Working Without Boundaries

Creating a Career Pathing Program

What Every Successful Career Pathing Program Has in Common

From on-site gyms and daycare facilities to competitive salaries and creative incentive packages, today’s organizations are increasingly doing everything in their power to attract and retain talented employees. One area many companies neglect, however, is career development. Exceptional employees want exceptional careers that challenge and inspire them. They want to feel motivated and interested on a consistent basis – and it is this continual investment that translates into higher retention and profitability for the company. Career pathing programs offer a proven path to such motivation, but their many benefits are only seen if the programs are set up effectively. Here are four things every successful career pathing program has in common:

They encourage vision

What can a talented employee accomplish inside your company? Where can he go? What can she do? A successful career pathing program reduces boredom and increases engagement by helping employees imagine exponential growth – professionally and personally.

They provide scaffolding

What will it take an employee to realize their professional dreams? What does she need to know to move from one job role to another? What experience does he need to obtain? A career pathing program that builds and retains top talent offers numerous mentoring and training opportunities for employees who want to embrace new challenges.

They incorporate competencies

Mentoring, visioning, and planning aren’t enough for success if employees don’t know of and excel in the competencies required for success in their specific fields and positions. What characteristics do the outstanding performers in each position possess? What behaviors are crucial for success? Effective career pathing programs build paths based on job role competencies and make that information accessible and meaningful to employees.

They’re based on data

A truly successful career pathing program is built on data and uses that data for accountability, helping managers and employees analyze how each employee is – or is not – progressing along his path and toward his dreams. This data is often gathered as part of a comprehensive performance management system.

Career pathing programs that include these four crucial elements are most effective at retaining top talent. They also enable management to fill important roles quickly.

Need help taking your company’s career pathing program to the next level? View these additional resources to learn more:

Blog: Key Elements for a Successful Career Path Plan

See how TalentGuard can help you implement an effective Career Pathing Program for your organization by requesting a Career Pathing demo.

Resource Box Header Creating a Career Pathing Program
Creating a Career Pathing Program

Employees with career path plans are more motivated to succeed and better prepared to do so. They’re also more likely to stay with their current employer, which improves retention and thus company performance overall. Implementing the tools and program to help them create and stick to those plans, however, takes a concentrated effort from managers […]

Resource Box Header Key Elements for a Successful Career Path Plan
Key Elements for a Successful Career Path Plan

Key elements of a successful career path plan offers two benefits that are essential for employee retention: direction and motivation. But what makes the plan well-designed? What makes it successful? Each employee’s individual plan will look different, but they should all include these key elements: A Thorough Self-Assessment Does the employee most prefer working with […]

Telescope Getting bigger and bigger as the bar gets larger and larger
Managing Career Path Goals

The organizational goal of successful career pathing and career development is to have productive, engaged employees who choose to stay with your company, even if they have the opportunity to go elsewhere. The overall goal of each individual career path plan, however, is more complex. Helping employees state and achieve those goals is an important […]