Career pathing is the process of matching employees’ skills and interests with internal job opportunities, whether they are lateral moves, promotions or even roles in a completely different function of the organization. It has benefits for both employees and the organization.
Benefits for the Employee
Employees benefit from career pathing, because it provides transparency into opportunities within their organization. Rather than needing to look elsewhere for career mobility, they can seek opportunities to advance their careers or learn and apply new skills in the company where they already work.
Benefits for the Employer
Career pathing can improve talent retention, because it encourages employees to seek a new role within the company rather than looking at another organization. Similarly, it also reduces the costs of talent acquisition. Career pathing can also support succession planning by identifying high-potential employees and cultivating them for leadership roles.
The Role of Technology
As technology has advanced, many companies have entered the market dedicated to using technology to enable career pathing. These providers offer software that automates some of the process of identifying roles and employees and matching them, making the process of career pathing more efficient. They also often provide dashboards for managers and employees to access in order to identify internal opportunities. Some also offer content for employees to upskill or reskill to fill those new roles.