Career Discussions at Work, Practical Tips for - CIPD

Cover
Benefits of this
tool
Introduction
Description of the
tool
An introductory
exercise: Reflect
on your own
experiences
The business
case for effective
career discussions
What makes
for an effective
career discussion
The NICEC model
of effective career
discussion
Skills, behaviours
and personal
attributes
Developing
capability in the
business
About the NICEC
research
Sources of
information
How to use this
tool
Tool map
Description of the tool
This tool has been written from the individual employee’s point of view. It is
hoped that this approach will be useful for ‘givers’ of career support and HR
professionals who can gain important insights by looking at their activities
from the ‘receiver’s’ perspective. Of course, we are likely to wear more than
one of these ‘hats’. Most of us are both ‘givers’ and ‘receivers’ of career
support, at least informally, if not formally. HR professionals often talk to
employees and managers about career issues as well as developing policy.
You may be happy just to work straight through the tool, reading the various
sections in turn. However, it is also fine to use the main sections in a different
order depending on your role in career discussions:
• If you are an HR professional, you might want to start by looking
at the ‘business case’ followed by developing the capability of your
organisation to support career discussions.
• In your role as someone who supports the careers of others (line
managers/mentors etc) or if you advise those who do, the main section
to look at is ‘What makes for an effective career discussion’ Then
continue through to the practical tips on conducting an effective career
discussion and the chance to check your own skills.
• If you see yourself as either a ‘giver’ or ‘receiver’ of career support (or as
both) you may wish to focus on the practical aspects of having effective
career discussions, including reflection on your own experiences,
practical tips and an assessment of your own skills and behaviour.
You may then like to look at ‘What makes for an effective career
discussion’.
This tool examines the case for effective career discussions and provide an
evidence-based view of the characteristics of good discussions. Alongside
this, practical guidance is offered to the different parties involved in career
discussions (individuals, ‘givers’ of career support and HR practitioners) on
how to undertake their activities. This tool provides information on:
• the case for effective career discussions (individual and business
perspectives)
• a tool to help aid reflection on personal experiences of career
conversations
• the characteristics of what makes for an effective career discussion
• an overview of models and frameworks that can be used in career
discussions
• a four-stage model of an effective career discussion
• practical tips for ‘givers’ and ‘receivers’ of career support
Career discussions at work Practical tips for HR, managers and employees ©CIPD 2005
4 of 40