What Is Career Pathing and Why Is It Important?

A clear path provides direction and confidence in uncharted territories, whether for explorers or employees. Just as explorers benefit from a strategic plan, employees need career guidance to navigate their professional journey.

Career pathing addresses critical HR challenges by alleviating uncertainty and supporting talent development, ultimately creating a more focused and engaged workforce.

What Is Career Pathing?

Career pathing is defined as the process employers use to create a plan and development track that helps employees visualize how their unique skills, interests, and opportunities align with their career objectives.

Sometimes called career mapping, career pathing is part of a broader talent management strategy that charts an employee's career development with a particular employer. A thorough career path identifies opportunities for growth and/or advancement for each employee while detailing the steps the employee needs to take to reach various milestones.

Career pathing outlines an individual's possible roles at a company or throughout their career. It goes beyond being a mere list of jobs; envision it as a comprehensive roadmap. The journey begins at the employee's current position, with the destination representing a short- or long-term goal.

The career path encompasses the entire route, including all the twists, turns, and pit stops necessary for the employee to reach the ultimate objective. These can include the steps taken to pivot and change careers, bringing employees from beginner-level to mastery and back again as they switch directions.

Every career path is as distinctive as the individual who follows it. It depicts how an individual's role within an organization can pave the way for other positions or evolve into something entirely new, potentially extending beyond their current career or even outside the present organization. Career pathing, in turn, is the systematic process of charting each employee's different opportunities and trajectories.

This strategic tool is employed by both organizations and individuals for proactive planning, assessing the journey thus far, and establishing goals.

Career Pathing vs. Employee Development

Although related, career pathing and employee development are not interchangeable. Employee development refers to the specific skill sets, training, and/or certifications an employer provides to employees to improve in their role and value in service to the company. Expanding skill sets and qualifications may be part of an employee's career growth and development, but these things do not entirely establish the career path.

For example, an autoworker is taught a new welding skill, making them more valuable to the employer. This employee development can play a small role in their career advancement. Mastering a new skill, such as supervision or delegation, could open them to further learning, position them for a promotion, a future pay raise, or make them more employable in the event of a layoff or restructuring.

Is There a Difference between Career Pathing and Career Mapping?

Career mapping and career pathing are two interconnected concepts. While a career path symbolizes a singular "road," a career map goes beyond, detailing the diverse career paths an employee can traverse. Essentially, a career map offers a broader view of career possibilities.

Our emphasis in this article revolves around the intricacies of career pathing. However, it's noteworthy that the benefits we delve into and the tips we offer extend their relevance to career mapping. These concepts work in tandem to enrich and guide an individual's professional career trajectory.

What Is the Difference between a Career Path and a Job?

The distinction between a career path and a job lies in their scope and purpose within an individual's professional life and journey.

• Career Pathing is defined as a strategic approach to planning professional development. It involves identifying connected employment opportunities that can lead to achieving specific career goals over time.
  • Scope: Career pathing encompasses a series of roles and experiences an individual intends to undertake during their career. It considers growth, skill development, and progression within or across various positions.
  • Purpose: The primary goal of career pathing is to provide a structured framework for individuals to plan, navigate, and advance in their careers. It focuses on holistic career development and achieving personal and professional milestones.
• Jobs refer to specific organizational positions, often associated with tasks, responsibilities, and a designated role.
  • Scope: Jobs are individual positions that contribute to an organization's overall functioning. They are often characterized by specific duties and may or may not be part of a broader career path.
  • Purpose: The purpose of a job is to fulfill a particular role within the organization. It may serve as a source of income, provide work experience, or contribute to building skills. However, a job is typically more focused on immediate tasks and responsibilities.

Why Is Career Pathing Important?

Career pathing is vital for both individuals and employers.

From a business perspective, career paths offer insights into the skills and aspirations within the workforce, helping with recruitment and succession planning.

From engaged employees to increased growth and performance, career pathing empowers companies to nurture talent for new roles and aids in promoting workforce agility for the future – giving employers a greater return on their hiring investments.

On the individual level, career pathing provides employees with clarity about their next professional steps. It also offers valuable feedback on their work style and guides them toward the most fulfilling route for their future.

When employers understand their employees' career goals and objectives, employees will invest more into their jobs, helping to produce better outputs. In other words, it's a great way to improve your employees' experience.

Why Do Businesses Use Career Pathing?

Career pathing can help businesses assess employees' skills, talents, and goals. It can also identify gaps in skills and experience, helping businesses understand how to best help their team grow professionally.

Understanding this, businesses of all sizes can plan for growth, recruitment, and succession planning.

