As the name suggests, career pathing involves creating possible roadmaps an individual employee might follow to move from a current position to new roles at your company later on. In the complex modern workplace, however, such career progression often entails more than climbing the steps of a corporate ladder.
Career pathing considers numerous factors. Employees' interests, current skill sets, and overall career goals are paramount. In some cases, lateral moves or even downward ones become routes to greater job satisfaction.
However, organizational needs also enter the equation. As employers identify the competencies demanded to remain competitive in the future, they can make team members aware of them. The company can showcase advancement opportunities available to those who acquire new skills.
Career pathing takes a systematic approach to career development. Aligning employee career growth with organizational priorities sets the stage for both sides to prosper. Let's take an in-depth look at how this happens.
What might implementing career pathing do for a company and its people? Common positive outcomes include:
It excites individuals to think about what lies ahead. Presenting personalized growth opportunities reveals what the future might entail if they pursue it. Career pathing empowers workers to direct their career trajectory.
Acquiring new skills, especially ones they help determine, further increases engagement. Learning stimulates the mind and boosts confidence.
Current employers who present clear career paths help eliminate the need for workers to look elsewhere for growth opportunities. Instead, employees start envisioning possibilities for the long term. Lowering turnover reduces recruiting and onboarding expenses.
Career pathing also demonstrates caring. It tells employees they are valued and essential to the company's success today and down the road. Such messages build positive feelings and loyalty, which boosts retention.
Excitement brews when employees regularly expand their horizons. Learning new things freshens the atmosphere by moving workers beyond their familiar tasks. Colleagues feed off of one another's energy - enriching the entire workplace.
In addition to the competencies gained by taking on new endeavors, staff members develop a positive attitude toward life-long learning. They receive the message that management wants progression, not stagnation. Innovation, agility, and willingness to rise to challenges become hallmarks of company culture.
Job candidates look for signs that a prospective employer offers room to grow. Applicants want to see evidence of concern for their career development beyond the position. Being able to tout formal career mapping programs for new and established employees leaves an impression about your employer brand.
Organizations want to look ahead, too. Tomorrow's needs may be quite different than today's. Career pathing aids with succession planning, upskilling, and developing a robust pipeline of internal talent. Nobody wants to be unprepared or short-handed.
A proactive approach often saves money and time because you keep people already familiar with your company's procedures and culture rather than starting from scratch. Likewise, it boosts morale by showing commitment to retention and advancement.
Employers can highlight important upcoming roles. This action starts making existing employees aware of the skills and duties of particular significance to ongoing company success. They may find these forthcoming positions intriguing or consider the potential job security of heading in a "hot" direction.
Career pathing can also give human resources a heads-up about talent management. Current employees may need to be more interested in skill development for certain positions deemed critical for the company's future competitiveness.
HR may need to emphasize bridging these skill gaps when recruiting new employees, either by hiring people with these competencies or demonstrating a willingness to acquire them.
Good managers regularly discuss career objectives with their direct reports. These conversations demonstrate concern for employee development and encourage thinking about contributions to the company beyond the current role. Such discussions convey the message , "We want you here for the long term, so let's see how our needs and yours align."
Leaders can ask open-ended questions to get employees thinking, such as, "Where do you see your career in a year? How about five years?" They can also discuss current strengths, especially underutilized ones, and areas where professional development programs or mentorship might be helpful to career advancement.
Many modern organizations go beyond relying only on managers and HR professionals for effective career pathing. They use computerized career pathing programs.
Such platforms, which often employ AI, allow employees to take greater control of their careers through exploring options.
Career pathing technology presents possible employee career paths based on the individual's assessed skills and stated interests. It provides detailed job descriptions, sometimes for positions the person may not have even realized existed.
Lateral movements, such as transitioning to a different department, also may be showcased.
Additionally, the platform integrates learning resources with development plans. This provides workers concrete ways to gain the competencies needed to qualify for desired advancement opportunities.
People know which online training, certifications, or other educational achievements support desired career outcomes.
What do companies committed to career pathing say about the experience? Consider the insight from these five organizations:
"One of the biggest benefits we've seen from career pathing is retention," says CEO Ryan Farley. "When we make it clear to our new hires that they have a clear avenue from their entry-level job to management and career growth, we'll get more commitment out of them. While we don't hire internally for every management-level opening, it's definitely our first preference, and our team knows that."
Slipintosoft
"We've seen a profound impact on employee engagement, stemming from the clarity career pathing provides on growth opportunities. This clarity has led to an increased dedication to personal development and the company," says Linda Moore, head of human resources at this silk products company.
"Further, it has boosted our retention rate as employees value the tangible investment in their career progression. Additionally, career pathing has facilitated more targeted recruitment, as we can align potential candidates with clearly established paths, increasing the appeal of our company as an employer."
Summit Search Group
"I use career pathing as a tool with some of my team members, most often with younger team members that I think have high potential to become future leaders," says Matt Erhard, managing partner. "It helps to guide what career development, skill development, and other ongoing education will be the most useful for the employee.
"Having this kind of collaborative conversation helps both me and the employee to assess their strengths and skill gaps in a more focused way, looking not just at where they are now but where they want to be in the future. This doesn't just help the employee prepare for that future role but also ensures that we have team members with the right combination of skills and knowledge to step into critical senior roles when they're open."
"Bringing up career pathing during a one-on-one with an employee can be an effective way to start the conversation about their future with the company. Not everyone wants to take on leadership positions - we've had very strong employees at Summit who liked the work they already did and weren't interested in shifting to a higher-level role. Learning that can also be useful when you're planning for the organization's future."
Tribeca Lawsuit Loans
"Career pathing has enabled us to realize our team members' unrealized potential, promoting an environment of internal mobility and creativity," says CEO Rory Donadio. "This one-of-a-kind benefit has energized our workforce - accelerating growth and confirming our dedication to employee development.
"We discovered skills and passions that would have gone undiscovered if tailored development strategies had yet to be implemented. For example, an operations professional demonstrated great writing skills, resulting in their move to a successful content creator. This surprising revelation preserved significant experience and provided new views for our marketing team."
Ahara
