Building a Career Development Program: Nine Steps for Effective Implementation

by Richard L. Knowdell

Includes models and tools to create your own career development program.

136 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 1996

Reviews

[Dorsch and Navarre Branch Libraries]

Building a Career Development Program: nine steps for effective implementation by Richard L. Knowdell

(Tables not included and most valuable info in the tables)

Personal Career Development

Empower employees to take charge of their own career.

The 4 stages of career development

Stage #1 Assessment: What are my skills, values, interests, and work style?
Stage #2 Exploration: What options do I have?
Stage #3 Goal Setting & Planning: Which option is the best possible option for me, i.e., my goal?
Why is this the best goal for me?
Stage #4 Strategy: How will I get to my goal?
What specific behaviors will I engage in to get there?
When will each step occur?
Who else is involved or needs to be involved?

Career Development analogies – is a process, not an event
1950s - train – set path and jump on for the fixed ride
1970s - bus – someone else still driving but route could change
Present - SUV – we are in driver’s seat, SUV is flexible and fast, no fixed schedules and route can change in a minute

New Managerial Model
New manager will not be expected to be a technical marvel who will teach and monitor workers closely. He or she will perform as a symphony conductor who facilitates the actions of dozens of musicians, who know their instruments better than the conductor, to create a product that none of them could have created on their own.
For this new model to work, employees must become empowered and must also take control of their own individual careers.

Career development often directed mostly toward “young professionals.”

Career development may not be possible for low-skill jobs with low pay. We have moved swiftly toward a society of high-skilled “haves” and low-skilled “have-nots,” and we have some choice about which group we belong to.


Career development favors the knowledge worker
Overspecialization without a broad base of knowledge can lead to obsolescence. Security for the knowledge worker (if there is such a thing anymore as security) rests not in the mastery of a specific job at a specific organization, but in the personal development of a body of knowledge and skills that is transportable across organizations and occupations. P.15

[Problem solving – communication skills – technologically savvy]

Career development
1. Employee’s view – promotions and upward mobility, hopefully within the next year
2. Career counselor’s view - process that involves hard work and discipline, assessment techniques, exploratory research, goal setting, planning activities, and continuing education.
3. Supervisor’s view – how can I motivate, coach, and keep good employees and get rid of poor performers? (motivation and retention) Keeping good employees sometimes in conflict with encouraging career development of these same employees. (focus on now)
4. Top Management view – identifying potential managers or succession planning. Identifying who to train for new positions and when they are ready to be moved. (focus on 5 to 7 years in the future)
5. Middle Manager’s view – focus on process – how works with EEO and affirmative action, how does it relate to our management training, our organizational development systems, job posting program, the employment function, and many other functions already in place that relate to human relations.


Clerical Employees - often interested in benefitting from career development too: clerical employees should view career as a portfolio of valuable, transferable skills rather than by job description. Can set new goals and create strategic plans to meet these goals.

Mature professionals – often feel isolated – want more challenge – is this all there is? Self-esteem suffers and so do the personnel they work with or supervise.

Specialized worker – take control of career – new generations in technology often occur at least twice a year – make sure stay up to speed. Make sure personal priorities stay as important as professional priorities for long term success.

Couple of resources –
Bolles - What color is your parachute?
Keirsey & Bates – Please understand me!

Career development voluntary or involuntary

Voluntary career transition Involuntary career transition
Assessment of skills Ventilation of feelings
Exploration of Options Assessment of skills
Focus on appropriate goal Exploration of options
Strategy Implementation Focus on appropriate goals
Strategy implementation
Traumatic Events
death of close relative
Divorce or termination of a long term relationship
Termination of lay-off from career or job

Typical response to traumatic event
Shock
Immobilization
Disbelief
Denial
Bargaining
Anger
Frustration
Grieving

Assessing the characteristics and strengths of the individual p.61

Career satisfaction and success depends on how compatible the career is with the individual's career values, occupational interests, skills, and work or management style.


Employee Career Profile
Section I Career assessment
1. List your 6 to 8 most important career values
2. List your 6 to 8 strongest career interests
3. List your 6 to 8 most highly motivated skills
4. List your highest one or two work or management styles
Section II Career exploration
1. List at least 5 jobs or careers that you can pursue
Section III Career focus – your goal
1. List the option from Section II that fits you best
What is your goal?
2. Why is this the best goal for you? List evidence (skills, values, etc.) that show the above goal is the very best possible goal for you.
Section IV Career strategy and implementation plan
1. How will you get to your goal? What specific behavior will you engage in to attain your goal? Be clear and specific about what you will do.
2. When will each step to your career goal occur?
3. Who will be affected by your plan? Who can help you in your plan?
Copyright 1996 by Richard L Knowdell, Career Research & Testing Inc

[Adam]

Old, temp & permanent positions; new, temp & regular (to avoid a lawsuit). This is called the two-tiered workforce. Besides temp jobs not paying as well as so-called regular jobs, a category of second-class workers--an underclass is paid less, has fewer benefits, and performs the less-desirables exists.

Old, several layers of redundant middle management; new, as Peter Drucker predicts, symphony orchestra (instead of a hierarchial miliary chain-of-command).

[Lori Grant · Rating 4 out of 5]

A should-read book on career development.