.
High employee turnover.
To educate the employees
It motivates employees to grow.
It motivates employees to avail training and development.
It increases employee loyalty as they feel organization cares about them.

ADVANTAGES OF CAREER PLANNING

In fact both individuals and the organization are going to benefit from career planning. So the
advantages are described below:

For Individuals

1. The process of career planning helps the individual to have the knowledge of various
career opportunities, his priorities etc.

2. This knowledge helps him select the career that is suitable to his life styles, preferences,
family environment, scope for self-development etc.
3. It helps the organization identify internal employees who can be promoted.
4. Internal promotions, up gradation and transfers motivate the employees, boost up their
morale and also result in increased job satisfaction.
5. Increased job satisfaction enhances employee commitment and creates a sense of
belongingness and loyalty to the organization.
6. Employee will await his turn of promotion rather than changing to another organization.
This will lower employee turnover.
7. It improves employees performance on the job by taping their potential abilities and
further employee turnover.
8. It satisfies employee esteem needs.

For Organizations

A long-term focus of career planning and development will increase the effectiveness of
human resource management. More specifically, the advantages of career planning and
development for an organization include:

1. Efficient career planning and development ensures the availability of human resources with
required skill, knowledge and talent.

2. The efficient policies and practices improve the organizations ability to attract and retain
highly skilled and talent employees.
3. The proper career planning ensures that the women and people belong to backward
communities get opportunities for growth and development.
4. The career plan continuously tries to satisfy the employee expectations and as such
minimizes employee frustration.
5. By attracting and retaining the people from different cultures, enhances cultural diversity.
6. Protecting employees interest results in promoting organizational goodwill

DISADVANTAGES OF CAREER PLANNING

The main problems in career planning are as follows:

i. Career planning can become a reality when opportunities for vertical ability are available.
Therefore, it is not suitable for a very small organization.

ii. In a developing country like India, environmental factors such as government policy,
public sector development, growth of backward areas, etc. influence business and industry.
Therefore, career plans for a period exceeding a decade may not be effective.
iii. Career planning is not an effective technique for a large number of employees who work
on the shop floor, particularly for illiterate and unskilled workers.
iv. In family business houses in India, members of the family expect to progress faster in their
career than their professional colleagues. This upset the career planning process.

Systematically career planning becomes difficult due to favoritism and nepotism in

promotions, political intervention in appointments and reservations of seats for scheduled
castes/tribes and backward classes.

CAREER PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

The chart below depicts the career planning and development process

1. Identifying individual needs and aspirations:

Its necessary to identify and communicate the career goals, aspiration and career anchors of
every employee because most individuals may not have a clear idea about these. For this
purpose, a human resource inventory of the organization and employee potential areas
concerned.
2. Analyzing career opportunities:
The organizational set up, future plans and career system of the employees are analyzed to
identify the career opportunities available within it. Career paths can be determined for each
position. It can also necessary to analyze career demands in terms of knowledge, skill,
experience, aptitude etc.
3. Identifying match and mismatch:
A mechanism to identifying congruence between individual current aspirations and
organizational career system is developed to identify and compare specific areas of match and
mismatch for different categories of employees.

4. Formulating and implementing strategies:

Alternative action plans and strategies for dealing with the match and mismatch are
formulated and implemented.
5. Reviewing career plans:
A periodic review of the career plan is necessary to know whether the plan is contributing to
effective utilization of human resources by matching employee objectives to job needs.
Review will also indicate to employees in which direction the organization is moving, what
changes are likely to take place and what skills are needed to adapt to the changing needs of
the organization.

CAREER PLANNING & DEVELOPMENT STAGES

1. Exploration
Almost all candidates who start working after college education start around mid-twenties.
Many a time they are not sure about future prospects but take up a job in anticipation of rising
higher up in the career graph later. From the point of view of organization, this stage is of no
relevance because it happens prior to the employment. Some candidates who come from
better economic background can wait and select a career of their choice under expert.
2. guidance from parents and well-wishers. Establishment
This career stage begins with the candidate getting the first job getting hold of the right job is
not an easy task. Candidates are likely to commit mistakes and learn from their mistakes.
Slowly and gradually they become responsible towards the job. Ambitious candidates will
keep looking for more lucrative and challenging jobs elsewhere. This may either result in
migration to another job or he will remain with the same job because of lack of opportunity.

