Career plan: why and how to implement?

Becoming a better professional and developing oneself is everyone's goal, isn't it? After all, who doesn't want to reach higher positions in a company's hierarchy and be recognized for their results? The career plan is a structured instrument that serves exactly for this: to ensure that all employees have chances to rise within the organization. 

In addition, developing and offering a well-planned career plan can also be a strategy for retaining talent and developing the company's employees. There are numerous advantages for companies that opt for models like this, and today Alymente teaches you all about it. Check it out!

What is the career plan and why is it important?

The career plan is a formalization of the path that each employee must follow within the organization to evolve professionally and reach new positions.

Everyone wants to be promoted, but to do so, it is necessary to understand what the company's objectives are and how the employee can help achieve them. When we give clarity about what must be done to get there, motivation increases and so does commitment.

A study developed by Gallup, a company specialised in labour market analysis, concluded that 85% of professionals aged between 25 and 40 prioritise opportunities in companies where they feel it is possible to learn and grow. 

For a career plan to be considered successful, it needs to be organised and formulated in a realistic way, always using the support of clear goals and deadlines to achieve them. 

How to implement one in the company?

Developing and implementing a career plan is a task that demands extreme involvement from management and HR in sync, especially in organisations that are just starting to structure themselves. 

See a step by step:

1. establish a job plan mapping all the existing jobs and which ones should be created in the short, medium and long term, so that the company can reach its goal;
2. From this, define the salaries for each of these positions, even for those that do not yet exist. Remember to ensure the differentiation of level. For example: junior, full and senior analyst;
3. write a job description for each of these vacancies, ensuring clarity in the desired attributions;
4. define the hierarchy for each position. What is the correct path within the company? When an employee is ready to be promoted, what is their next step?
5. set goals. What does the employee need to do to ensure they are on track to reach the next level? Where does he need to get to? Betting on the model of SMART goals is an excellent way to ensure clarity and objectivity at this point;
6. present the plan to the teams and ensure that everyone understands what points must be developed in order to achieve the goals and to be promoted, always using feedback tools, preferably monthly. 

Remember that it is a great responsibility to implement a career plan in a company and that it takes commitment so that when the employee is ready to be promoted, he or she actually is. Otherwise, frustration may even lead to an increase in turnover in the company. 

It is also interesting to bear in mind that although technical development is essential, behavioural development is just as important. Analyse and provide feedback on both spheres. 

How would you like to learn more about career paths? Check out our article on Y-career and complement your learning!