Every employee in an organization needs an individual career development plan (CDP). For most employees, following this plan will greatly enhance job satisfaction.
What role do supervisors play in a career development plan? Effective management ultimately means supporting career progression. So, every manager should guide their employees in developing their own CDP. After all, their direct supervisor is best positioned to help create a plan focused on their needs.
Unfortunately, some managers fail to support advancement because they want great employees to remain on their team. But that’s a surefire recipe for attrition. The best talent won’t stay in the same position indefinitely.
Take action to support employees’ growth by helping them create a detailed CDP. Let’s review the purpose of this plan in more detail, followed by the steps to create one.
Table of Contents
1. The Purpose of a Career Development Plan
2. Creating a Path to Success With a Career Development Plan
3. How to Create a Great Career Development Plan
4. Template for a Career Development Plan
5. Examples of Career Development Plans
6. How to Stick to a Career Development Plan
The Purpose of a Career Development Plan
Why is a career development plan so important? A CDP provides guidance on how employees can advance in their careers. Without one, they may flounder. They won’t have clear goals or a plan for moving toward them. As a result, they won’t focus their development efforts in an organized manner.
For these reasons, the lack of a CDP can cause a lot of frustration. Moreover, employees will notice that their organization isn’t committed to their success. But you can correct course by helping every employee develop their own career development plan.
Focusing on their growth will play a pivotal role in employee retention. In fact, employees who speak with their manager at least every six months about their goals and progress are 2.8 times more engaged, notes Gallup.
What’s the best time to create a career development plan? Now. There’s no magic time to get started.
Who needs a career development plan? Everyone. Don’t assume that just Gen Z and Millennials want and need a plan, says Gallup. That common mistake ignores the needs of Gen X and Boomers. Even if they’ve reached a high level, they may be interested in lateral moves or new assignments. No one wants to stagnate.
Creating a Path to Success With a Career Development Plan
As an organization, you must lay the foundation for career development. How? Spell out pathways through which employees can advance. This means designing a clear architecture that shows the relationships between similar jobs. Begin by identifying “job families”—roles with a similar skill set, as Forbes explains.
HR should work with managers to determine the level of complexity and skills needed for each role.
Additionally, when seeking to fill a position, look to internal staff first. Employees will feel overlooked if you mainly choose external candidates.
How to Create a Great Career Development Plan
Craft a career development plan with an employee by walking them through these steps. Use the same guidelines to create your own career development plan.
Importantly, it would be unwise to create a rigid plan spanning decades, as Time notes. Career options are constantly changing, after all. Advise employees to consider their long-term goals but remain flexible. When planning the details, focus on the next 3–5 years.
1. Reflect on your dreams for your career.
The old “career ladder” analogy no longer works, as nowadays, career path options are boundless. Gallup prefers “career jungle gym,” as career paths can lead in lateral directions as well as upward.
The following questions will help you define your dreams.
What types of work do you enjoy most?
When creating your career development plan, consider which tasks and projects give you energy rather than making you feel depleted. Do you love interfacing with people? Or do you revel in working behind the scenes on creative tasks? These are the types of tasks you should aim to spend more time on.
What gives you the greatest sense of achievement?
Consider which aspects of your job you find most meaningful. Do you love the thrill of bringing a new innovation to market? Or do you take great satisfaction from making sure others’ needs are met?
Then, look for areas that you both enjoy and find deeply meaningful.
2. Set achievable yet ambitious goals.
Use your career development plan to establish goals that will move you further down the path to your career dreams. Align them with organizational goals, so the whole business will benefit. This alignment will also open up opportunities for advancement.
Go a step further by looking at your organizational development plan. What skills do you anticipate your company will need down the road? Which ones align with your ambitions? Incorporate them into your plan. Then, you’ll have a talent pipeline prepared to fill emerging needs.
3. Identify developmental opportunities.
Consider the stepping stones toward your goals. What activities will help you develop a
needed competency or skill? Consider two main types of activities, as described below.
Learning opportunities
Look for a variety of ways to develop your skills, from education to direct observation.
- Professional conferences and workshops.
- Job shadowing and cross-training opportunities.
- Certifications in particular skills.
- Mentoring from senior employees.
Connect with mentors other than your direct manager who can support your growth. Why do
you need additional mentors? Each brings a unique viewpoint, skill set, and connections.
New endeavours
Start applying your new skills as quickly as possible. This will help you retain and build upon
them. Discuss options like these with your manager:
- Leading a project after honing your leadership skills.
- Taking on a new role within a team project that leverages your new skill.
- Assisting a senior leader with a specific need.
- Helping a team in another function to apply skills learned through cross-training.
The options are limited only by your imagination. Don’t hesitate to propose ideas to your
manager—they’ll probably appreciate your ambition.
4. Build your network.
Get to know people throughout the organization. Your mentors might introduce you to other high-level people. Actively seek out new friendships, including with people you don’t usually talk with. Doors can unexpectedly open when you have a strong network of relationships. This tangible step can also be documented in your career development plan.
What to Avoid When Creating a CDP
Are there any downsides to having a career development plan? Not if you design it following the above principles. However, there are a few common mistakes.
Here’s a handy checklist of what to avoid when designing a career development plan:
- Looking only at vertical moves.
- Making assumptions about what employees want based on their career level, age, or other factors.
- Setting goals based on what employees believe the company wants. Or, focusing on what they believe will impress their manager. Individuals need a strong desire to achieve their goals— which must come from within.
