Career Counselling and HR

A. What are some aspects of career counseling HR practitioners are using?

B. HR has a variety of career-based activites it can use to promote longevity with the company and increase employee motivation. In fact, through career counseling, employee recruitment, development, performance, and retention can be linked together. Career development activities include: career and job profiling; career pathing; career management; and professional development and training.

A. Can you explain the differences between these activities?

B. Sure. Career or job profiling identifies the skills and skill levels needed to perform the job effectively. This can be achieved through task and skill analysis. So, by defining the skills required, HR, managers, and employees can identify areas where the employee needs to improve, as well as identifying potential areas of interest. Career pathing, as Linda Pharr, President and COO of Batrus Hollweg, so nicely describes, “shows employees what their future can look like within a company and provides a roadmap of how to get there”. Elements of career pathing include: a visual map outlining career progression which is available to all employees; detailed competency and behaviour models which communicate clear performance expectations; and performance management tools and succession planning tools and processes to measure progress. Whereas, career management plays more of a supporting role by communicating the organization’s goals, ensuring opportunities for movement, and offering career-related workshops. Finally, professional development and training are specific activities, includeing: in-house training; coaching or mentoring; or external training, used to build the skills required for maintaining a specific career path.



References
http://www.batrushollweg.com/InsightsAndResearch/InsightArticles/CareerPathing.pdf