Career planning & development (CP&D) is an activity of concern for both, the employer and the employee. I mostly start of straight with the topic I chose, with a supposition, that all the readers carry at least some knowledge about the topic. I do not mean to teach anyone by writing all this; it’s just about sharing my opinion with a view of experience I could gather over a period of time.
CP&D is an ongoing activity on both the ends and it can never afford to go into stagnancy because improvement is an always wanted trait. This differs at employer and employee levels but the end result both want remains the same and that is excellence. You may find so many theories, websites, organizations, institutions offering you to learn about the career planning but nothing works until you know yourself.
Knowing yourself, your skills, abilities, likes, dislikes, strengths, weaknesses, good at and bad at, is the very first step towards planning your career. You have to ascertain first as to where do you stand. Now when you know yourself, the next stage is to find out the venues, slots, options, where you fit in with your current skill set and interests. After having gone through the aforementioned filters, now comes the selection and decision to choose the best where you can excel. Assuming that you got into the slot that matches your skill set etc. You do not have to stop here, you have to have certain goals which you want to achieve in the career and then you shall have to evolve a route to develop yourself to achieve those career goals with timelines. This goes on with fresh starters and professionals both.
Coming over to the employer’s side, your preference is to plan and develop your business to be most productive. No one can do so just by himself. You shall also have to start with knowing yourself and your business in detailed length and to find out as to what resource in the form of human capital you need to develop and to be more productive.
Must to remember is that a single bad hire can ruin your plans. The employer must be clear and precise as to what is he looking for to hire. Clarity eases the selection and decision. Once hired the career of that human capital is to be planned by the employer with a view to get the maximum benefit and to preserve the capital (Retention). Going for an exercise of hiring after every few days or months entails a lot of hidden expenses in terms of time, efforts and money.
Career planned can always be developed and the unplanned goes hay while. Some of you may say that I misinterpreted the term career planning and development but if you read it keeping aside the theories on the subject, I am sure you will benefit.
As always, I am open to the critique, suggestions, comments, likes and dislikes.

Writer: Mr. Maj. Syed Naveed Kazmi (Retd)
Unit Manager (Sourcing) at FFBL
& Author of “Allah Siffar Kilometer” (The Book)
Linkedin: Syed Naveed Kazmi
email id: musavi_sayed@hotmail.com
Mr. Syed-Naveed-Kazmi
Mr. Syed-Naveed-Kazmi