Career planning is planning for an occupation or a profession that one undertakes for a long period of his lifespan and gets monetary benefits from it. Today we have shared What is career planning and its meaning, definition, feature, benefits, and process.
► What is Career Planning?
Career planning consists of activities and actions that one takes to achieve his individual career goals. It is the way by which one can achieve goals and ambitions successfully.
◉ Concept of Career Plan
- The sequence of employment positions that a person has held over his or her lifetime.
- An occupation is undertaken for a significant period of a person’s life and with opportunities for progress.
◉ Career Planning Meaning
Career planning means the process of self-analyzing, self upgrading, and self-improvement, which leads you toward success in your career.
◉ Definition of Career Planning
Career planning can be defined as “A goal that you desire to achieve in a selected field or profession with a well thought out plan to get you there.”
“Career plan refers to the activities and actions that you take to achieve your individual career goals.:
Career plan and career management as the two main antecedents of career development. – Puah and Ananthram (2006)
The integration of both employee career plans and organizational career management programs results in effective career development. – (Hall, 1986)
Harmony between ‘career planning and career management and proper alignment of implementation of HR needs and individual career planning leads to effective career development. – Nicoara (2009)
► Objectives of Career Planning
- Best use of employee skills
- Realistic viewpoint for future
- Provide Feedback
- Resourceful & growth trend
- Set realistic goals
- Ensure good communication
- Spur learning
- Mentor with career decisions
- Grow self-awareness
- Boost up job satisfaction
- Sensitivity diversification
- Harness flexibility
- Build a pool of talents
- Emotional intelligence
- Enhance employability
- Grow leadership
► Need / Components of Career Planning
- Organization Design & HR Plans
- Corporate Plans Development Opportunities (Individual Development)
- Promotion Policy
- Performance Appraisal
- Potential Appraisal
- Career Path (Career Advising) Role Requirement
► Feature of Career Planning
- Career develops over time.
- It is the individual who ultimately judges the success of his career
- A career is experiencing psychological success.
- A career includes many different positions transitions and organizations.
- Bottom-up approach
- Ongoing process
- Made in a dynamic environment
- Collective responsibility of individual and org
► Significance / Importance of Career Planning
- Lower turnover
- Satisfies employee needs
- Further personal growth
- Taps employee potential
- Career opportunity
- Anticipate trends or changes
- Deal with changing workplace demands
- Clear direction and roadmap for future
- Support for designing career goal
- Advancement in position and condition of the employee
► Process of Career Planning
Steps in Career planning are as follows;
- Self Exploration
- Work Research
- Experiential Education
- Decision Making
- Job Search Skills
- Career Management
✔ 1. Self Exploration: Careful evaluation of your individual strengths, Values, Skills, interests, Personality, lifestyle preferences, passions, and work methods. and financial needs are vital and often overlooked steps in planning your potential career options.
✔ 2. Work Research: The second step in career planning is to examine the world you want to work in and find a career that best meets your needs. We call this research about work. It includes activities such as Analysis of Job titles, Job Market trends, Employers, Work Environments, Informational interviews, and Job Shadowing.
✔ 3. Experiential Education: This step focuses on learning through experience also known as experiential education and includes internships, Volunteering, Part time jobs, and Service Learning. It helps you learn outside of the classroom and in the working world.
✔ 4. Decision Making: After work research and potentially gaining work experience as an intern or volunteer you are ready for the fourth step which is decision making. The task of prioritizing needs, Determine Goals, Set Objectives and Create an Action plan.
✔ 5. Jobs Search Skills: After narrowing down focus and setting your goals, it’s time for step five of our career planning which is jobs search. Begin building Networks, Submission of Resumes, Cover letters, Giving Interviews, Negotiation, and Company research.
✔ 6. Career Management: In this step now you are ready to start your new job. Actively planning and managing your career will help keep you on track and lead you in the direction you want to go. It is a lifelong process. It involves Management skills, Relationships with coworkers and boss, promotions, office politics, and work-life balance.
► Stages of Career Plan
- Exploration: Transition from school to work (5-25 years)
- Establishment: Getting a job and being accepted (25-35)
- Mid-career: Will performance increase or begin to decline (35-50)
- Late Career: The elder statesperson (50-60,65)
- Decline: Preparing for retirement (post 60)
Must Read :Types of Plans
► Advantages / Benefits of Career Planning
- For internal staffing requirement
- Develops promotable employees
- Assists with workforce diversity
- Lower turnover
- Further personal growth
- Facilitates international placement
► What is Career Development?
Career Development is the interaction of psychological, sociological, economical, physical, and chance factors that shape the sequence of jobs, professions,s or careers that a person may engage in throughout a lifetime.
It involves a person’s past, present, and future works roles.
Definition of Career Development
Career Development is a process in which personnel experience, concept, and publicly observable aspects of a career interact to precipitate each successive stage of occupational status. – Mansfield
Career Development is an ongoing process that occurs over the life spans, including home, schools, and community – Pietrofesa and Spleta
◉ Steps in Career Development
There are three main steps involved in Career development that are as follows;
- Self Assessment
- Exploration
- Taking Action
✔ 1. Self Assessment
- Interest Personality
- Skills & Strength
- Lifestyle
- Work Values
✔ 2. Exploration
- Informational Interviews
- Workshops / Conferences
- Job Search Resources
- Sign up for a job listserv
- Internships
- Volunteer
✔ 3. Taking Action
- Decision Making
- Job Search
- Resume & Cover Letter
- Networking
- Interviewing
- Salary Negotiation
