Creating Career Paths for Your Employees

Creating career paths for your employees can help them get more involved with their jobs, and it can also mitigate the risk that they seek new challenges outside of your company. A career path is more than just a list of jobs, though. Don’t be afraid to let an employee make lateral moves as long as they bring them closer to their goals. Some jobs will not be on the career ladder, but they can still provide valuable experiences. Careers Career paths are a series of jobs or experiences that help you reach your career goals. Some people follow a linear path within their field, while others change fields periodically to achieve their goals. Career pathways are a way for companies to give employees a clear picture of their opportunities for growth. Employees who have a clear career path are more engaged in their job, and less likely to leave the company. This increases the chances that the company will meet its short-term and long-term objectives. Career paths are also useful for identifying candidates who are ready to be promoted. This reduces the time that management spends on hiring new employees, and helps to reduce employee turnover. This is especially important for high-demand positions, like managerial roles. In addition, career paths can help employees identify what skills they need to qualify for new opportunities, like becoming a lead software engineer. Education A career path is a plan for your job development. It can be a personal one that you create for yourself, or it can be an organizational path that you create with your manager. Career paths can reduce employee turnover and help to define promotion criteria. Employers can use career pathing to increase engagement and productivity while fostering a positive work culture. For example, Mercy BonSecours has a career pathway that allows hourly non-degreed workers to move into highly paid, credentialed positions that the hospital network needs. Other employers, like Walmart, have developed a program called Live Better U that helps to promote hourly employees into high-demand positions with their own company. These types of programs allow employers to efficiently and effectively invest in education, while also reducing employee turnover. These pathways also provide a clear and compelling way for learners to get credit for their life and work experience. This is especially helpful for low-wage workers who may be reluctant to pursue a traditional postsecondary degree. Work Experience It is important to consider your work environment when deciding on your career path. This could include the number of working hours, the type of people you will be surrounded by and whether the job offers you the chance to travel. If these aspects of the job do not match your personality, skills or values, you may end up frustrated. The best way to find the right work environment for you is to get as much work experience as possible. This is a valuable asset on your CV and will show potential employers that you have the necessary work experience for the role. Internships, work placements, volunteering and part-time jobs are great ways to gain work experience. Minnesota State University has a page for each career cluster that describes activities that you can do to test out different careers and see if they are right for you. This is a useful resource for students, as well as people of all ages. Personality Personality can affect career paths, including the career choices you make and how you succeed at work. Some personality traits are broad, like extraversion or openness to experience, while others are more narrow, such as conscientiousness or agreeableness. Your personality can influence your ability to communicate with co-workers. For example, an extrovert might be better suited to careers that require extensive interaction with others, such as sales or marketing. Similarly, introverts might prefer jobs that allow them to work with fewer people or behind the scenes. Having a job that is a good fit for your personality can also increase workplace happiness and productivity. For example, workers who feel that their job fits their personality tend to be more productive and have lower turnover rates than those in poorly-fitting jobs. This benefits the company in terms of reduced expenses associated with recruiting and training new employees. Moreover, it can improve customer service and employee morale.