Career
Management
Career
management is an important concept that impacts both employers and
employees. This module will discuss the
historical roots of careers and analyze the factors that have influenced their evolution. In addition, the module will discuss how employers
and employees can more adequately equip themselves for managing careers in a global
environment.
Module
Subheaders:
1.
Traditional
Models of Careers
The
concept of managing one’s career is a relatively new phenomenon. Employees historically, if not rooted to the land,
expected to work at one maybe two organizations during their lifetime. The structure was grounded in a system of
reciprocated loyalties. Employees were loyal
to their employers and, in turn, expected to be taken care of by the organization. Human Resource and/or Personnel Departments of the
organizations provided the infrastructure and support to employees and were the traditional
source of expertise in matters of jobs and career development.
Traditionally,
in many parts of the world, an individual’s socioeconomic status dictated one’s
access to career opportunities. A person’s ability to shift their career path
depended upon their ability to change their class in society. In
In these
examples, issues of geography, education, race and gender also played an important role. A person’s access to career opportunities was
influenced by where he lived, the level of schooling he had received, what his ethnic
background was and whether the person was male or female. Many of these norms still play a
role in current career management and access to opportunities, however, typically not to
the same degree.
Particularly
in the
2.
Foundation
of the Traditional Models
The
traditional models of career management are based on the role of powerful cultural and
economic forces and institutions. Geography,
fear and intimidation, loyalty and obligation and socioeconomic factors are a sample of
the ties that have traditionally bound employees to their employers.
Geography:
An
individual’s access to a job is often a function of what organizations and/or industries
were located near where they lived. For example, a small town may have just a
handful of employers. If an individual wanted
to switch careers beyond what was available in their town, they would be faced with
relocating themselves and, if applicable, their entire family. Faced with this challenge, many people opted to
stay working for a single employer for their entire lives.
Fear
and Intimidation: Many
times organizations use tactics of fear and intimidation to keep their employees from leaving
to seek other opportunities. They could,
and sometimes would, threaten them with the loss of promotion, loss of their job or loss
of status in the community.
Loyalty
and Obligation: Historically,
organizations assumed a paternalistic role with employees. The organization took care of their employees in every
sense of the word. In turn, employees remained
loyal and felt obligated not to change jobs and/or careers.
Socioeconomic
Factors: Often
a person’s education or class impacted his career options. A person without the appropriate education or level
of privilege would be limited in their opportunities.
The above list is not meant to be exhaustive. However,
it does highlight some of the key dynamics that influenced the traditional models of
career management.
3.
The
Shift to Personal Responsibility
There
are numerous factors that have influenced the shift from institutional responsibility for
careers to personal responsibility. Some of the key drivers include continuing improved
communication and technology, the lowering of societal, gender and cultural barriers, and
a change in how organizations are structured.
Improved Communication and Technology: The
advent of the computer and the Internet allows individuals to be more actively engaged in
researching and targeting potential careers. Traditional institutions such as organization
personnel departments, labor unions and government agencies are less likely to control the
availability and access to career relevant information. Also, certain jobs became obsolete
while numerous others were created.
Lowering
of social, gender and cultural barriers: With
globalization have come the lowering of numerous social, gender and cultural barriers. Women and people of color now have greater access
to opportunities. Individuals are no longer as
limited by their socioeconomic status and project/programme purpose is being conducted in a global
environment creating a need for educated, culturally diverse leaders who are also
geographically mobile.
Changes in organization Structure: Finally, social
policies, technology improvements and changes in government regulation served as the
catalysts for many organizations to change how
they hire, train and retain employees. This shift offers individuals more control in guiding their own careers and
determining the elements that prove most important in overall career satisfaction. However, while it increases opportunity for some
employees it increases the insecurity for many others.
4.
Implications
of the Shift
Many
positive and negative outcomes have resulted from the shift from institutional to personal
career responsibility. An awareness of the various implications can
provide an advantage in managing one’s career.
One significant result is that individuals are almost solely responsible for their
career. Institutions -- be it organization
Personnel Departments, Labor Unions or government organizations play less of a part than
in the past. As a consequence, one
is almost constantly in the job market and the career management process becomes a
component of one’s day-to-day routine.
One of the positive outcomes of the shift is that individuals have more choice in
potential careers. However, with this
choice, comes a need to make responsible career decisions amidst an abundance of
information and uncertainty. This can cause
significant confusion, fear and loneliness when trying to determine reliable sources of
information. One way to combat this effect is
to utilize one’s available support systems including professional affiliation
organizations and career counselors to help you make sense of the variety of opportunities
available to you.
Another outcome of the shift is that while many organizations do not control the destiny of
employee’s careers like they may have historically, they do have a heightened
awareness that they need to offer learning and training opportunities in order to attract
new employees and retain existing ones. Taking
advantage of opportunities to increase one’s skill level can have important
implications for both short and long-term career development.
Overall, the shift to personal responsibility has opened new doors for people to manage
their career and utilize the new tools and resources that are available; it has also
increased career and personal uncertainties.
5.
Role
of Professional and Protective (Labor) Organizations
Various
kinds of protective organizations have existed to support workers in their jobs and
careers. We will discuss two of the most
significant: Labor Unions and Professional Organizations.
Labor Unions: Labor unions have played an
influential role in helping individuals manage their careers. Two main methods have been used to accomplish
this, depending on the political and historical factors of the country involved. Generally, both methods are invoked but in varying
proportions. One method we can call
political action. This is where unions
depend on political and legislative muscle to obtain protections for workers and which
impose various career-influencing obligations on employers.
The second general method is in direct negotiations between unions and
employers. The main product of this
collective bargaining is agreements, which impose binding obligations on employers and on
workers. In most countries both political
action and collective bargaining are used. In
the
Professional Organizations: These groups have
emerged to provide support to members with similar career interests and/or backgrounds. One typically joins a professional organization
for a variety of reasons including networking, credentialing, camaraderie and/or career
development. There is typically a
fee involved with joining one of these groups. They usually gather periodically either on
a regional or national level to discuss issues that are relevant to the members’
careers. These types of organizations can be a
great way to broaden one’s opportunities. Unlike
unions, professional organizations rarely engage in collective bargaining. Employers are generally supportive of these
organizations because they generate a great deal of labor market information and activity. Most professional organizations represent a
specific discipline or occupational grouping. We
can expect an increase in the number and range of services and information provided by
professional organizations as the trend to career self-management accelerates.
6.
Using
Information and Technology To Manage One’s Career
With
many of the barriers removed that traditionally impeded career self-management; an
expanded opportunities now exist for individuals to harness information and technology to
manage one’s career effectively.
Historically, individuals had to rely upon their organization’s personnel department or
other “official” source to gain information valuable in managing one’s
career. In recent years, the Internet has
changed the access and availability of job information dramatically. One can research other organization’s web sites to
learn about their career opportunities, peruse open positions on job web sites like
Monster.com and Careerbuilder.com, and create “virtual job agents” that comb
through open opportunities and email matches directly to you.
In addition, executing a simple web search in an sector of activity one might be interested in
could produce a variety of interesting articles and web sites that contain useful
information to help a person manage one’s career.
The advent of email as a popular and
accepted method of communication is a tremendous tool.
Often, resumes and cover letters are forwarded via email instead of the
traditional hard copy through the mail. This
allows information to reach the hiring manager quickly.
In addition, email is a useful networking tool. One can communicate easily with others and share
useful information fast and in an unthreatening environment.
7.
What
Can the Individual Do To Prepare For This
The
key to preparing for the world of increasing personal responsibility for careers is
finding the appropriate blend of tools to meet one’s own needs and goals. A sampling of these approaches includes: acquiring
new expertise, building a support system, creating a personal marketing plan and
maintaining flexibility.
Acquiring New Expertise: An effective way to broaden one’ career
opportunities is to “load up on new tools”.
One can augment his computer skills, take a class or pursue another degree
or certification. These new skills may open
one’s eyes to additional career paths, as well as make one more marketable both
within and outside one’s current organization.
Building a Support System: It
is important to fortify both current relationships as well as foster new ones both in and
outside of the workplace. These allies can
be valuable sources of information about new careers and opportunities. They can also introduce other people that might be
able to facilitate a change of job and/or career. Finally,
a strong support system will prove invaluable if you embark upon the job search process.
Creating a Personal Marketing Plan: Once one is at a point when he is ready to make
a job/career change, it can be useful to think of oneself as a product that needs to be
marketed. One will need to determine one’s key selling factors (i.e. special and
differentiating skills), target audience (i.e. type of sector of activity, specific organization and
position) and how to approach them effectively (i.e. cover letter, resume, interview,
etc.).
Maintains Flexibility: Perhaps the most important preparation one can
undertake is to maintain flexibility. One’s
career desires and interests may change, as might those of current or potential employers. Keeping a flexible and open mind in the rapidly
changing economy can broaden the scope of possible career opportunities.
8.
How
Do Employers Deal With The New Realities
Similar
to individuals, employers can manage the new environment in several different ways. This can be a challenging environment for employers
because managers themselves have become less stable in their jobs. For example, a recent study determined that more
than 40% of managers and senior executives expect to leave their jobs within two years. In order to address this phenomenon, employers
need to think strategically about their hiring, retention and compensation practices.
Depending upon the economic climate, it can be either easy or difficult to attract
talent. Regardless of the situation, an
excellent way to ensure you are recruiting the best people is by taking a strategic view
of the role of Human Resources. Many
organizations have created the role of “Chief Talent Officer”. This senior level person works with management to
ensure that the organization’s hiring is aligned with the current and future needs of the
organization.
Once you hire the right staff, it’s important that you have systems in place to
keep them for the period of time they are needed.
These are several tips employers can use to motivate their employees:
·
Flexible
work schedules
·
Professional
development opportunities
·
Awards
and parties to celebrate individual and group successes
·
Challenging
work, decision-making ability and autonomy
·
effective
benefits (onsite day care, adoption support, vacation time)
·
Compensation
packages that bind employees to the organization for the period of time that they are required.
Finally,
many employers assume that compensation is what matters most to employees. While important, compensation plays only a part in
an employee’s overall level of motivation. One
way to make to make a organization’s compensation more meaningful is to make rewards more
immediate. For example, instead of
offering bonuses annually, tie them to quarterly accomplishments. These types of shorter-term incentives can keep
employees consistently motivated and also ties them to the success of the entire
organization.
9.
Negotiating
for Oneself
Recognizing what is important is necessary in order
to make wise career decisions. An important
tool to have is negotiation skills. Being
able to negotiate for what one wants can be critical to maximizing one’s career
development.
An effective way to develop negotiation skills is by looking back at times when one has
put them to use. For example, has one
negotiated in his/her work life? Has one
negotiated in his/her personal life—maybe buying a car?
The key is to examine times when one has succeeded and recognize the
critical success factors. Just as useful an
exercise can be evaluating times when one was not a successful negotiator.
Going into
any negotiating situation, perhaps for a pay raise or a promotion, it is important to
evaluate one’s negotiation position. One
should ask oneself: what are the critical
points in your favor? These may be results on
the job, leadership skills, education and training, etc.
An important thing to note in any career-related negotiation is to try to
remain objective.
How you negotiate can add credence to one’s position. For example, if an individual is well-researched on
market trends, understands his/her own value, weighs all elements of the topics under
negotiation and maintains a professional attitude, he/she will be much more prepared in
convincing the other party of their position.
Finally, understanding the other party’s position, as well as one’s own, will
help you make the best decisions as to what is worth negotiating—and what isn’t.
10. One’s
Personal Toolkit for Career Management Effectiveness
Many
tools exist that can help one effectively manage his/her career. One of the most useful things one can do is undergo
a self-assessment process. Understanding
what one likes to do and what one does well can help one to identify careers that might be
fulfilling. Professional career counselors
can help one work through the self-assessment process using a variety of tests and
instruments.
Once you identify the type of career and/or job function that you are targeting, you
will need to have a compelling resume, cover letter and interview to secure the position.
Resume: The
resume is a brief outline of one’s professional and educational experience. It may also include other skills you might possess
including any foreign languages you speak, computer training you have received and any
awards you might have obtained.
Cover Letter:
The cover letter is an important complement a resume. The typical cover letter is in project/programme purpose letter
format and briefly summarizes who one is, why one is contacting the individual and why one
is interested in, and may be an excellent candidate for, a particular position.
Interview:
A compelling cover letter and resume may be enough to get one’s foot in
the door with a organization. However, one will
need to have a strong interview to clinch the job offer. It is important to remember to be succinct and clear
in one’s answers to the interviewer’s questions.
In addition, one should be able to speak in depth about any information on
one’s resume and should be prepared to provide example of strengths, weaknesses,
successes and failures to name a few.
#1
Matching the Columns
a)
Resume |
1.
A
person that can provide career advice and who can serve as an advocate while managing your
career |
b)
Cover
Letter |
2.
A
group that can provide support to members with similar career interests and/or backgrounds |
c)
Networking |
3.
A
written synopsis of your work experience, education and skills used to market yourself to
potential employers |
d)
|
4.
These
organizations are concentrated in certain industries and historically provided a certain
amount of job security |
e)
Labor
Union |
5.
The
concept of meeting and speaking with as many people as possible to try to learn about and
be more marketable in certain careers |
f)
Professional
Organization |
6.
A
written complement to one’s resume that describes why one is contacting the
individual and briefly summarizes one’s qualifications and interests |
Answers:
a-3, b-6, c-5, d-1, e-4, f-2
#2 Multiple-Choice
1.
All
of the following are examples of ties that undergird traditional employment models EXCEPT:
A.
Loyalty
and Obligation
B.
Fear
and Intimidation
2.
All
of the following are factors that caused the shift from institutional to personal career
responsibility EXCEPT:
A.
Improved
communication and technology
B.
Lowering
of social, gender and cultural barriers
D.
Changes
in organization structure
3.
Identifying
what skills you possess and what values are important to you is a process called
___________________.
A.
Negotiating
C.
Promotion
D.
Interviewing
4.
Being
well-researched on market trends, understanding one’s own skills, successes and
leadership abilities are imperative in a ______________________ situation.
A.
Globalization
C.
Self-assessment
D.
Intimidation
#3
True/False Exercise
1. Historically, a person’s socioeconomic status played an important role in dictating one’s access to career opportunities.
True
False
2.
Loyalty
and obligation is an example of one of the ties that traditionally bound employees to
employers.
True
False
3.
Changes
in how organizations were structured in not one of the factors that influenced the shift from
institutional to personal career responsibility.
True
False
4.
One
of the outcomes of the shift in responsibility is that individuals have more in potential
careers.
True
False
5.
Professional
organizations are not an effective way to network and expand your educational
opportunities.
True
False
6.
The
Internet is not an effective tool to use in managing one’s career.
True
False
Summary
·
Understanding
the history and development of career management is important knowledge for both employees
and employers.
·
Many
cultural, societal, economic and technological factors have influenced how careers are
developed and managed.
·
There
are numerous positive and negative outcomes resulting from the shift from institutional to
personal career responsibility.
·
Understanding
what motivates an individual, how to market oneself and how to negotiate are important
skills to possess in managing one’s career.
Test
1.
Loyalty
was not a factor in traditional models of career management.
2.
Geography
is one of the ties that traditionally bound employees to employers.
True
False
3.
Improved
communication and technology is one of the key drivers influencing the shift from
institutional to personal career responsibility.
True
False
4.
Confusion
can be one of the outcomes of the shift from institutional to personal responsibility.
True
False
5.
Labor
Unions still play a dominant role in career development in today’s economy.
True
False
6.
Email
is not an effective tool to use when managing one’s career.
True
False
7.
Creating
a personal marketing plan is one thing an individual can do to effective manage his/her
career in today’s environment.
True
False
8.
Compensation
is the most important factor for a manager in determining what motivates an employee.
True
False
9.
Understanding
the other party’s position is an important part of being an effective negotiator.
True
False
10. The resume and cover letter are important
parts of a job seeker’s toolkit.
True
False
Chapter 19: Closing the
Koudsi,
Suzanne, “Agents of Change”, Fortune Magazine, April 1, 2002.
Koudsi,
Suzanne, “You’re Stuck”, Fortune
Magazine, December 10, 2001.
Martin,
Chuck, “Managing for the Short Term, Part 1, project/programme purposeWeek
Online, June 6, 2002.
“Browse,
Click, Career—Fortune Special”, Fortune
Magazine, December 1, 2000.
Glossary
Factors Influencing Shift to Personal Career Responsibility:
Improved
communication and technology, the lowering of societal, gender and cultural barriers, and
a change in how organizations are structured.
Outcomes
of Shift in Career Responsibility: Individuals are almost solely responsible for their
career development and management is ongoing. Includes increase in choice in
opportunities, information and sometimes confusion.
Protective
and Professional Organizations: Groups that exist to support their membership
through networking, education, credentialing and overall career development.
“Personal
Toolkit” for Career Management Effectiveness: Includes self-assessment, resume, cover letter and
interviewing skills.
Learning
Objectives
·
To
understand the historical “roots” of career development and the factors that
have influenced its evolution, as well as the resulting outcomes
·
To
develop a “toolkit” for employees and managers to effectively manage their own
career development and those of others
Q&A
1.
What
are the majors outcomes if the shift from institutional to personal career development?
There
are both positive and negative outcomes resulting from this shift. Traditionally, organization
HR or Personnel departments and/or labor unions played an integral role in determining one’s
career. Probably the most important result is
that individuals are now almost entirely responsible for their careers. The career management process is ongoing and
individuals typically have more choice in potential careers.
However, with the abundance of information now available, can come confusion
and loneliness. Since employees are typically
more transient, employers are now charged with evaluating their current hiring, promotion
and retention plans to ensure that they meet the needs of both the employee and the
employer.
2.
How
can employers effectively deal with the new career management environment?
Employers
can effectively deal with this new environment by thinking strategically about their
hiring, retention and compensation practices. Taking
a strategic look at the role of Human Resources within the broader organization can help
identify areas of strength and weakness. For
example, evaluating a organization’s professional development opportunities, incentives,
benefits and compensation packages will help the organization make effective personnel
management decisions.
3.
How
can employees effectively deal with the new career management environment?
Employees
can do several things to effective manage their careers.
For example, one can utilize the information and technology that is
available to educate oneself on opportunities and to network with others. Secondly, an individual can augment his/her
skill-set by pursuing another degree or credential. Thirdly,
creating a support system composed of people that will mentor a person and serve as an
advocate is important. Lastly, knowing how to
market oneself including having a compelling resume and cover letter and solid
interviewing and negotiation skills are critical.