For much of her career, Tracy With
So when Ms. With snagged a job at an Edmonton market research firm eight years ago, she figured she was in for more of the same.
Not so. She was surprised to learn that her performance would be formally reviewed not once but twice a year. Even more unexpected was the two-way conversation that ensued. Along with evaluating how well she had been fulfilling the job requirements and where she might improve, Ms. With’s boss asked her directly about her career goals within the company.
At first it was unnerving. “I swear, I just had a blank look on my face, I didn’t know how to react,” Ms. With says.
But it got her thinking about her career path in earnest. “When you sit there and have a meeting with someone who’s asking, ‘What do you want to do with your career?’ [and] ‘How do you want to develop your skills here?’ you have to have an answer to that.”
Ms. With’s discussions with her employer, Banister Research and Consulting Inc., about her career goals have helped her rise swiftly through the ranks, moving from call centre manager – a role that didn’t put her master’s degree in statistics and research methodology to good use – to senior associate. As employees above her moved on, Ms. With took their place. “It worked out that when people left and opportunities presented themselves, rather than going outside to hire, they looked internally.”
That development support has been significant to her job satisfaction, and key to her decision to stay with her employer, she says. “You feel more empowered, you feel more engaged …” says Ms. With, adding, “I think it’s as important as benefits and hours of work.”
New research suggests that Ms. With is among the minority. More than a third – 37 per cent –of workers never engage in discussions about their career with their managers, according to a recent survey of 700 North American workers by staffing firm Right Management Inc. Another 30 per cent have the chat once a year, 17 per cent twice a year and 15 per cent every three months, the survey found.
Even in performance reviews, conversations about career may not come up. “There are competing priorities for all of us in the work we do,” says Liz Grant, vice-president and national practice leader for career management at Right. “As managers, do we have time to have another conversation about helping people advance their careers?”
In these tough times, overloaded workers and managers might be even less likely to find the time. And workers fearing for their jobs might be hesitant to rock any boats by raising their career progress with their boss.
But employees would be smart to take the initiative to kick-start discussions about their career path and progress, experts say. If you don’t, you may find yourself becoming bored, unmotivated or stuck in a role. “You have to be active in your career. Don’t let your career happen to you,” advises Joe MacKay, owner of Edmonton-based career and corporate development firm BGS Enterprises.
Those who don’t communicate what they want could be overlooked for promotions or projects, Mr. MacKay says.
Moreover, problematic employees are more likely to command the attention of bosses than those who are competently doing their job, he says. “Managers are busy. Unfortunately, it’s sometimes the squeaky wheel that gets the grease.”
