Creating Career Growth Opportunities
Employees who see a future with your organization are more engaged, more motivated, and more committed to your mission.
Support your employee’s growth by offering clear career paths, development opportunities, and a roadmap for advancement. This doesn’t mean every employee needs a 10-level hierarchy—especially in a small business—but it does mean giving people visibility into how they can progress, the skills they need to develop, and the responsibilities they can take on as they grow.
Here’s an example of a marketing career path:
1. Marketing Coordinator
Responsibilities: Support campaigns, manage social media, assist with events, and contribute to content creation.
Growth Focus: Learn marketing tools, improve copywriting, strengthen time management, and teamwork.
Next Step: Marketing Specialist
2. Marketing Specialist
Responsibilities: Lead small projects, execute campaigns, and report results.
Growth Focus: Build project management skills, learn analytics, and develop a creative strategy.
Next Step: Marketing Manager
3. Marketing Manager
Responsibilities: Oversee multiple projects, manage junior team members, develop strategy, and own budgets.
Growth Focus: Strengthen leadership, strategic planning, client relationship management, and budgeting skills.
Next Step: Director of Marketing
4. Director of Marketing
Responsibilities: Set overall marketing or client strategy, guide team growth, drive business development, and report to leadership.
Growth Focus: Master executive communication, team development, long-term planning, and business growth strategy.
Next Step: Co-owner, Partner, or Department Lead
By providing this kind of structured yet flexible roadmap, employees know what’s expected at each level and what opportunities are available to grow. They can take ownership of their development and see a clear path to advancement, which leads to stronger engagement and long-term commitment.
Add a Personal Development Element
Alongside a career roadmap, offer employees a professional development guide to help them reflect on their own goals. Your guide might include prompts such as:
Where are you now in your professional journey?
Where do you want to be in 1, 3, or 5 years?
Are there specific training or development opportunities you’d like to experience?
These questions provide employees with an opportunity to reflect on their aspirations and initiate discussions about the support they need. Use our Professional Development Plan Template to start the conversation with your team.