Understanding career development and professional growth

Many employees don’t quit because they hate the job. They quit because they can’t picture a future with their company.

Career development brings that picture into focus.

By encouraging employees to become the best versions of themselves, you get the most out of their skills while giving them a reason to stay. That’s not just good for productivity; engagement climbs when people know growth and advancement are within reach. 

In this guide, you’ll learn how to map career development plans that help employees work toward their professional goals so you can keep your best talent on board.

What’s career development?

Career development is the process of “leveling up” professionally, whether it’s by attaining new skills or being given new responsibilities. Development can happen within the workplace, through outside schooling, or by seeking a more senior role elsewhere.

Career development is a lifelong journey that starts with a first job and continues through every promotion, pivot, and challenge until retirement, shaping both the employee’s career and the value they bring to your organization.

Career development vs. career progression vs. career growth

The terms career development, career growth, and career progression are often used interchangeably, but they’re not quite the same:

• Career progression is a step up the career ladder, usually through a promotion or move into a more senior role.
• Career growth is broader, referring to professional advancement that can come from gaining new skills, taking on more responsibility, or expanding your influence.
• Career development is the ongoing process of improving skills, knowledge, and experiences. It doesn’t always involve upward movement. For example, building creativity, strengthening leadership, or achieving a better work-life balance are all career development skills, even if they don’t directly lead to a promotion.

What’s a career development plan?

A career development plan lays out goals and provides a clear route for achieving them. It should include measurable targets, milestones, and timelines that managers can keep an eye on. 

Career development plans often cover a wide range of professional advancement areas, including: 

• Skills enhancement: Plans often outline opportunities for developing new skills or improving existing ones. This is a great way to boost performance and might even lead to advancement to a higher-responsibility role. 
• Career advancement: Employees often want to feel like they’re advancing in their careers. A plan might include a pathway to more senior roles at the company. Alternatively, they could want to move sideways to a new department. These types of career progression goals are a great way to retain top talent.
• Job satisfaction: Career development plans are a prime opportunity to boost job satisfaction rates. If an employee is unhappy, managers can focus career goals around finding more satisfying opportunities. 
• Soft skills: While they’re not always easy to track, soft skills are essential in the workplace. A plan that focuses on building things like communication or time management skills can be incredibly helpful. 
• Better income: It’s no surprise that most people want to earn more money. Through a career development plan, employees can work toward a raise that works for both them and the company.
• Work-life balance: Setting goals to improve work-life balance can be important for employees who feel burned out. One strategy might be to target specific work-from-home days. 

• Professional training and certifications: Moving higher up the career ladder might require official training or professional certification. Consider building your own learning management system to help with employee development.

• Work experience: Junior employees often need to gain some work experience before they can advance. One of their career development goals could be shadowing a mentor or participating in an internal internship.
• Networking: In many careers, it’s still all about who you know. A plan might focus on an employee building relationships with clients, collaborators, or professional connections within their field. 
• Leadership and management development: Just because they’re in charge doesn’t mean leaders can’t develop, too. A plan might encourage managers to improve their communication, delegation, or training skills.

Development and the 4 types of careers

While every developing career has its own unique path, many follow specific patterns. Here are four different career types:

• Steady-state careers: In steady-state careers, professionals become experts in one knowledge area. Their development goals revolve around improving their skills in this specific field.
• Linear careers: Linear careers involve climbing the corporate ladder, steadily gaining increased responsibility and compensation. Development goals include becoming a stronger leader or skilling up to move into management.
• Transitory careers: Transitory professionals move from one field or job to another, eager for new challenges. People on this career path require goals like extra training to make sure they’re appropriately skilled in each field.
• Spiral careers: Professionals who “spiral” hone expert-level skills in one field before jumping to another. They use their existing expertise in the new field, but they also need fresh knowledge. Their goals relate to perfecting skillsets and navigating transitions.

Career development in management: How to create a plan for employees

Here’s how you can encourage career development and promote advancement through effective planning.

1. Look to the present and future

Hold one-on-one meetings with employees to determine how they feel about their career. Ask if they’re comfortable where they are now or want to progress. If you have a trusted relationship, this is a good opportunity to ask about their job satisfaction.

Next, ask the employee about their career goals over the next five or 10 years. Combine these insights with what you’ve learned about their current state of mind to find potential areas of opportunity. For example, someone who hopes to become a manager might be a candidate for additional corporate training.

2. Identify skill gaps

Knowing an employee’s professional aspirations also helps you identify gaps in their skill set. These can be solved through training or identifying when academic study is needed.

Sometimes, you and the employee can clearly identify gaps together. Other times, you’ll need to use smart questions to figure out what’s missing, like:

• What skills do you think you most need to improve? 
• What skills or tools would help you do your job better?
• What would you need from me/the organization to grow? 
• If you were able to take a professional development course or class, what would it be and why?
  

3. Set clear, measurable career goals

Help the employee turn their wider career vision into actual objectives and set milestones against a timeline. If someone wants to become a manager, explain the company’s expectations for the role. Lay out the formal training or schooling the person would need to complete before they’re ready to progress. 

Goal-setting is the ideal time to set expectations. If a worker wants to move into a managerial role but there are none open, be transparent so they’re not discouraged by working toward an unattainable goal.

4. Connect employees to resources 

Guide employees toward opportunities and company resources that help them reach their goals. Maybe there’s an internal manager training program you can get an aspiring candidate into. Or perhaps you can recommend external professional development opportunities, like conferences and classes, that will boost their skills. 

5. Check in and pivot as needed

Help employees track and celebrate their successes by checking in with them on progress. Recognition instills a sense of pride and drives motivation.

Check-ins also let you know when a team member has hit a roadblock. You can step in to resolve the issue or guide the employee in modifying their development plan. Workleap Skills makes this easy, with personalized, AI-driven career pathing and success planning tools.

Practical tips for career development

Here are a few tips to help you challenge employees to hit their professional goals: 

• Embrace strengths: Highlight where an employee shines and encourage them to maximize the use of their talents and skills. 
• Be authentic: Remind workers to stay true to their interests. Employees are more likely to burn out on a path that doesn’t inspire them. 
• Think big: It’s often tough to see beyond a potential roadblock, so push employees to look at the bigger picture. Ask them what they’d do if there were no limits on their aspirations. You may just be able to put them on the path toward that dream.
• Remain flexible: Companies, markets, industries, and people change. Update targets to reflect these evolving circumstances. Workers who stay flexible can pivot toward better outcomes instead of stagnating. 

Learn how to enhance career development with Workleap

Career development is an ongoing process of growth and self-awareness. When you regularly assess where employees and managers are, close skills gaps, and set clear, intentional goals, you give your team the tools to succeed in a changing job market.

That’s where Workleap Officevibe comes in. With pulse surveys, real-time analytics, and feedback tools, you can spot development needs early and connect every conversation to meaningful career growth.

Try Workleap Officevibe for free to create a workplace where growth is built into the way you work.