Action Planning and Follow-Up
During the final step, employees prepare an action plan for how they will achieve
their short- and long-term career goals. The employee is responsible for identifying
the steps and timetable to reach the goals. The employer should identify resources
needed, including courses, work experiences, and relationships. The employee and
the manager should meet in the future to discuss progress toward career goals.
For example, suppose the program manager in an
information systems department uses feedback from performance appraisals to determine
that he needs greater knowledge of project management software. The manager
plans to increase that knowledge by reading articles (formal education), meeting with
software vendors, and contacting the vendors’ customers to ask them about the software
they have used (job experiences). The manager and his supervisor agree that six
months will be the target date for achieving the higher level of knowledge through
these activities.