ALLENCOMM BLOG | Insights
How Career Maps Assist In Employee Development
New hires may already have a 5-year plan. They know where they want to be and that your organization can help take them there. However, the details might be fuzzy. Which resources should they use to address areas for improvement and prepare for the next step? What is their development timeline, and how can they fit L&D into their work schedule? A career map outlines every milestone, task, and short-term goal. It plots their career trajectory so that they can focus on the outcomes and pave a personalized path.
Here are 6 ways that onboarding training career maps help new recruits fill gaps and fulfill their potential:
1. Bring New Talents And Professional Interests To The Forefront
There may be roles that employees haven’t considered that better suit their skill sets. Online training career maps bring these undisclosed talents to the forefront and outline new paths. A map should include the entire spectrum of job titles within your organization. Employees can zero in on parts of the chart that align with their professional goals and purposes. But there may be detours within that section they haven’t considered. For example, they were just hired for your product sales team. But the customer service path puts everything into question since they have strong communication, empathy, and creative reasoning skills (which are highlighted on the career map).
2. Show How Job Positions Are Connected Within The Organization
Employees know that their tasks are vital to their respective departments, but they may be unaware of how it’s all connected; how their job duties and roles fit into the grand scheme of an organization, and why it’s so crucial for them to perform at the top of their game every day. A new hire online training career map illustrates how their tasks and skills are linked to co-workers. As a result, they know the best-desired outcomes and why one misstep could cause issues down the line. For instance, providing customers with inaccurate information makes life difficult for other employees.
3. Allow Employees To Focus On Underlying Skills
Every point on a map should feature skills that are associated with the job title. New employees must know how to reach the next destination and which talents are part of the package. For example, they have their sights set on the next rung on the corporate ladder, which is the sales supervisor. Which skills do they need to get there, and how can they display their proficiency in new hire online training? You should also include links to resources based on individual career paths or even an entire training library that corresponds with each leg of the journey. For instance, the leadership team path has its own JIT repository that employees can use to hone hidden talents or certification courses to prepare them for challenges ahead.
4. Set Short- And Long-Term Goals To Motivate Trainees
There are certain achievements that take time. Employees must complete numerous training tasks and bridge integral gaps to reach the finish line. But these long-term goals are comprised of milestones that new hires can check off one at a time. That’s the beauty of online training career maps. Employees are able to see what’s involved in each section of the map and what they must do to progress. It’s not merely a line that connects one point to another but a series of secondary goals that are easier to manage. Thus, new hires are more motivated and driven to be their best selves in the workplace.
5. Provide A Visual Example Of Career Trajectory
Using career maps in your employee onboarding program gives employees a visual overview of the cycle. They can chart their course and tick each item off the map as they go along. More importantly, they have the opportunity to see how all their hard work will pay off in the form of career advancements. There’s no ceiling here because employees can always strive for the next stop on the map. Include thematic elements to make it more visually engaging. Survey the team to identify personal interests, then incorporate them into the map, or add graphics that center on departmental roles and responsibilities.
6. Give Employees Control Of Their Own Development
New hire online training career maps put employees in the driver’s seat. They don’t have to idly sit by while managers dictate their career paths. Instead, they play a more active role in their own L&D. They set personal goals, choose positions that align with their talents, and create a long-term plan of action. In short, new hires get to take control of their roles within an organization from day one. Granted, they must still acknowledge personal limitations and not try to bulldoze their way into a job role. For example, using deceitful tactics to get rid of a co-worker and take over the role, and then blame it on ambition. Career maps allow them to manage their own development while still playing by company rules.
Conclusion
Online training career maps show the interconnectedness of roles and highlight new paths employees may not be aware of. They also allow new staffers to set goals and plan their career trajectories instead of remaining stagnant. This improves motivation and empowers them to take charge of their personal growth. Don’t just tell them where they need to go; pair points on a map with recommendations and visual examples to guide the way to new hire online training success.
