Career Planning

Objective  

To ensure employees are supported in their career growth through a consistent and timely Career Planning (CP) process that gathers feedback, sets goals, and promotes development through mentorship.

Background

The Career Planning process at Koester is designed to help employees grow in alignment with both personal and organizational goals. This structured monthly review ensures each participant receives relevant feedback, identifies areas of strength and improvement, and sets measurable goals for the upcoming year. The process is managed through Airtable, email communications, SharePoint filing, and coordination with supervisors and mentors.

Things to Consider

• CP is conducted monthly by HR and is based on the schedule found in the CP Tracking Airtable.

• Supervisor input is key in identifying the appropriate individuals to provide feedback.

• Timely follow-up is crucial to meet feedback deadlines and overall timelines.

• All documents are stored in the H Drive; maintaining proper file naming and folder structure is essential.

• Use professional discretion when handling feedback and communicating with mentors.

• Adjust the number of strengths/weaknesses in ChatGPT depending on feedback volume.

• Maintain confidentiality and professionalism throughout the process.

Steps

1. Initiate Process Monthly

   • On the 1st of each month, access the CP Tracking Airtable.

   • Navigate to the current year and locate the column labeled “CP Month.”

   • Identify the employees scheduled for CP in the current month.

2. Gather Feedback

   • Contact the mentee’s supervisor to request a list of employees who should provide feedback.

   • Send a feedback request email to the list, copying the supervisor. Set the deadline for 10 days later.

   • Email Format: (Use the provided email script. Adjust for name, dates, etc.)

     We need your help! XXX's career planning is right around the corner and your input is strategic to their growth at Koester. We appreciate anything you have to offer, so please take a few minutes to reflect and respond to the following items. You can provide just general comments if that makes more sense to you. If it works better for you to stop by my office or give me a call, please let me know and we can set something up.
     
     1) What is one thing XXX could START doing?
     2) What is one thing XXX could CONTINUE doing?
     3) What is one thing XXX could STOP doing?
     4) What work advice do you have for XXX?
     5) Any general comments are also welcome!
     
     As a reminder, this is due back by XXX. I greatly appreciate your time and effort to get this back to me by the due date so we can meet the timeline associated with this.

3. Track and Store Feedback

   • Create a folder in your email to store incoming responses.

   • Follow up with non-responders after 5 days via email.

   • On the due date, follow up again as needed (via email, phone call, or in-person).

4. Compile Feedback

   • Compile all responses into a Word document.

   • Save the document to:
     H Drive > 01 Employee Files > Employee [Name] > Career Planning > [Year] > [Date last modified XXXX-XX-XX] [Year] Feedback

5. Summarize Feedback Using ChatGPT

   • Paste the feedback into ChatGPT and ask for 3 strengths and 3 weaknesses (adjust as needed based on quantity/quality of feedback).

   • Save this summary for use in CP documents.

6. Complete Career Planning Documents

   • Navigate to: H Drive > Career Planning Documents

   • Start with: CP Mentor Process 

     • Make a copy and save it to the employee’s CP folder under the current year as [Date last modified XXXX-XX-XX] CP Mentor Process.

     • Edit due dates and other highlighted info.

   • Next, make a copy the CP Matrix, delete all sheets except the applicable one, and save to the same folder as [Date last modified XXXX-XX-XX] CP Matrix.

   • Finally, copy the CP Worksheet and save to the same folder as [Date last modified XXXX-XX-XX] CP Worksheet:

     • Input ChatGPT-generated feedback.

     • Add prior year goals (or note if it's the employee's first year).

     • Edit any remaining highlighted fields.

7. Deliver and Follow Up with Mentor

   • Email the completed documents to the Mentor.

   • Set the due date to match the CP Mentor Process timeline.

   • Follow up within 2 weeks to confirm a meeting has been scheduled.

   • Continue weekly follow-ups until all documents are returned.

8. Finalize and File

   • Ensure completed documents include new goals.

   • File documents in the H Drive > employee’s CP folder.

   • Mark the CP as completed in Airtable.