06102901Topic8IntroductiontoCareerPlanning

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IntroductiontoCareerPlanning

INTRODUCTIONCareer planning is a continuous process in which an individual sets his careerobjectives and identifies the steps he should take to achieve them. It is a difficultprocess because nowadays, an average worker who graduates from an institutionof learning will change jobs at least three times during his career. This is due tochanges in technology, environment, economy, politics as well as the individualhimself. Employees nowadays want a job that is challenging and different fromother people. This is because when the individual is exposed to various tasks andresponsibilities, he will acquire more skills, abilities and capabilities. This willexpose the employees to a variety of different job environment and at the same

time, gain valuable experience.

When we were young, we were often asked what we would like to be when wegrow up. The common answer would be a teacher, nurse, soldier or doctor. This is

because when we were ten years old, we could not differentiate between theconcept of adult and career. We would always give this answer because thesewere the people that we often came across and in our eyes, they have great careers.However, as we grew up, we became more curious about career. As teenagers,we would explore many things to find out what activity interests us the most.Then, we started to think of a career that is closest to the activity that we like.

LEARNING OUTCOMESBy the end of this topic, you should be able to:

1. Describe the key terms related to the process of career planning;2. Explain the processes involved in career planning;3. Discuss the major roles of career planning; and4. Summarise the six types of career path.

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TOPIC 8 INTRODUCTION TO CAREER PLANNING154

Thus, teenagers who like to draw are keen on taking up architecture or art astheir career.

Nevertheless, we have to realise that the working world of today is far differentfrom that of yesterday. If our parents had only one job throughout their workinglives, we, on the other hand, have to perform multitude tasks in differentorganisations during our 30-year career span. Things such as globalisation,technology and innovation are reasons for the changes in our job as well as in ourcareer. These indirectly have caused retrenchment and downsizing which havemade it almost impossible for the individual to remain in the same job in thesame organisation. In view of the challenges of todays working world, this topicis thus important for us to examine and study.

The focus of this topic is on the concept of career planning itself. Students will beexposed to what career planning is, its role from the perspective of the individualand the organisation and the different types of career path.

Career planning is a process that involves the individual and covers activitiessuch as self-appraisal and assessment of career opportunities. It is also anopportunity to improve ones self and help one to achieve the objectives andaspirations of his career.

Career planning may be said to be an important activity for an organisation aswell as for the individual. For the latter, it can help him realise his career

objectives to be in line with the objectives of the organisation. For theorganisation, it can reduce the turnover rate of workers, the cost of recruitingworkers as well as help to develop its employees.

DEFINITION OF CAREER8.1

ACTIVITY 8.1

Give the definition of career as you understand it.

Before we look at career planning in detail, we need to first understand theterminology of career itself.


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TOPIC 8 INTRODUCTION TO CAREER PLANNING 155

The Dewan Bahasadictionary defines career as:

Career is the journey or development in ones life that he has chosen as hisfield of work as a means of livelihood. It is also an activity that is donecontinuously to earn an income to support ones life.

DeSimone, Werner and Harris define career as:

Career is the pattern in the journey that is related to work during someonesworking life.

Mondy and Noe, define career as:

Career is a job that has been chosen to be accomplished during someonesworking life.

A career is an action to determine the direction of ones work. An individual maychange his career once or many times depending on various factors such astechnological changes, interest, environment, marriage or his own desire forchange. We may have met or heard of an engineer-turned-businessman or anaccountant who has switched to teaching. Why did they switch careers? Thereare many reasons for this, including interest, skills, experience and opportunities.

In general, a career is a sequence of related job designations held by someoneuntil he retires, although not necessarily with the same organisation. Forexample, someone started work as a clerk in organisation A, then was promotedto chief clerk after working for five years in the same organisation. Ten yearslater, he moved to another organisation, B, and was made an administrativeexecutive officer.

What comes to your mind when you hear the word career? You might think

that a career is the same as a job. Actually, these are two different concepts. Acareer refers to all the types of work that a person has held throughout hisworking life. Normally, an individual with a career will try to improve hisknowledge, skills and capabilities in order to get a higher position in anorganisation compared with an individual who has a job. At the organisationlevel, what the human resource manager does to help the employee achieve hiscareer objectives is known as career development.


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To help students understand the full meaning of career, we will explain the termsrelated to it. There will be a detailed explanation of some of these terms in Topic9 and 10. These terms are explained in Table 8.1.

Table 8.1: Terms Related to CareerTerms Definition

Career Something that someone chooses to do throughout hisworking life.

Career Planning A continuous process done by an individual in defining hisobjectives and identifying the steps to meet these objectives.