3.Mid-Career stage
This career stage represents fastest and gainful leap for competent employees who are
commonly called climbers. There is continuous improvement in performance. On the other
hand, employees who are unhappy and frustrated with the job, there is marked deterioration
in their performance. In other to show their utility to the organization, employees must
remain productive at this stage. climbers must go on improving their own performance.
Authority, responsibility, rewards and incentives are highest at this stage. Employees tend to
settle down in their jobs and job hopping is not common.
4.Late-Career stage
This career stage is pleasant for the senior employees who like to survive on the past glory.
There is no desire to improve performance and improve past records. Such employees enjoy
playing the role of elder statesperson. They are expected to train younger employees and earn
respect from them.
5.Decline stage
This career stage represents the completion of ones career usually culminating into
retirement. After decades of hard work, such employees have to retire. Employees who were
climbers and achievers will find it hard to compromise with the reality. Others may think of
life after retirement

SCOPE OF ORGANISATIONAL CAREER PLANNING

The following activities/areas are covered within the scope of organizational career planning:
1. HUMAN RESOURCE FORECASTING AND PLANNING:Here, efforts will be made to identify the number of employees required in future. In addition,
the selection procedure will be adjusted with the overall strategic goals of the organization.
2. TOP MANAGEMENT SUPPORT:
The support and involvement of top management is required. Human resource s or any other
single department cannot serve as solo champions. The concept is simple but involves a
commitment towards corporate and individual growth by employer and employee. The initial
investment requires management's dedication to include an internal career development
program.
3. GOALS AND ACHEIVEMENTS:
When companies share the corporate vision with their employees, the employees understand
what the organization needs and how their personal career aspirations fit into the overall plan.
Employees gain clarity about the organizational culture, goals, strategy, and structure. The
goals of the organisation may consist of:

Preparing managerial talent for future

Retaining employees
Reducing labor turnover
Achieving employees personal career aspirations

4. CAREER INFORMATION PUBLICITY: Here, information relating to career opportunities (promotions, training for self development,
etc) will be supplied to employees. Supplying career information/opportunities has special
significance as this motivates employees to grow and reach to higher position.

5. CAREER COUNSELLING: Such counselling is next to supplying career information. Career counselling is possible by
senior executives through periodic discussions with their subordinates. Such career guidance
encourages subordinate employees to take interest in certain areas where suitable
opportunities of career development are available. It is a type of internal guidance and
motivation of employees for the selection of possible career paths. Such counselling is
needed when employees have to plan their own careers and develop themselves for career
progress.
6. CAREER PATHING: Management now plans job sequences for transfers and promotions of their employees. This
makes transfers and promotions systematically with advance information to employees.
Career pathing creates suitable mental make up of employees for self-development.
7. SKILL ASSESSMENT TRAINING: Training is essential for career planning and also for manpower development. Along with job
analysis, organizational and job manpower requirement analysis should be undertaken by the
management. This prepares proper background for the introduction of career planning
programmes for employees.

LIMITATIONS OF CAREER PLANNING

Despite planning the career, employees face certain career problems. They are:
1.Dual Career Families:With the increase in career orientation among women, number of female employees is on
increase. With this, the dual career families have also been on increase. Consequently, one of
those family members might face the problem of transfer. This has become a complicated
problem to organizations. Consequently other employees may be at disadvantage.
2.Low ceiling careers:Some careers do not have scope for much advancement. Employees cannot get promotions
despite their career plans and development in such jobs.
3.Declining Career Opportunities:Career opportunities for certain categories reach the declining stage due to the influence of
the technological or economic factors. Solution for such problem is career shift.
4. Downsizing and careers:Business process reengineering, technological changes and business environmental factors
force the business firms to restructure the organizations by and downsizing. Downsizing
activities result in fixing some employees, and degrading some other employees. Career
Planning can become a reality when opportunities for vertical mobility are available.
Therefore, it is not suitable for a very small organization.
5.Others:Several other problems hamper career planning. These include lack of an integrated human
resources policy, lack of a rational wage structure, absence of adequate opposition of trade
unions, lack of a good performance reporting system, ineffective attitudinal surveys, etc.

SWOT ANALYSIS IN CAREER PLANNING

A SWOT analysis focuses on the internal and external environments, examining strengths and
weakness in the internal environment and opportunities and threats in the external
environment.

