Five Principles of Career Development

An effective career development program can drive employee retention, job satisfaction, and organizational performance. Successful enterprises know that employee development and creating career growth opportunities for employees takes careful planning, smart investment, and continuous improvement. While some organizations appear to be doing pretty well at this—according to the 2023 Workforce Survey, 69% of workers believe their current employer supports their career growth—there’s certainly room for improvement, and there are plenty of career development programs examples to learn from.

What is career development with an example?

Career development is the process of improving skills, gaining experiences, and growing as a professional—often with the support of one’s employer. It begins with identifying areas of improvement at work examples, setting goals, and making concrete plans. Career development programs examples can include both short- and long-term strategies. 

Short-term career development examples
The employee and employer can implement these strategies in a relatively short time without major investment:

• Project-based or stretch assignments. Participating in specific initiatives or temporarily working with a new team. 
• Role expansion. Taking on new responsibilities without a promotion or job change, either on a temporary or permanent basis. 
• Skill building. With small-scale learning like workshops or online courses, workers can strengthen existing skills or learn new ones. 

Long-term career development examples
These activities will likely require a more significant investment of time, planning, and resources:

• Promotion or advancement. This is climbing the corporate ladder, where upward mobility comes with greater responsibility and greater financial rewards. 
• Lateral career move. Taking on a different role can be a powerful way for workers to broaden their skill set. 
• Career change. Transitioning to an adjacent or entirely new career path, either within or outside the organization, can allow workers to develop new skills.
• Educational advancement. This type of learning is a bigger commitment, often involving advanced degrees or certificates. 

91% of workers believe employers should be investing in their continued education.*

*2024 SEI Consumer Survey

What are the stages of career development?

Career development should happen throughout an employee’s work life. A thoughtful human resource management (HRM) approach to career development planning includes different phases based on where employees are in their career journey. Here are some common stages of career development in HRM. 

• Exploration and investigation. At the start of their careers, employees investigate potential options. This may include education, internships, and part-time jobs. 
• Establishment and growth. The focus is gaining real-world experience, building foundational skills, and demonstrating competence.  
• Mid-career and advancement. Workers may seek promotion or deeper specialization in their field. They may also explore adjacent roles to broaden their knowledge. 
• Late-career and mastery. With many years of experience, workers may have moved into leadership or taken on complex responsibilities. They may become mentors for junior employees. 
• Transition. In the last active career stage, workers get ready for retirement or a “second act” career. They may also be involved in guiding the next generation. 

What are the 5 principles of career development?

Without a guiding star, it’s easy to veer off course.

Whatever your industry or company size, there are some key principles that should shape your approach to career development. 

1. Recognize that change is constant. The world of work is always evolving, so your career development efforts can’t remain static. Be alert for trends, challenges, and opportunities. 
2. Encourage lifelong learning. To keep up with a changing world, everyone needs to grow their knowledge and skills continuously. 
3. Align with organizational goals. Your career development activities should contribute to the success of your enterprise. 
4. Empower employees. In the end, employees own their career journey. Give employees the support and autonomy to pursue their unique path.  
5. Think holistically. Employee growth depends on multiple factors such as hard skills, soft skills, personal development, and well-being. 

What is a career development model?

To build a strong and effective career development program, you need a solid framework. A career development model is a structured approach to help employees improve skills, grow knowledge, and reach their career goals—while supporting your organization’s overall success. 

A career development model should spell out skills and competencies at each role, outline processes and pathways for employee growth, and include a plan for assessing employee growth. An effective model should also lay out a vision to ensure the organization’s talent pool into the future because failing to do so could alienate younger workers. According to a survey conducted by Workplace Intelligence in fall 2022, 74% of Gen Z and Millennial respondents said they are ready to move on from current employment due to subpar skills-building support or a lack of career mobility.  

With a carefully constructed career development model, employers can make transparent and measurable plans to achieve organizational goals.   

Make continuous learning part of your career development program

Learning is key at every stage of the career development journey. Workforce Edge is here to support you and your employees with powerful ways to gain new skills and knowledge.  

Schedule a consultation to get started.