Careers and Career
Development
• Whose perspective?
• The organization: succession planning
• The individual: career planning
• Changing ideas about careers
• Current issues in careers
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
What is a Career?
• “A sequence of positions occupied by a
person during the course of a lifetime”
• “A sense of where one is going in one’s
work life”
• Who is responsible for your career?
• Traditionally, the employer
• Now, YOU
• What constitutes a successful career?
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Succession Planning
• Determine possible successors
• Job analysis of key jobs and job
progressions, as they will exist in the
future
• Appraise employees’ performance to
determine gaps
• Training and development to close gaps
• Progression through career ladder
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Career Development
• Career planning
• How do individuals choose careers?
• The career cycle
• Changing ideas about careers
• Current issues in careers
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Career Planning
• Identify individual goals
• Assess personal characteristics
• Determine how and if goals can be reached
• Obtain more information about goal
• Compare personal resources and career requirements
• Take steps toward goal
• Mentors and other interpersonal relationships
• Personal development activities
• Periodically reassess goals and progress toward goals
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Mentors
• A mentor: a senior person in the organization
who guides your career
• What does a mentor do?
• Provides inside knowledge, insight into culture
• Feedback on career progress
• Provides opportunities for visibility
• How do you find a mentor?
• Seek one out
• You may be sought out
• Formal company program
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Individual Career Choice
• Overall life goals
• Social background, including family
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•
•
•
factors
Personal interests
Abilities
Self-identity
Personality factors
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Holland’s Model of Occupational
Personality Types
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Realistic
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•
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•
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Prefers to work alone
Values predictability, order
Work with hands
Craft/trades, engineer, military
Investigative
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•
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•
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•
•
•
•
Page 8
•
•
•
•
•
Interested in ideas, not people;
abstract thinker
Creative (external focus)
Tends to be cold, distant
Scientist, physician
•
Artistic
Work with ideas and materials
to express self
Creative (internal focus)
Singleminded
Social
Work with and through others
Provide nurturance and support
Not abstract thinkers
Helping professions
Enterprising
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•
•
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Control, dominate people
Interpersonally distant
Prefers well-defined, clear goals
Management
Conventional
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•
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Focus on details (verbal, numeric),
not people
Looks for structured setting
Clerical, accounting
MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Issues to Consider in Career
Choice
• Overall life goals
• Look at each choice or step as it contributes
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•
•
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to your overall goal
Be willing to make short-term sacrifices for
long-term benefits
Think carefully about becoming too
specialized
Portable knowledge & skills
Networking
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
A Model of Career Development
Identify individual goals
Assess personal strengths and weaknesses
Determine how and if goals can be reached
Obtain information about
career requirements
Compare personal resources
and career requirements
Take steps toward goal
Page 10
Periodically reassess goals
and progress
toward goals
MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
The Career Cycle: Traditional
Model
Pre-Career
Exploration
Early Career
Trial
Middle Career
Transition
Middle Career
Late Career
Maintenance
Late Career
Withdrawal
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Early Career
Establishment
Growth
MGMT 412 | Careers
Retirement
Fall 2008
The Career Cycle: A New Model
Beginning
Expanding
Changing
Mid-Career
Toward End of Career
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Current Issues in Careers
• Retirement
• Dual career paths
• Work and family
• Moonlighting
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Source: AARP
Retirement
•
Retirement is now an option.....
• Work is less physically demanding
• People live longer and are healthier longer
• So, retirement at age 65, closely followed by death, is no longer
the norm
•
Why?
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•
•
•
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To stay active (mentally and physically)
To be productive, to help other people
Money (Social Security may not be enough)
Interaction with other people
Where?
• Is it just McDonald’s and WalMart?
• Part-time or temporary for previous employer
• Something entirely new
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Total Population and Retirees
Population Age Distribution
Labor Force Participation - 2000-2010
60.00%
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
50.00%
40.00%
60-61
62-64
65-69
2000
30.00%
70-74
75-79
80+
2010
Post-Retirement Plans
20.00%
35%
30%
25%
20%
15%
10%
5%
0%
10.00%
0.00%
0-19
20-59 60-64 65-69 70-74 75-79 80-84
2000
2005
2010
Not work for Work partpay
time, same
work
2015
Sources: US Bureau of the Census ; AARP
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85+
MGMT 412 | Careers
Work parttime,
different
work
Work fulltime
Don't know
Fall 2008
What Does Retirement Mean?
Feeling less useful
Trying different work
Having to work
Stop working entirely
Working for enjoyment, not money
Slowing down
Volunteer / Charity
Travel
Things you never had time for
Receive retirement benefits
Fun
Relax
Time with family / friends
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Source: AARP
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Why Work After Retirement?
Pursue a dream
Learn new things
Need money
Be around people
Help others
Need health benefits
Do something fun or enjoyable
Remain productive or useful
Physically active
Mentally active
0
20
40
Before retirement
60
80
100
After retirement
Source: AARP
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Work and Family
• Recent (2001) survey indicated 28% of
workers felt “overworked”
• Why?
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Page 18
Hours (actual time worked)
Pressure (work volume, conflicting demands)
24 / 7 demands
No time off
Recent downsizings
Lack of meaningful work
Lack of organizational support to do job
MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
What Can Be Done?
• Family-friendly benefits, work-life programs
• What might be included?
• Child care (on-site, other assistance)
• Specialized child care (24 hour, sick child)
• Elder care
• Alternative work arrangements (flextime, job
sharing, support for part-time work)
• Employee services
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
What is Stress?
• “A physiological and emotional response to
stimuli (stressors) that place physical or
psychological demands on an individual”
• The response:
• Discomfort
• Anxiety
• Feelings of being overwhelmed
• Physical effects
• Withdrawal
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Sources of Stress
• Personal characteristics and
circumstances
• Physical and task demands
• Role characteristics
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Personal Characteristics
• Type A vs. Type B
• Type A = competitive, impatient, aggressive
• Type B = more relaxed, balanced
• Type A associated with higher levels of stressrelated illness
• Personal events
• Changes in family circumstances
• Economic pressures
• Availability of support
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Sources of Stress
• Physical demands of work
• Noise, heat, dust
• Too little privacy
• Repetitive movements
• Task demands
• Serious consequences of decisions
• Incomplete information
• Nonprogrammed decisions
• Role Characteristics
• Role overload (too much to do)
• Role ambiguity (uncertainty about what to do)
• Role conflict (incompatible demands)
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Reducing Stress
• Redesign jobs or the workplace
• Provide information
• Reduce task demands
• Reduce role ambiguity
• Reduce commitments
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Managing Stress
• Social support
• Family
• Friends
• Support groups
• Calming activities
• Yoga, meditation or prayer
• Exercise
• Unhealthy coping mechanisms
• Food
• Alcohol or medications
Page 25
MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Moonlighting
• Why?
• Income
• Interest in the field, enjoyment
• Prepare for a future career
• Who?
• 5% to 6% of the work force (minimum estimate)
• Everyone -- farmers, single mothers, police and
firefighters, artists, professionals, etc.
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MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008
Handling Moonlighting
•
Potential problems for organization
• Split focus / divided attention
• Conflict of interest / confidentiality
• Public safety
• Use of employer’s time, resources
•
HR policies
• One issue -- intrusion into employees’ off-job activities may be
dubious, both legally and from employee relations viewpoint; can’t
normally ban all moonlighting
• Prohibit use of company property / time
• Address conflict of interest and confidentiality
• May ban particular jobs
Page 27
MGMT 412 | Careers
Fall 2008