Additionally, businesses can gather HR data and metrics through advanced analytics tools; workforce intelligence can help reveal how HR initiatives may affect company financials regarding recruiting, pay practices, labor costs, employee performance, and career pathing through promotions.

What Are the Benefits of Career Pathing for Employers?

Career pathing can yield tangible benefits to businesses that invest in it, including:

Greater Return on Hiring Investments

Much time, energy, and financial investment is required in hiring and training new employees. However, the longer an employee stays with a company and effectively contributes, the higher the return on investment in hiring that person, and this is where career pathing can help.

Engaged Employees

Businesses that communicate career paths to their employees can encourage overall engagement throughout their employment lifetime and a willingness to invest in learning the "ins and outs" of the business beyond the scope of their current role.

Many business leaders are focused on making employee engagement a priority for their companies.

Retention

A career path can serve as a guide to determine what skills or experiences an employee may need to develop to qualify for newly available opportunities within the organization. Often, the longer an employee stays with your company, the greater your return on the investment of hiring that employee.

Loyalty

Employees with a long-term view of their relationship with an employer are more likely to be invested in helping the company succeed, and a promising career path can play a crucial role here.

Reducing Turnover

Clear career paths demonstrate potential for advancement, helping to reduce turnover by keeping employees engaged. Providing advancement opportunities helps retain top talent and helps avoid the high costs associated with turnover.

Growth and Performance

Career pathing facilitates employee growth that is aligned with company goals. Employees gain clarity on career steps, training programs, and development, leading to a more engaged workforce. Employers benefit from positioning people in the right roles, enhancing overall growth, performance, and commitment.

Recruiting People Internally

Career pathing is helpful for internal recruiting as it provides a cost-effective method to source talent and boosts morale. Existing employees with the company require less training, contributing to increased productivity.

What Are the Benefits of Career Pathing for Employees?

Career pathing requires employees to consider what they want from their career, now and in the future. It also offers other benefits, including:

A Sense of Security

Changing jobs can be emotionally, professionally, and financially stressful. Employees with a career path may feel more secure working for an employer who wants to keep them interested, challenged, and professionally curious.

Increased Trust and Transparency

Career pathing acknowledges that employees may form different interests and seek new challenges. A career path inherently allows employees to grow, expand, and pursue changing interests in a supportive and encouraging environment.

A Plan for Progress

Employees want to know they will gain the experience required to advance in their careers, regardless of how many years they may work for an employer. A career path typically comes with access to the tools necessary to progress in their chosen profession.

How To Develop a Career Pathing Program

Establishing a career pathing plan makes the concept more concrete and, ideally, attainable for an employee. Charting the course provides best practices for career pathing, outlining clear markers and a detailed action plan for career growth and development.

How do you create a career pathing plan? Follow the steps below.

1. Determine career goals and desired jobs for the future.
2. Identify current skills and attributes that support career goals.
3. Document career goals and steps to reinforce those goals.
4. Carry out the plan by identifying specific ways an employee can reach their goals (e.g., attaining new experiences by attending an industry conference, volunteering as chair of an employee resource group to gain leadership experience, etc.).
5. Conduct assessments regularly. Consider an ongoing review process with regular touchpoint discussions rather than a traditional annual review.
6. Provide access to a mentor to enable ownership of an employee's career development.

Career Pathing Examples

Curious about how career pathing looks? Here are some basic examples of how it can help you and your employees.

• Accounting: Staff Accountant to Accounting Firm Partner
  • Starting Role: An experienced staff accountant who understands the details of the profession and shows leadership potential.
  • Career Path: Through professional experience, continued development, and mentoring, the employee advances to overseeing several clients or managing a division of the firm, such as tax or audits.
  • Business Benefit: Increased teamwork and loyalty to the firm from other employees, seeing the path forward from staff accountant to firm partner.
• Manufacturing: Machine Operator to Plant Supervisor
  • Starting Role: An experienced machine operator who shows leadership potential.
  • Career Path: Through technical certifications and leadership workshops, the employee advances to overseeing a production team.
  • Business Benefit: Increased morale among workers and leadership that understands the production process firsthand.
• Retail: Sales Associate to Regional Manager
  • Starting Role: An experienced retail sales associate who understands the multitude of daily store tasks and shows leadership potential.
  • Career Path: Through continued experience and leadership training, the employee becomes an assistant manager or store manager.
  • Business Benefit: Increased knowledge and experience at the district or regional manager level while employees in the sales associate or team lead roles see a career path forward.

