Career and Career Management
Posted on May 02, 2024 by Martin Hahn, One of Thousands of Career Coaches on Noomii.
This article discusses the definition of career and is followed by the characteristics of career management.
What Is a Career?
In broad terms, there are two primary ways to view a
career. One approach sees a career as a structural property of an occupation or an
organization. For example, one could think of a career in law as a sequence of positions held by
a typical or “ideal” practitioner of the occupation: law student, law clerk, junior member
of a law firm, senior member of a law firm, judge, and ultimately retirement.
A career could also be seen as a mobility path within a single organization or multiple employers,
as the following functional path in marketing illustrates: sales representative, product
manager, district marketing manager, regional marketing manager, and divisional vice-president
of marketing, with several staff assignments interspersed among these positions.
The primary approach views a career as a property of an individual rather than an
occupation or an organization. Since almost everyone accumulates a unique series of jobs,
positions, and experiences, this view acknowledges that each person, in effect, pursues a unique
career. Even within this individual perspective, however, a number of different definitions of
career have appeared over the years, each reflecting a certain theme embodied in its meaning.
Taking these varied perspectives into account, I
define a career as the pattern of work-related experiences that span the course of a
person’s life. In our definition, work-related experiences are broadly construed to include:
(a) objective events or situations such as job positions, job duties or activities, and
work-related decisions; and (b) subjective interpretations of work-related events such
as work aspirations, expectations, values, needs, and feelings about particular work
experiences.
Both objective and subjective components are necessary. One
can manage a career by changing the objective environment (for example, switching
jobs) or by modifying one’s subjective perception of a situation (for example, changing
expectations). Similarly, the unfolding or development of a career frequently involves
systematic changes in objective events (as when a person’s opportunity for future
careers. promotions becomes limited) as well as changes in subjective reactions to events (such
as changes in values or interests or family life).
My definition of a career does not require that a person’s work roles be professional in
nature, be stable within a single occupation or organization, or be characterized by upward
mobility. Anyone engaging in work-related activities is, in effect, pursuing a career.
For example, the definition’s omission of advancement in the corporate hierarchy
as a defining characteristic of a career meshes well with the reduced vertical mobility
opportunities within today’s flat organizations. Similarly, to require that a career provide stability
within one organization or even one career path, is unrealistic in today’s world of downsizing, contingent employment, and constantly changing jobs.
Individuals need to take responsibility for understanding the type of career they
wish to pursue and making career decisions that are consistent with these preferences.
Career Management
Like the concept of the career itself, career management has been defined in a number of
ways. I view career management as a process by which individuals develop, implement,
and monitor career goals and strategies. For the time being, career management can be briefly
described as an ongoing process in which an individual:
1. Gathers relevant information about himself or herself and the world of work;
2. Develops an accurate picture of his or her talents, interests, values, and preferred lifestyle
as well as alternative occupations, jobs, and organizations;
3. Develops realistic career goals based on this information;
4. Develops and implements a strategy (or strategies) designed to achieve the goals;
5. Obtains feedback on the effectiveness of the strategy and the relevance of the goals.
Notice that career management is an individual and not an organizational activity.
Many organizations have relinquished an activist role in their employees’ careers and are laying the responsibility for career management squarely on the shoulders of the individual. Moreover, individuals will need to develop a set of career competencies that enable them to develop insight into themselves and their environment so they can navigate their increasingly unpredictable and
“chaotic” careers.
