Ways to Support Career Advancement

One of the most common interview answers to someone’s main priorities in a role is career advancement. However, this does not always mean a new title. Career advancement comes in all different shapes and sizes. Here are 6 ways your company can support your employees in development.  

• Frequent trainings
  • Advancing in your career can mean gaining new skills that can lead to more success in the current role. Here at Ternio, we pride ourselves on the continuous training we provide our team members. We do this by having bi-weekly training sessions that are between 30-45 minutes long. The trainings do not have to be long in order to be successful. Offering your employees opportunities to learn more about their industry will allow them to gather necessary tools to advance in their careers. 

• Have mentorship opportunities
  • A lot of people want to become a manager of some sort in their career. If your company is smaller and doesn’t have a myriad of managerial positions available, then mentorship programs are a great route. This affords your employees the opportunity to take someone under their wing and provide support/advice when needed. 

• Be clear about advancement opportunities from the get-go
  • The interview stage and on-boarding process is a way for employees to understand what the company has to offer. The worst thing you can do is lie about advancement opportunities because that does not lead to employee retention. If your company offers other ways besides title increases and pay raises, let potential candidates know so they don’t feel blind-sided when they aren’t promoted after a certain amount of time. 

• Have monthly or quarterly one-on-ones
  • The best way for employees to improve and stay engaged in their role is to let them know what they are doing well and what they can improve upon. Feedback is key in a work environment. People are not mind readers, so if someone is doing something wrong in their role but is not told, they cannot correct their actions. It is essential to set time aside to meet with your employees at least monthly or quarterly so that they can advance in their role. This also provides a space for employees to share what they are struggling with and any feedback they may hear from you. These should be constructive yet conversational, and both parties should leave feeling heard and listened to.

• Celebrate big and small wins
  • Did someone reach a cool milestone? Make sure to celebrate it whether that be a shoutout during the morning meeting, a company-wide email, a trophy or a post on LinkedIn. This allows for employees to feel appreciated and like they are advancing in their role.

• Create performance based incentives
  • People like to feel like they are working towards a goal. Incentives are a great way to keep employees engaged while working towards a common goal. This is an essential piece in the sales and recruiting world but can be used in any industry. Listen to what your employees are asking for, and incentivize them to work toward it. It is a great way to feel like you are advancing.

Promotions aren’t the end all be all way to demonstrate advancement. While the boost in title and pay is never a bad thing, there are other ways you can advance without that.