Strengths :Internal positive aspects that are under control and upon which you may capitalize in
planning. For Example:- Work experience, strong technical knowledge within your field
(example Hardware, software), specific transferable skills (example communication,
teamwork)
Weakness:Internal negative aspects that are under your control and that you may plan to improve. For
example:- Lack of work experience, goals, self knowledge, weak in skills .

Opportunities:Positive external conditions that you do not control but of which you can plan to take
advantage. For example:- Strong network, opportunities for advancement and professional
development in the field.
Threats:Negative external conditions that you do not control but the effect of which you may be able
to lessen. For example:- Competitors with superior skills, experience, knowledge.

CASE STUDY
Mr.Amar Potdar is a stenographer. He is working as a P.A to production manager in Victo ltd,
Borivali, Mumbai 400092. He is a under graduate of 30 years, unmarried and from a poor
middle class family. However, he is hardworking, reasonably intelligent, capable and also
career conscious. He joined his company not for job but for his career building and desires to
be executive like his boss with higher status, salary and challenging duties. He puts up with
his elder brother who is married and stays at Thane in a small 2 room flat. Both brothers have
to send money to their parents who stay at Ratnagiri with little income from agricultural land.
Amars present job is taking dictation, typing and providing secretarial assistance to his boss.
Amar wants to move to higher position in this organization. His boss is aware of the ambition
of Mr.Amar and has a genuine desire to help him to learn, to grow and to build up his career
within a short period. Two years ago i.e. in June 1994, one of his friends in Borivali started
evening classes for external degree of Mumbai University (distinct education). Amar joined
up the batch, which starts at 7 p.m and functions up to 10 p.m. Amar is able to go regularly to
the tuition classes as his working timings are from 10.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. his boss has agreed to
relieve Amar for his class by 6.00 p.m. on all working days. He also offered some financial
help to Amar for his higher education. Mr.Amar passed B.com. Examination with first class
(with some specialization in accounts) in 1997. Thereafter, he continued his education and
took law degree. He also joined reputed management institute after securing law degree for
specialization in Marketing. This is how; he joined as undergraduate and got additional
qualifications i.e. degrees in commerce and law and diploma in marketing management. In
2001, Mr.Amar was in a good mood. He thought that his company management will consider
his qualifications, loyalty towards the organization and efficiency in work and will give him
opportunity for advancement in executive position. He waited for more than one year for
positive response from the management. His boss also recommended his name to higher
position due to his qualifications and career consciousness. Mr.Amar wanted higher position
in his company (particularly his boss) has given him certain facilities and concessions. When
all hopes for promotion proved false, Amar got annoyed and restless. He felt that there is no
appreciation of his loyalty and education and that that the company is unfair to him. He also
started applying for higher position in other companies. Finally, he reluctantly left the
organization and after changing 3 jobs he was promoted as Sales Manager with higher salary
and liberal incentives. His boss and co-employees felt very sorry for his joining other
companies. However, the general opinion was that Mr.Amar had no alternative but to leave

the company for better prospects. His colleagues also that Mr.Amar is not a loser but the
company is loser in the real sense.

CONCLUSION
Career planning is not

Leaving the decision to chance

Getting information and never deciding
Going along with someone elses plans

A career is a sequence of positions held by a person during the course of a lifetime. It

comprises of a series of work related activities that provide continuity, order and meaning to a
persons life.
Career planning is the process by which one selects career goals and the path to these goals.
The major focus of career planning is on assisting the employees achieve a better match
between personal goals and the opportunities that are realistically available in the
organization.
Career planning is the process of identifying an individuals strengths, weaknesses, aptitudes,
inclinations, aspiration and attitudes and designing his job responsibilities to take maximum
advantages of positive traits and minimizing the effect negatives traits.

Its our future. We need to make our career decision.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS :1. Gray Dessler,Biju Varkkey, Human Resource Management, 11th edition, Pearson
Publication.
2. Biswajeet Pattanayak, Human Resource Management, 3rd Edition, PHI Learning
Private Limited.
3. M. Armstrong A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (8th ed.).
London: KoganPage.
4. Beardwell, I. and Holden, L. (1997). Human Resource Management: A Contemporary
Perspective (2nd ed.). London: Pitman.
5. Baruch, Y. (2003). Career Systems in Transition: A Normative Model for Career
Practices. Personnel review.
6. Cascio, W. (2003). Managing Human Resources, Productivity, Quality of Life, Profits
(6th ed.). New York.
7. Dr V. P. Michael, Human Resorces Management and Human Relations, Student
Edition, Himalaya Publication.

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