Career development practices: A global comparison

Abstract

We have entered an international era where the need for dynamic, globally-equipped, adaptive employees has become increasingly necessary to the success of organisations. Whilst employees want to develop their careers, they may lack the career management skills to do so and look to their employer for support. Better clarity is needed to understand the career management skills and practices that people can develop to navigate this new reality. This study compared 2870 individuals across 40 nations to identify the Career Development Practices (CDPs) they used and their relationship to career satisfaction. All seven sets of career practices (stretching oneself, knowing oneself, adapting to change, spotting opportunities, networking, building one’s brand, and reflection/planning) were predictive of career satisfaction with networking emerging as the most important. In addition, results indicated that organisational career support added to and compensated for lower individual scores on the career practices. Furthermore, the CDPs that predicted career satisfaction varied by global region indicating that the importance of the practices varies by culture. Practical applications for career practitioners and talent management professionals are discussed in addition to suggestions for future research.