We developed the HR Career Conversations model as a way of enabling HR professionals to get to the root of career issues rapidly, and provide real help in a short space of time.
What it delivers
All members of the HR team, including relatively junior members, are seen as highly credible in career conversations.
How it helps
Clients, particularly those in HR, regularly tell us that they dread people coming to them to discuss their future careers. There seem to be three broad categories of advice that contribute to this sinking feeling.
- The first is directionless people seeking meaning. Over coffee, they pose the question: “What do you think I should be doing with my career?”, or “What skills does the organisation need?”.
- The second group are those whose careers have stalled and need to be jump-started. You may have a very good idea as to why they are not moving forward, but telling them would involve some very delicate feedback. At other times you are faced with the huge task of finding out exactly what the problem is before you can even start to give the advice they’ve asked for.
- The third group are people who start the conversation by saying “I’m at a crossroads”. These people are feeling that the organisation has clearly defined career paths and they ‘ought’ to be following one or another. Sometimes their options may include leaving the business.
These are very big questions that are clearly crucial to the individuals themselves.
However you have very limited time to help.
Additionally when you do help, you can often create an expectation that whenever they need more advice they can come back to you - and you can rapidly sink under the number of people who expect you to be their ‘career buddy’.
As one HR professional put it “Mostly when I have these conversations I am not sure if I have added any value. I feel like I have to give them solutions, like a book, or 360 degree feedback process that may be costly, in order to have done my job. Often the session ends with a list of jobs for me, that I really don’t have time for.”
Solution
The key to turning this around is to understand two things:
“How do you get people to take ownership of their own career action?”
“How can you add value through the questions you ask?”
Excellent career support is often about taking an individual through a series of questions that clarify the key area the person needs to focus on. It’s not about providing solutions, it’s about asking the right questions. We’ve identified 6 career blocks and a questioning strategy that quickly highlights the key issues, and identifies what needs to be done.
HR Career Conversations is a 1-day workshop for 6-8 people with post-workshop telephone support, which includes understanding 6 areas of career blocks, using questions, managing expectations, and applying these to real career conversations back in the organisation.
Cost £485 + VAT
Set of Career Conversation support materials £85 + VAT
Materials:
- Pre-discussion email & questionnaire
- HR Career Conversations model and questioning strategy
- Career Motivations card pack
- Career Tactics card pack
- CD of career action materials for use with individuals
- Masterclass phone support after the programme
If you want more information about this workshop, please contact us.
