For an effective professional development three stages should be completed (Sanchez,
1994):
1) The orientation stage – involves identifying the career type one wishes and
the steps required in order to attain one’s objectives; this stage requires
individualized professional guidance and various sources of information.
2) The development stage – consists of actions performed to create and develop
the necessary qualities for potential hiring; mentoring programmes, job
rotation, training, etc. can do this.
3) The assessment stage – involves activities related to self-assessment and
assessment by others; the aim of the stage is to identify strengths and
weaknesses of the person.Career planning is not a priority only for the individual, but also for organizations.
Winterscheid (1980) formulates the main objectives of career planning in an organization:
- Satisfying qualitative needs in terms of human resources, current and future.
- Establishing efficient internal communication regarding the future
professional trajectories of employees. - Maximizing the efficiency of current human resource programmes,
integrating continuing training and career management.
Career plans must be dynamic, adapted to personal circumstances and professionally
stimulating. Each person must be willing to adapt their plan when other variables
intervene in the larger context or when a new development stage is reached.
Target population
When we speak of career planning and development, we have in mind a very broad
category of potential beneficiaries, from people yet in school to people at the end of their
active life:
- Pupils about to go to university must know what they are capable of doing
and what the workforce offers / demands. - University graduates must analyse their abilities and information very well in
order to decide on the next step in their lives (master’s degree, PhD,
specialization, employment right away). - Young people and adults who wish to analyse their professional profile and
build a strategy to develop their competences and fulfil their aspirations.