Career Pathing Frameworks

A career path can be initiated through an employee development program or independently by an individual who wants to advance within the company. It is applicable across all job levels, from entry-level to executives.

While inherently individualized, HR professionals and leaders should consider it a company-wide goal, including succession planning and skills gap identification.

Critical components of a promising career path include:

• Clear Direction: Providing clarity on employees' career directions, whether involving promotions or not.
• Professional Development Opportunities: Offering avenues for professional growth, including training, education, mentoring, and performance reviews.
• Progress Tracking: Establishing mechanisms to monitor progress toward career goals.

There are 2 main approaches to creating a career pathing template:

• Career Ladder: This formalized career path follows a linear progression through promotions, typical in hierarchical structures. It is often referred to as the 'corporate ladder.'
• Career Lattice: The informal career path suited for flat-structured organizations is often called a career lattice. It allows for lateral moves and flexibility and encourages exploration and self-directed professional growth.

Integrating a career development path into existing initiatives involves adapting programs or introducing new steps and tools, such as employee surveys, to enhance the focus on individual career progression.

How To Implement Career Pathing in Your Company

Career pathing requires active involvement from employees and the employer. Some approaches to make a career path part of your company's talent management protocol may include:

Position Career Pathing as a Benefit

With 90% of leaders concentrating on employee engagement, retention, and professional development this year, it's more vital than ever to enhance your benefits offerings.¹

To position a career development program as a benefit, approach and communicate the value of career pathing as a tool that prepares employees for a "lifetime of employability," not a lifetime commitment to an employer. For example, a franchise food worker can gain skills to eventually become a shift manager, store supervisor, and later, store manager.

Invite Managers to Participate

HR professionals should coach managers to view staff as resources for the entire company, not only for a single department or team. This can encourage managers to see how employees could develop with training that may not be specific to their current role, which could benefit their future goals and the organization's broader needs.

Furthermore, it may encourage managers to look at employee potential across the company, making career advancement opportunities more available to all team members.

Here are some ways to encourage your managers to participate in the organization's career pathing:

• Define the specific goals and desired outcomes for career pathing. What is your why?
• Develop a structured career pathing framework, outlining the different positions in your company and each position's required skills. This can help your managers guide employees forward on their individual journeys.
• Provide ongoing career path training to your management team, ensuring they can facilitate career pathing. Be sure to encourage feedback from your managers.
• Create mentorship and allyship programs, encouraging your managers to work one-on-one with employees to help them develop their intended career path.
• Recognize and reward your managers' involvement in your career pathing program.

How To Create a Career Map and Define a Career Path for Employees

We recommend a 6-step career pathing template to create a career map.

Step 1: Assess Business Needs

Begin by evaluating your business needs, goals, and anticipated growth. Identify challenging roles, establish succession plans, and project emerging roles. Develop clear job descriptions and career paths, considering transferable skills for nontraditional paths.

Step 2: Discuss Career Goals

Engage in regular discussions with employees to understand their short- and long-term career goals. Explore growth opportunities within the organization, review current skills, and align on a defined career path.

Step 3: Build Personalized Pathways

Align employees' goals with business needs to craft realistic, personalized career pathways. Highlight required skills and experiences for each career stage, acknowledging that charting career paths can be lateral, cross-functional, or unique.

Step 4: Create Employee Development Plans

Prioritize upskilling and reskilling through tailored development plans. Offer career pathing development examples such as online courses, stretch assignments, certifications, coaching, and mentoring. Provide specific recommendations based on individual goals, enhancing career satisfaction and progression.

Step 5: Monitor Performance

Monitor and assess performance regularly, ensuring employees feel supported. Facilitate two-way communication for feedback and adjustments. Assess readiness to move forward with succession planning. Modify career growth map plans to demonstrate flexibility to adapt to changing needs.

Step 6: Reward Professional Development

Recognize and reward employees for progressing in their career paths to boost morale and motivation. Acknowledge achievements privately or publicly (depending on your culture and individual employee preferences) and consider pay increases or promotions as warranted by increased skills, experience, and contributions. Cultivate a learning culture that values and incentivizes development opportunities.

Provide a Path to Success for Employees With Career Pathing

Taking time to invest in career pathing is an excellent way for employers to demonstrate a genuine interest in their workforce's professional capabilities for mutually beneficial outcomes for the business and the employee. It is a logical strategy for increasing employee engagement, productivity, and retention while cultivating a desirable work culture.

Looking for a way to streamline compliance, employee management, and benefits administration? Paychex HR Solutions has you covered.

¹ 2025 Priorities for Business Leaders, Paychex