Ambition is always in vogue. Develop a career path with your employees so they can advance their careers at your organization.

Maybe your employees will initiate the career talk or maybe you’ll have to schedule the meeting yourself. 

Either way, here are four steps for creating a career path with your digital native employees.

For example, ask them where they see themselves in their careers in three years. They might have a clear idea of where they want to go and how they want to grow.

If they’re not sure, you can tell them what you think their strengths are and how you see their career potentially panning out at your company.

Here’s something you can do. Print out a company organizational chart that shows all departments. Trace a potential career path with your employee on the paper so you have a visual representation of their potential path. 

Here’s an example. Let’s say you have an employee who wants to advance their career in sales. Help them set goals such as increasing their sales by 10% next quarter or increasing positive customer reviews by 20% each year.

Encourage your employees to take part in developmental opportunities like lectures or online training within your organization. See if you can help them attend events outside of your company, too.

Invest in your employees’ development by creating career paths.

Time for a quiz.

Your new employee asks you if you can talk about career goals. They already have a clear idea of how they want to advance at the company. What can you do to help them with their career path?

The correct answer is C. Help them set goals to stay on their path.

If they already know where they want to end up, help them set goals. Goals that are measurable and achievable can help them advance at the company.

Take the next step.

In your next 1:1, ask your employee about their ideal career path. How do they see themselves advancing at your company? This one question can be the catalyst for a career talk and you’ll learn more about them in the process.