Career Development as a Retention Tool
By Michelle Hauser-Wallace, Director of Career Development & Employment Services, Herzing College

As the economy begins to heat up again, it will be vital for companies to look inward to review the mechanisms in place that support employee retention. One mechanism that you can add to your retention toolbox is a career development program which incorporates professional development and career pathing. Many organizations have a professional development and career pathing program (i.e., succession plan) in place but that is only one component of career development. Career development is holistic and universal for all employees. It is holistic because it includes both ends of the spectrum -- the front-end functions that include assessment, exploration, and the development of a career vision that will drive the back-end functions that involve carving out a professional development plan and a career path. Career development is universal because any employee at any level in the organization can tap into the process without committing to aspire to a higher level within the organization. This type of program is not limited to developing people for leadership roles, but it encompasses developing people for new positions, furthering the development of people in their current positions, and preparing people for lateral moves within the organization to ensure a better career fit.

The hallmarks of any successful career development program are assessment, exploration, and career-identification. An exemplary career development program will include a comprehensive support system that provides the employees with the appropriate assessment instruments, exploration tools, and career coaching services that will augment the employees' decision-making processes and lead to sustainable career choices. This type of system helps employees pinpoint what really matters to them in terms of working style, personality, values, interests, abilities, and preferences. In turn, this information is used to assist employees with the articulation of a career vision and the identification of a well-suited career path.

A successful career development program can enhance a company's ability to retain employees because this type of program has greater depth and breadth than the typical, stand-alone professional development and career pathing program. Also, a career development program has greater "sticking power" because the program walks employees through a development process from start to finish with notable emphasis on the front-end function. Due to this emphasis, employees are more likely to choose and commit to a career path that aligns with their career vision while maximizing their potential, productivity, and commitment to the organization.

The following questions have been developed to assist you in getting started with the design of a career development program for your organization:

• What organizational purpose will your career development program serve?
• What resources and tools will be included in the program's support system?
• What formal and informal assessment instruments will be offered in the career center or elsewhere?
• Who will administer and interpret the assessment instruments? Depending on the instrument, the person may be required to complete a certification program to be qualified to interpret the results.
• Who will provide career coaching services? Will you outsource this service or do you have an experienced professional in-house who can provide this service?
• Will you have a career resource center (physical center or on-line center)? Who will over see the center?
• What other components will be included within your career development program? For example, will it include mentoring?
• Are your organization's job descriptions up-to-date and do the descriptions accurately address the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job? How will you use these descriptions to profile the career paths within your organization?
• What future skills and careers will be needed to support your organization's strategy? Do you have descriptions for these positions?
• What other mediums will you use to profile the career options in your organization?
• Is your organization chart up-to-date?
• What technologies will be used to deliver the career development program, track professional development, and design an organization career path?
• Are your organization's current career pathing and professional development programs effective? If not, what needs to happen in order for the programs to be effective? How can these programs be aligned with your new career development program?
• Will you roll out a pilot for the career development program? If so, how will you design and evaluate the pilot program?
• How will you measure the ROI for the career development program? What are the costs associated with this program? What are the pro's and con's associated with this program?
• Will the program be voluntary or involuntary? How will management and direct reports be held accountable for progressing through the program? Will you tie this program to your annual review process?
• Do you have buy-in from the top down for this program? If not, how will you gain buy-in?
  

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