Career Conversations

This short article was adapted from a presentation about conducting effective career development conversations. While it was originally developed to help supervisors conduct these conversations, it can also be used by employees to understand what to expect and prepare for them.

What is a career conversation??

It is a conversation between the employee and supervisor/mentor about the employee’s current role, where they would like to head longer term, and how they might get there. The goal is to maximize the matching between the employee’s skills & abilities, their interests and passion, and the business needs.

What do you do in a career conversation? ?

Test whether the employee is developing in their current role, fully leveraging their skills & abilities, where they would like to head, and what the next steps might be (e.g., skills to develop, new responsibilities or experiences to take, potential opportunities, roadblocks, etc.). ?

What are some of the benefits of career conversations?

It connects employees and supervisors/mentors, builds trust, shows care, aligns employees’ skills & abilities with their interests and the business needs, and develops employees to their full potential. It also helps identify early signs of misalignment or dissatisfaction that could eventually lead to disengagement. ?

A career conversation is NOT…

It is not a conversation about the employee’s performance or a conversation that leads to an immediate job move. It’s also not a conversation where the supervisor takes ownership to fix all gaps identified – employees own their careers, and the supervisor supports them in achieving their goals. ?

What are some of the critical behaviors that need to be demonstrated during career conversations??

Trust, transparency, care, empathy, inclusion, psychological safety, and general interest.

Career Conversations – Prompting Questions (examples):

About the employee’s current role…

• How do you feel about your current role? What do you like (or don’t like) about it??
• Are you developing in your current role?
• Are your skills & abilities being fully utilized?
• Are there any additional responsibilities or experiences you could take?
• What other areas of the team or organization could benefit from your skills and strengths???

About the employee’s future roles…

• What do you look for in a job??What would be your dream job?
• Which type of assignments would best align with your professional goals?
• How do you envision your career path progressing? Where do you see yourself in two, five, ten years?
• What is the most important aspect of your career?
• How can we help you achieve your career goals??

Make a plan.

• Agree on the next steps (e.g., skills to develop, additional responsibilities or experiences to take, potential assignments, quick wins, barriers, roadblocks, etc.).
• Consider mentoring opportunities.
• Agree on when to meet again.?