Career Path Inter-related sequence or network of jobs in an organisation. It

refers to the levels of improvements in a job held by anemployee.

Career Anchors The things or values that an individual places priority on in hiscareer. Besides support, great importance is placed onautonomy, independence, creativity and job assurance.

Career Audit Review of career planning and achievements. It is normallydone annually, semi-annually or quarterly. It is also regardedas a company strategy in helping an individual understandwhy he is doing what he is doing, how to be accountable for

his own career and how to identify the resources required tomanage a career in an ever-changing environment.

CareerCounselling

A programme that helps employee understands and learnsabout his capabilities, assets, limitations, interests andobjectives. It also helps the employee identify his position inthe organisation, internal and external opportunities as well asthe training required to enable him to exploit his talents. Inaddition, it helps him develop his career planning, using theinformation on a particular career and identifying theorganisations needs, development opportunities as well ashis needs and interests.

CareerDevelopment

A process that assesses, coordinates and balances the needs,capabilities, opportunities and challenges of the organisationand individual. It also focuses on the individual who carriesout and adapts himself to the various job roles. Theprogrammes main interventions include conducting self-assessment and carrying out the development process that caninfluence both organisation and individual to formulate anoptimistic match between the job and the individual.


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Career planning is concerned with matching an individuals career aspirationswith the opportunities offered by an organisation. It encompasses and identifiesways of getting the desired results based on the existing career path.

It also helps the employee in his self-development in terms of his interests andskills. In addition, it may give greater job satisfaction because it helps theemployee identify the job that matches his interests and plans. From theperspective of the organisation, it may save time in terms of staff recruitment,helps in the planning of staff replacement, identifies the capable employees, andhelps the employee identify his objectives and self-development in order to reachhis targets.

Career planning also covers the process of assessing someones strengths andweaknesses and is related to career objectives. This process also identifies thenecessary measures which one must take to achieve ones career objectives.

Thus, from the explanations above, we may conclude that career planning is therelationship between an individuals efforts to manage his career and his effortsto develop his career. These efforts include:

(a) Determining career objectives, i.e. what the employee wants in his career;

(b) Assessing ones strengths and weaknesses from many aspects such as skills,expertise and self potential; and

(c) Developing specific planning to reach the objectives by taking into accountones strengths and weaknesses.

There are three processes involved in career planning:

(a) The individual knows himself, is aware of the opportunities and choicesavailable to him and the consequences of his choices;

(b) The individual identifies the career objectives; and(c) The individual goes through the work, educational and other experiences

that can help him determine his target and what he should do in order toachieve his career objectives.

SELF-CHECK 8.1

Try to explain what you understand by career planning. Why doesan employee need to plan his career?


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Figure 8.1: The role of career planning

(a) Role of IndividualWhen an individual plans his/her career, it is not just to help theorganisation, but also to plan his/her future career. This is because his/herdesires and needs are different from and sometimes not in line with theneeds of the organisation.

When he/she is making such plans, the paramount importance is his/herown continuous efforts. In fact, it is better that he/she makes the plans

before he/she starts working, i.e. while he/she is still studying. This is sothat his planning can be identified early on and can help him/her look foran organisation that best suits him/her.

Among the steps he/she has to take are:

(i) Identify Own Interests and AbilitiesThis can be done by critically examining oneself and recognising onesabilities, interests and capabilities in a particular field. For example, if oneis interested in painting and is good at it, has won in art competitions,then a suitable career would be an artist, architect or art teacher.

(ii) Plan Own Objectives and JobThis is useful as the objectives would generally be in line with those ofthe organisation. With such plan, an individual would strive toimprove his skills, capabilities and knowledge, and theseimprovements would certainly enhance his/her opportunity for apromotion.


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(iii) Assessing Career Path Inside and Outside the OrganisationAn individual should study the opportunities for self and careerimprovement in the organisation he/she is working for. If the

opportunities do exist, then he/she should perform well in order toget a career boost. If, on the other hand, no such opportunity exists,then he/she has to look for another organisation which offers bettercareer opportunities.

(iv) Realising Changes in Interests and Objectives When Career andConditions of Life Have ChangedThe environment has a tremendous influence on ones life. If anindividual is experiencing changes in his/her interests in his/her job,then he ought to make other plans so as not to affect his/her career.For example, a clerical worker is more interested in business than

performing his tasks as a clerk. He/she then has to reassesshimself/herself and if he/she decides to leave, he/she should makepreparations and plans to change his/her career.

Studies have shown that an individual who plans his/her career isusually more successful and feels and reacts positively towardshis/her career compared to someone who does not.

