What can you do as a manager?

As a manager of employees who need help settling on a career path, it can be helpful if you make yourself and your own experiences available to them. But perhaps the employee dreams of a different career than yours? Perhaps the path they’re dreaming of resembles the career trajectory of someone in your network? It can therefore be helpful if you, as someone who is further along in their career and with a larger network, uses that network to help the employee clarify a career path.

Use social media

You could also ask your employees to write down some of the questions they have with regard to their career. If you want to, you could then post those questions to your social media, which would ensure that the questions not only reach your network but also your network’s network.

Use your network wisely

Choosing to use your network is entirely up to you. And you should only do so after carefully considering whether there is anyone in your network who could contribute to the specific situation and how.

Do not approach your entire network, only the part of your network that can and will help you by having a conversation with the employee.

It can be helpful for employees who want to make changes to their working life, to build new competencies within areas that aren’t necessarily part of their job responsibility. For example, by taking on a project management role or managing events or conferences. They could also be delegated tasks related to financial management, communications or similar.

As a manager, we expect you to be familiar with the services available at AU with regard to career development and transition.

More information is available under the section Set the framework for a good career development dialogue.