I.

Career Management Basics

A. Career Terminology We may define career as the occupational positions a
person has had over many years. Many people look back on their careers,
knowing that what they might have achieved they did achieve, and that their
career goals were satisfied.
B. Careers Today Recessions, mergers, outsourcing, consolidations, and more or
less endless downsizing have changed the ground rules. More often employees
find themselves having to reinvent themselves.
C. Employer Career Efforts Today Many employers have added a career aspect
to their human resource activities. They use human resource activities, not just
to support the employers needs, but also to facilitate career self-analysis and
development.
D. The Employees Role An individual must accept responsibility for his/her own
career; assess his/her own interests, skill, and values; and take the steps
required to ensure a happy and fulfilling career. Finding a mentor who can be a
sounding board is often helpful. Mentoring programs can be informal or formal.

III.

Career Management Methods

A. The Employers Role Employers can support career development efforts in
many ways. The means for helping to further an employees career depends on
the length of time the employee has been with the firm. Life cycle career
management stages include:
1. Career Planning Workshops is a planned learning event in which
participants complete career planning exercises and inventories and
participate in career planning exercises.
2. Lifelong Learning both employers and employees contribute, and the
employees can tap into these to get career-related education and
development they desire.
3. Role Reversal employees temporarily work in different jobs in order to
develop a better appreciation of their occupational strengths and
weaknesses.
4. Career Success Teams small groups of employees meet periodically to
support one another in achieving their career goals.
5. Career Coaches help employees create a one to five year plan showing
where their career with the organization may lead.
6.

Online Programs online systems can help the employer analyze an

employees training needs.

7.

Improving Productivity Through HRIS: Career Planning it doesnt make

sense to isolate activities like career planning, succession planning,
performance appraisal, and training from each other. Various software
systems enable employers to integrate these important programs.

8. Career-Oriented Appraisals provide potential useful opportunities for the

supervisor and employee to meet and to link the employees performance,
career preferences, and developmental needs into a career plan.
9.

IV.

Mentoring Mentoring can have positive effects on employees careers,

including faster promotions and salary progression and reduced anxiety; but
it can be a two-edged sword.

Employer Life-Cycles Career Management

A. Making Promotion Decisions Promotions usually provide opportunities to reward
the exceptional performance of tested and loyal employees.
However,
unfairness, arbitrariness, or secrecy can diminish the effectiveness of the
promotion process for all concerned.
1.

Decision 1: Is Seniority or Competence the Rule? Todays focus on

competitiveness favors competence. However, union agreements and civil
service regulations often emphasize seniority.

2.

Decision 2: How Should We Measure Competence? Define the job, set

standards, use one or more appraisal tools to record the employees
performance, and use a valid procedure for predicting a candidates potential
for future performance.

3.

Decision 3: Is the Process Formal or Informal? Each firm will determine

whether the promotional process is formal or informal.

4.

Decision 4: Vertical, Horizontal, or Other? Promotions can be vertical (within

the same functional area) or horizontal (in different functional areas).

B. Managing Transfers Transfers are moves from one job to another, usually with
no change in salary or grade. The frequent relocating of transfer employees has
been assumed to have a damaging effect on transferees family life. Transfers
are also costly financially.
Know Your Employment Law: Establish Clear Guidelines for
Managing Promotions To avoid discrimination lawsuits, employers
need to have clear guidelines for promotions.
C. Managing Retirements
Some employers are instituting formal pre-retirement counseling aimed at easing
the passage of their employees into retirement. A large majority of employees
have said they expect to continue to work beyond the normal retirement age. Parttime employment is an alternative to outright retirement. Employers can benefit
from retirement planning by becoming able to anticipate labor shortages.
1.

Create a Culture That Honors Experience Changing cultures that are

explicitly or implicitly biased against older workers can help make a company
more attractive to retirees.

2.

Offer Flexible Work Redesigning jobs to include telecommuting and other

options will attract and retain workers.

3.

Offer Part-Time Work Granting part-time work is often a good alternative to

losing an employee.

Managing Your Career

I.

Making Career Choices

A. Identify Your Career Stage The career lifecycle consists of the following stages:
1. Growth Stage lasts roughly from birth to age 14 and is marked by the development of
self-concept.
2. Exploration Stage The period from age 15 to 24 when a person seriously explores
various occupational alternatives.
3. Establishment Stage roughly spans ages 24 to 44 and is the heart of most peoples work
lives. It has three substages:
a. Trial Substage is a time during which a person determines if their chosen field is
suitable.
b. Stabilization Substage is characterized by setting firm occupational goals, and
planning to determine the sequence of promotions, job changes, and educational
activities necessary to accomplish the goals.
c.

Mid-Career Crisis Substage is reached sometime between the mid-thirties and midforties. Here, people make a major reassessment of their progress toward their
ambitions.

4. Maintenance Stage Between the ages of 45 and 65 this stage is directed at maintaining
the persons place in the world of work.
5. Decline Stage characterized by the prospect of having to accept reduced levels of power
and responsibility in preparation for retirement.
B. Identify Your Occupational Orientation Personality is one career choice determinant.
Research indicates there are six different personality types, each of which is attracted to
different types of occupations.
C. Identify Your Career Directions Determine career directions and choices in which an
individual will be happy.
D. Identify Your Skills In addition to ability, aptitude and special talents plays a role in career
success.
E. Identify Your Career Anchors
technical/functional competence,
independence, and security.

Edgar Schein identified five career anchors:

managerial competence, creativity, autonomy and

F. What Do You Want To Do? This asks the question: If you could have any kind of job, what
would it be?
G. Identify High Potential Occupations Once an occupation has been chosen, it is necessary
to find the right occupations that will be available in the years to come. The Internet can be
helpful in learning about occupations.
II.

Finding the Right Job

A. Job Search Techniques A variety of tools exist for job search activities. These include the
library, personal contacts, answering advertisements, employment agencies and executive
recruiters, career counselors, executive marketing consultants, and employer Web sites.
B. Writing Your Resume A good resume is one that best represents your skills, ability, and
experience. It is advisable to make your resume scannable, and carefully proofreading it is
essential.
C. Handling the Interview Tips for success in interviewing include preparation, uncovering the
interviewers needs, relating yourself to those needs, thinking before answering, making a
good appearance, and showing enthusiasm.
There is an important stage called Plateauing: this is a stage where there is neither growth nor decline
and a stage where decision is to be taken.
This is again three types
High peak
Steep
Decline: