• Train supervisors on how to develop employees through multiple stages of career goals.

An employee’s career development has multiple stages, beginning, intermediate, and final. This requires a list of jobs and the logical progression from one to another.

For example, an employee accepts an entry level position (beginning stage) as a bookkeeper in the accounting department. This employee becomes increasingly competent while learning the organization’s rules and procedures. As time passes, the employee decides to stay with the company and wants to follow a career path to get to the ultimate job or position — accounting department manager.

At this point, the employee tells a manager about the desired position or long-term goal. The manager would then communicate this information to the human resources (HR) department. The HR department will set into motion the necessary career development program to help the employee reach the goal. As the employee moves along the career path (bookkeeper to accountant to senior accountant), there is time for HR to review the career plans and make additional choices or changes (intermediate stage).

At the final stage in the employee’s career, the position of accounting department manager is ideally reached. The employee continues to redefine career development goals (for example, deciding now to move to a non-profit organization and work for less salary — but assuming the position of chief financial officer). Of course, the ideal is not always achieved, but if opportunities are not even available at a company, employees may look elsewhere.