- Ignoring nontraditional learning opportunities. For instance, mentoring doesn’t necessarily have to come from a senior (or older) employee or flow in one direction. Two people can often mentor each other in complementary ways
- Being too rigid. Employees can get stuck in a role if they can only envision one pathway forward. Holding out for one specific job opening can cause their career to stagnate. And nowadays, we can’t even predict every role that will open up, as Time asserts. Being somewhat flexible while keeping their goals in mind will lead to a dynamic and satisfying career.
- Not accurately tracking success. Without setting up a system of evaluating progress, employees won’t know how they’ve grown.
Avoid these common blunders, and employees will have a valuable plan for shaping their growth.
Template for a Career Development Plan
Employees can use this template to plan how they’ll achieve a major career goal within the next several years. Help them choose a career goal that aligns with their longer-term goals. The objectives represent key milestones that contribute to reaching this goal.
| Career Goal: Choose a goal you wish to achieve within the next 3–5 years. | Target Date: |
| Objective #1 (a stepping-stone toward your goal): | |
| Learning opportunities: | |
| Application: | |
| Objective #2 (a stepping-stone toward your goal): | |
| Learning opportunities: | |
| Application: | |
| Objective #3 (a stepping-stone toward your goal): | |
| Learning opportunities: | |
| Application: |
Examples of Career Development Plans
Here are two sample CDPs based on the above template
Kaitlynn, from accountant to data scientist
| Career Goal: Choose a goal you wish to achieve within the next 3–5 years. – Become a mid-level data scientist | Target Date: 3 years from now |
| Objective #1 (a stepping-stone toward your goal): – Use data analysis to support my current team. | 6 months from now |
| Learning opportunities: – Find professional mentors (in-house and through an industry organization). – Take a data science course. – Grow proficient with analytics software. – Read up on data analysis techniques. | 2 months from now 3 months from now 4 months from now Ongoing |
| Application: – Prepare and discuss reports on team activities with the team using analytics. – Prepare and present reports on team activities to share with leaders, leveraging analytics. | 4 months from now 5 months from now |
| Objective #2 (a stepping-stone toward your goal): – Begin informally filling a data analysis role | 9 months from now |
| Learning opportunities: – Take another course to build knowledge. – Attend an industry conference and grow connections. – Continue reading about best practices in data analysis. | 6 months from now 7 months from now Ongoing |
| Application: – Volunteer to provide data analysis support for colleagues. – Demonstrate how to use data analysis software for teams. | 6 months from now 7 months from now |
| Objective #3 (a stepping-stone toward your goal): – Assume a junior data science position | One year from now |
| Learning opportunities: – Take a webinar to expand knowledge in a particular area. – Gain certification in data management | In 9 months from now In 10 months from now |
| Application: – Volunteer to prepare and present reports to senior leaders – Conduct workshops for leaders on how data analysis software works. | 9 months from now 10 months from now |
Ben, from individual contributor to project manager
| Career Goal: Choose a goal you wish to achieve within the next 3–5 years. Become a senior project manager | Target Date: 3 years from now |
| Objective #1 (a stepping-stone toward your goal): – Become the informal go-to project manager for the team. | 6 months from now |
| Learning opportunities: – Take leadership courses and workshops. – Read articles and books on leadership. – Learn about each person’s role, spending time shadowing them in action. | 3 months from now Ongoing 4 months from now |
| Application: – Request the chance to manage a smaller project. – Mentor colleagues in particular skills to develop coaching abilities. | 3 months from now 4 months from now |
| Objective #2 (a stepping-stone toward your goal): – Become a project manager | 1 year from now |
| Learning opportunities: – Ask for frequent feedback from manager and colleagues. – Take an advanced leadership seminar. – Attend a conference with relevant panel sessions and workshops. | Ongoing 9 months from now. 10 months from now. |
| Application: – Build up to managing more high-stakes projects. – Debrief projects, pinpointing what could improve and what went well. – Present results of projects in meetings with leaders. | 9 months from now 9 months from now 9 months from now |
| Objective #3 (a stepping-stone toward your goal): – Assume a senior project manager position | 3 years from now |
| Learning opportunities: – Undergo a 360 review. – Take additional leadership training. – Work with a mentor or coaching expert to integrate new knowledge. | 1.5 years from now 2 years from now. Ongoing |
| Application: – Refine leadership approach, putting new skills to use. – Challenge the team to pursue more ambitious projects. – Mentor individuals to achieve their professional goals. | 1.5 years from now 2 years from now 2 years from now |
SHRM also offers a career development template, which walks you through several key steps.
Updating Your CDP
A career development plan isn’t a static tool. Rather, employees must update their plans periodically. Revisit each individual’s plan at least every six months—or ideally, every quarter. This will allow you to update learning opportunities and set new goals when necessary.
Quarterly changes will sometimes be minimal, but this will boost clarity and focus regardless.
How to Stick to a Career Development Plan
Witnessing real progress is the best motivation to stick with a career development plan. Use tools to monitor progress. Goal-tracking software can help both employees and managers observe their growth. As employees see themselves inching closer to their goals, they’ll strive even harder.
By creating a solid career development plan, you’ll enhance morale and motivation. The entire employee experience will improve through the clear focus a CDP provides. And, of course, employees will feel highly valued by their manager and organization. Seeing your commitment to their career success will greatly boost their loyalty and engagement.
See firsthand how software can support employees’ progress toward goals. Sign up to demo our product!
