Developing Career Paths for Superstars

Think like one of your star employees for a moment:

If you didn’t see a promising future with your current employer,

would you look for a better opportunity elsewhere?

In today’s job market, you probably would.

More than ever, it’s critical to create clear career paths and provide ample advancement opportunities for your top performers. Proactive career planning:

• Aligns employees’ goals with those of the organization
• Demonstrates your commitment to their continued growth
• Cultivates loyalty and improves retention

What’s the best way to approach this process? Today, PrideStaff shares four tips to help you develop career paths for your superstars:

Do your homework. Before meeting with your employee, spend some time thinking about his future within your organization. What are his unique strengths and career goals? What are your business objectives for the next three to five years? What hiring needs are on the horizon? Ultimately, you want to provide the opportunity your star employee needs, while also achieving your organization’s business goals. Consider where the two intersect, and use this as a starting point for your conversation.

Hold a formal meeting. Sit down with your star employee and explain your commitment to his growth and success within your organization. Conduct a joint career-planning session in which you:

• Explore his professional interests and desires.
• Walk him through possible career paths, discussing the future of your company and his future within it.
• Discuss associated timeframes, milestones and performance standards, so your employee has realistic expectations of what will be required. 
• Develop a five-year plan that aligns with your business objectives and meets your high performer’s need for growth.

Tailor your approach. Create an individualized plan for your star employee to grow within your organization. Include a clear timeline, mentoring activities, stretch assignments, learning opportunities and periodic progress reviews.

Strive for balance. Keep your employee’s need for a work/life balance in mind while building career plans, so that they work for both themselves and the organization long-term.

Most high performers are not solely motivated by money or fancy job titles. They look for opportunities to grow professionally, to enhance their marketability, to challenge themselves, and to make a real difference on the job. Help your star employees create clear career paths that challenge them, satisfy their professional needs, and keep them motivated to perform for you.

Need high performers for your organization? Looking for better ways to tame turnover and increase retention? Contact PrideStaff today to learn more about our Workforce Growth Solutions and On Target fulfillment process.