Career Development From the Get Go
Supporting career growth is key for employees and employers alike. Small employers and startups may not have the bandwidth — time or person power — to create a full-fledged talent development program for staff. But that doesn't mean that career advancement efforts need to fall by the wayside. Here are four understated, but effective, ways to assist employees in progressing their careers.
1) Provide reimbursement for professional memberships. Through organizations like the Society for Human Resources, American Bar Association, The Manufacturing Institute, Association for Financial Professionals, National Association of Professional Mortgage Women, National Society of Professional Engineers and the Project Management Institute, employees can get access to research and webinars and the opportunity to participate on committees and panels. Jobstars has a large list of such groups: https://jobstars.com/professional-associations-organizations/.If there is not a job-related organization that’s a good fit, consider a group that promotes public speaking and leadership skills like Toastmasters, International, or training option like MindTools, which addresses a variety of skill areas like problem solving, decision making and communication through courses, forums and executive interviews.
2) Start an in-house info exchange. Ask employees to teach their peers about a topic on which they are knowledgable. Someone from Finance could walk others through deciphering a P&L. Someone in Project Management can share PM basics or explain how to use PM Tools for enhanced personal and departmental productivity. An IT team member can teach teams how to improve cybersecurity — on personal devices and on the job. Your “teachers” will get valuable presentation experience while their “students” pick up some useful information. (Finding employees to organize such a program — determining topics, logistics, schedules — can be a valuable development exercise in itself.)
3) Recruit members for a low-key mentor program. These can be particularly useful as a way to promote social interactions between remote and in-office employees. Ask participants to commit to meet in person or virtually at least once a month to share work experiences and advice.
4) Enlist employees in development planning. Ask employees what they want to earn, improve or explore. Set a time to talk about development planning, so they can be prepared. Asking "what opportunities or experiences are you looking for at this point in your career?” might elicit answers that surprise you. If the request is one you can’t manage or don’t see as skill building, respond honestly, but be prepared to propose an alternative — a stretch assignment, an opportunity to host a meeting, lead a project or explore a process improvement.