(b) Role of OrganisationAn organisation does career planning to prove to the employees itsseriousness, as well as its concern for the latters welfare and future. Careerplanning is an indication that it is interested in the employees future aswell as acknowledging their contribution to the organisation.

An organisation can provide various programmes, training and support tohelp employees plan their career besides providing space for them todevelop their potential. One of the ways of helping employees is byproviding experts to help, encourage and provide help to them in theircareer planning.

Among the roles of an organisation in career planning are:

(i) Preparing Programmes and Plans for EmployeesOne of the programmes that can be carried out is a career seminar thatdiscusses aspects that would help employees plan their career, self-assessment and career objectives.

(ii) Setting up a Career CentreA database or an information centre can be set up to help employeessearch for information on their job and training related to their tasks.


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(iii) Career CounsellingExperts/career counsellors can be provided to help employees planthe future of their career.

(iv) Career PathA framework on the employees future career path with theorganisation is formulated with emphasis on the skills needed toimprove their tasks and responsibilities, promotion opportunities andself potential.

Organisations ought to do some monitoring to ensure that the managerand employees use the system created besides assessing its effectiveness.This is crucial to ensure that all the planning done by the organisation forits employees reach their objectives. Furthermore, it ought to have policies

and information on the job so that employees can do some checking whileplanning their career. Unified support from senior management is alsoimportant to facilitate the career planning process.

ACTIVITY 8.4

Read the following situation and suggest the adjustments Ana shouldmake regarding her problems and the actions she should take. Youmay share your thoughts with your friends.

Ana is a clerk in an organisation in Kuala Lumpur. She is a STPMholder, she does not have any special skills other than the capability ofmanaging her job. She has an attractive personality. She does not haveany specific career planning although she wants to improve hereconomic status. Realising that she lacks academic qualifications, sheregistered for a management degree at a learning centre. Lectures areheld after office hours and during weekends.

In addition, she has taken the opportunity to apply for other postsadvertised by the organisation she is working at although sometimes

she does not have the skills and knowledge required for the post. Shehas failed to get the post several times; in fact, she was not even calledfor the interview. Then, she started to change and became depressedcompared to her previous cheerful self. This has badly affected her jobperformance.


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CAREER PLANNING AND CAREER PATH8.4

What is career path? It can be defined as a particular job sequence or network that

is related to career opportunities in an organisation. It refers to the levels ofadvancements in a job held by an employee in his working life.

DeSimone, Werner and Harris (2002) define career path as:

DeSimone, Werner and Harris, career path a continuous process whichinvolves the movement of individuals through several stages of life, with eachstage having its own issues, themes and tasks.

There are many types of paths which can be taken by an individual in his/her career.

It is related to the advancements he/she experiences in his/her career. Normally,after working for a number of years, an employee would be promoted providedhe/she has performed well. His/her seniority in a particular post would also be afactor. However, changes in time, technology and environment have changed all that.

In general, career path may be seen as a job sequence or network related to thecareer opportunities of an employee. According to Mondy and Noe (2005), thereare six types of career path, which are:

(a) TraditionalIn this type of career path, an individual experiences vertical careeradvancement from one post to another. This means that an employee movesstep by step from one post to another to gain knowledge and experience. Forexample, an employee starts off as an executive and after five years is promotedto senior executive, and three years later becomes the chief executive. As we cansee, the career path takes an individual from a low rung of the ladder to ahigher one. This type is seldom used now because it does not promote loyaltytowards the organisation and is less appropriate for a working environmentthat requires new skills which can develop consistently.

(b) NetworkThis type of career path is characterised by vertical career advancement andlateral career opportunities. It acknowledges internal transfers at a certaincareer level and requires one to gain experience at each level before beingpromoted. This type is more realistic in that it offers the employee theopportunity to develop his career compared to the traditional type. Forexample, an employee who has been working as an inventory manager forseveral years becomes a shift manager before being promoted. Thedrawback to this type is the difficulty in explaining to the staff the particularpath they have to go through at the same job level.


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(c) Lateral Skill PathRefers to lateral movement in the organisation. Employees are encouraged tofind new challenges, but there is no promotion involved. Nevertheless, an

organisation which practises this type of career path may still increase aworkers value by encouraging him to learn various types of duties. Employeesare given the opportunity to develop new skills, while organisations mayacknowledge them based on the type and number of skills acquired.Organisations also need to make a particular job more challenging, moremeaningful and create a great desire for achievement among their employees.

