How to write a Career Development Plan

Career Development plan is an area of mutual interest for employer and employee. When an individuals aspirations meet with organizational goals, career development begins. How to write a career development plan is based on identifying and utilizing employee strengths, aligning them with organizational goals, training and developing them further and progressing together. Career development plans are specific for individuals and they are ascertained by writing down bits and pieces from both individual and from organizational SWOT analysis.

The KRA’s (key resource areas) defining job classifications and skill set needed to accomplish them will help supervisors and subordinates to formulate goals and career development plans to work towards mutual benefit. The career development plan will be short term goals and long term goals and interests of the organization and individual helping to achieve objectives. Career Development plans are optional and must be formulated to help benchmark and align performance.

Purpose of career development plan:

• Assists organization to align employee goals
• Helps employee to accomplish tasks in a way that meets own as well as organizational goals
• Motivates the employee to work in alignment with organization
• Reduces attrition
• Identifies training and development needs for an employee
• Highlights the skills within and needed further for achieving the plan
• It formulates rational goals for the individual
• It raises the morale of individual and supervisor

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Parts of individual career development plan:

• Short-term career goals: 1-3 years
• Long-term career goals: 4-10 years
• Strength and opportunities: identify training’s undertaken, programs attended in alignment with job role
• Summary of job profile
• Training and development needs

Format to be filled by individual for career development planning:

1- Summary of your self-assessment report:

Identify your skills and assess based on job roles. Write the proficiency levels in key resource areas for job. Highlight your individual needs, interests and preferences

2- Job roles and job description:

Discuss with your supervisor about the roles and responsibilities for your job. Also read the requirements and eligibility posted for the your job. Take feedback from your supervisor regarding organizational needs, expected course, technological advancements.

3- Formulate your career aspirations:

Write down your individual career goals based on the above points. Make a rational but progressive career goal. Fix it such that it helps you accomplish your aspirations. Set up both long term and short term goals such that they help you grow and advance in the career ahead.

4- Create a road-map for training and development needs:

Based on the above points identify the skills you already have and the skills you need to develop over the course of time. Also mention the time-line for achieving the same. Check with the supervisor for all opportunities and learning resources. Map out the action plan for achieving the same

5- Create benchmarks:

Benchmarks must be set to measure your success. And take corrective action for any deviation. Based on your strengths and the skills acquired undergoing training’s, you need to benchmark at regular intervals. Set up milestones to keep a chick on your progress and plan accordingly for any deviation

6- Report and review:

Based on the benchmark and actual achievement review your performance regularly. Seek supervisor and trainer help to find more suitable changes. Keep measuring your job performance and for any deviations in organizational policies or individual accomplishment, revise the career development plan accordingly.

Career Development plan is a very important tool for employee as well as organization. It helps calculate the desired course of action for proposed career goals. It keeps the momentum within the workforce aligned with the organizational goals. It helps as a motivational tool and also helps in employee appraisal. It reduces attrition by making an employee responsible and more involved with the organization.

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Some highlights to remember:

1- Communicate with supervisor and peers to help you understand organizational goals

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2- Go through the job description and job responsibilities with HR help
3-Understand your skill-set and the requirements in further course
4- Set a rational yet challenging goal for yourself
5- Keep checking milestones
6- Revise the plans in any deviations
7- Keep grooming your skills and competence
8- Take motivational sessions and training’s
9- Always measure your performance based on your goals first
10- Remember to seek help from supervisor and HR for they will be able to guide you through the career development path
11- A value added organization places individual career development at equal level as organizational goals, so be sure to communicate your goals to supervisors
12- Keep up a buffer for the deviations and delay in achievement of milestones
13- This buffer includes plan B for the things that didn’t turn out the way planned

Career Development Plan has been the key for my growth at organizations I have been a part of. Most valued lessons have been to put up the goal sheet at the workstation, this has helped me grow professionally and personally at a pace I set for myself. Sharing some more of my personal experiences:

1. I have always set goals little higher than my potential, and tried to achieve them too. This gives a more accelerated rhythm for progressing ahead
2. Identify realistic goals and put them up for you to see everyday
3. Share the goals with supervisors for it is their task too, they will provide everything you need to achieve the goals
4. Keep yourself motivated and positive, a few deviations are a part, but largely you will accomplish if you stay on with your progress path
5. Keep sharing and learning from your clan. Sometimes informal associations help in gaining the insights that are far beyond any training

Minu Manisha