(d) Dual Career PathRefers to a method of acknowledging expert workers and technicalprofessionals without them having to be transferred to management positions.This type of path is especially developed to solve the problem of technicalworkers who are not interested in holding a management post. Suchemployees are able to increase their knowledge in their specialised field,contribute to the organisation and are acknowledged. Studies have found thatthis type of path may be able to reduce the turnover rate of employees. It cansave the organisation from incurring huge losses due to skilled workersleaving because they do not wish to hold a management post.

(e) DemotionDemotion is normally due to failure. It can also be due to limitedopportunities for future promotion and technological changes. However, it

may be a career opportunity someday, especially if there is a dead-end careerpath and it helps the senior employee to lessen the pressures at the workplace.

(f) Free Agent (Own Boss)Employee is his/her own boss or works for someone whose principles orobjectives are in line with his/hers. Free agents may work full-time or part-time. They usually work hard to increase their skills, as the more qualifiedthey are, the greater their job opportunities.

Based on the types of career path mentioned above, we can see that there are

many ways for an individual to choose his/her career. Factors which mayinfluence an individuals career path include interest, opportunities for self-improvement, the organisation he works for and the working environment. If thecareer path in this organisation is not satisfactory, he/she may choose to work inanother organisation where he/she can develop his/her own career. You mayrefer to Figure 8.2.


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Figure 8.2: Factors influencing ones career path

Career and career planning are two different concepts. While career refers to all types of jobs that a person holds in his/her working

life, career planning, on the other hand, refers to a process which determinescareer objectives and career path.

It is the efforts made by an individual in order to realise his/her interest,abilities, values, opportunities, limitations, choices and consequences obtainedas a result of the decisions he/she makes in his/her career.

Career planning is essential because it can help the organisation make planson promotion, training of employees as well as the job performance of talentedemployees who have shown the potential to be promoted.

Individuals and organisations have their own role to play in the process ofcareer planning.

Career path is essential in helping employees plan their career systematically. Nevertheless, there are many factors influencing ones career path, including

interest, opportunities for self-improvement, organisation he/she works forand the working environment.

All these factors will have an impact on an individuals career planning andcareer path.


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Career

Career anchors

Career audit

Career counselling

Career development

Career mobility

Career path

Career planning

Career plateau

Career stages

Demotion

Dual career path

Lateral skill path

Essay Questions1. Explain the differences between career and career planning.

2. Briefly explain three types of career path in career planning.

3. Explain three roles that an organisation should play in planning itsemployees career.

4. Explain tworeasons why career planning is important for an individual.

TRUE (T) or FALSE (F) Statements1. A career is important in ones life.

2. Career planning helps an individual achieve his self objectives and potential.

3. Career planning is a process in which an individual develops his careerobjectives and formulates a specific plan to achieve the objectives.

4. Long-term planning is between one and three years.


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5. Current employees need jobs which are more challenging.

6. Career planning is a systematic process of studying and formulating the

objectives of human resources and methods of achieving them.

7. A career is someones choice of job in his lifetime.

8. Career planning is a match between an individuals career aspirations andthe opportunities offered by an organisation.

9. Career planning evaluates ones physical appearance and relates it to thecareer objectives desired by that person.

10. Employees may increase their potential and abilities, while the organisationmay plan its manpower needs.

11. An organisation has career planning for its employees to show that it isserious in taking care of the workers welfare and future.

12. Studies have shown that an individual who plans his career is usually moresuccessful than one who does not plan.

13. When an individual plans his career, it will help him to plan his future fromall aspects.

14. Organisations should provide career counsellors to help employees look forjobs.

Multiple Choice Questions1. Adib is holding the post of general manager at Omega Corporation. Before

that she was a senior executive at the same firm. When Adib startedworking there 10 years ago, she was only a trainee executive. Which type of

career path is Adib at?A. Network

B. Traditional

C. Free Agent

D. Dual career


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2. There are three processes in career planning. In the process where anindividual knows himself, the focus is on _______________ .

A. taking care of his own needs

B. identifying his career objectives

C. undergoing the apprenticeship phase

D. being aware of the opportunities and choices available to him

3. Which of the following is related to career management?A. Office management

B. Career development

C. Task expansion

D. Job expansion

4. Aishah has just completed her sixth form. She has just started working as aclerk and finds the job is not challenging. Deep inside her heart, Aishahdesires to be a nurse. What steps should she take to plan her career?

A. Identify her own interests and abilities

B. Stop working

C. Work as a clerk at other organisationsD. Talk about the negative aspects of her present career

5. The type of career path where an employee becomes his own boss is___________ .

A. demotion

B. lateral

C. free agent

D. insurance agent

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06102901Topic8IntroductiontoCareerPlanning

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