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Most of us feel more at ease when we can see what’s ahead—it’s why we check hotel reviews or map out a drive before hitting the road. It turns out, employees feel the same at work.
Gallup’s 2023 study found the most fundamental driver of workplace engagement is knowing what’s expected of you. Career mapping gives teams the clarity they crave, helping them see their path forward.
Below, we’ll cover what a career map is and why it matters. We'll also share the basic steps for a career mapping exercise, plus a few handy templates you can use with your employees.
What is a career map?
A career map is a personalized plan that outlines an employee’s current role, future career goals, and the steps to reach them. It highlights potential career paths, necessary skills and experiences, and resources to support growth.
Employees use career maps to visualize career opportunities based on:
- Current location. Where they are now (current role, skills, accomplishments, and abilities).
- Potential routes. Possible future roles and paths for growth.
- Directions to destination. The skills and experiences needed to progress into new roles.
Career progression chart vs career map
Career progression charts and career maps are similar, but let’s not confuse the two. Career progression charts show the general flow of advancement (up or across) within an organization—basically a chart of internal job titles, advancement routes, and required skills for each role or level.
Career maps, on the other hand, are personal. They help each employee carve out their own path, set goals, and outline the steps they need to grow based on their unique skills and interests.
Charting a course: Why career mapping matters
As part of a well-rounded internal mobility program, career path planning comes with long term benefits for your employees and the company:
Identify current and future skill needs
Today’s most in-demand skills could change within six months, or even sooner. A survey by edX implies nearly half of today’s workplace skills could be irrelevant by 2025.
While you can’t control the pace of change, you can stay ahead with career mapping. It gives you a clear view of the skills your teams already have, and where there are gaps, so you can build targeted development plans.
Keep your workforce motivated and engaged
Studies show that advancement opportunities are closely linked to job satisfaction. When employees can visualize a future with your company through career mapping, they feel valued, driven, and invested in their roles.
With the flexibility to choose their own path based on skills, goals, and aspirations, employees feel empowered to take ownership of their development. This autonomy translates into deeper engagement, as they’re not just working for a paycheck but actively shaping a meaningful career trajectory.
Improve employee retention
Upgrading the employee experience (EX) to attract and retain top talent was the #1 focus for HR pros in 2024, and it’s only becoming more critical. Career mapping plays a major role in this effort, as engaged employees who see future opportunities with your company are less likely to look elsewhere.
Develop future in-house leaders
Career mapping strengthens your leadership pipeline by aligning employee growth with succession planning. When you identify and develop high-potential talent for specific roles early on, you ensure continuity and reduce the need for expensive external hiring.
As we mentioned, employees who see real leadership opportunities are more likely to stay. For HR teams, it’s a proactive approach that keeps key roles filled, reduces turnover, and builds a future-ready workforce.
Hitting the road: A simple approach to career mapping
The idea of a new employee exercise may feel overwhelming. But it doesn’t have to be complicated to be effective.
The best career mapping strategy aligns with your company’s size, culture, needs, style, and budget. A few proven steps can set you up for success, and most career pathing frameworks include some variation of the following:
Self assessment
First, employees will review their skills, values, and interests to create a targeted development plan. The self-assessment phase guides employees through a detailed analysis of:
- Skills. Current technical and soft skills, as well as areas for improvement.
- Personality. Preferred working, learning, and communication styles (using tools like Enneagram or Myers-Briggs Type Indicator).
- Interests. Professional activities like speaking opportunities, conferences, challenges, and exploration of other fields.
- Values. What matters most in a job, such as autonomy, prestige, or impact
- Past experiences. How previous roles and accomplishments shape career direction.
Goal setting
In this essential step employees identify both life and career goals to guide decision-making. Life goals encompass areas like:
- Family aspirations
- Personal growth
- Hobbies and interests
- Community involvement
These goals evolve with each life stage, so consider them alongside career objectives for a well-rounded future.
Encourage employees to set short-term, mid-term, and long-term career goals to track progress. Breaking larger objectives into smaller milestones helps maintain motivation and keeps them moving forward.
Research and exploration
This phase focuses on helping the employee discover career paths that align with their personal goals and interests. This could look like:
- Exploring roles and departments that resonate with stated objectives.
- Identifying the skills and qualifications needed for target positions.
- Attending industry events and conferences or scheduling virtual coffees with internal leaders to gain insights.
- Participating in career fairs and corporate events to expand their network and spark curiosity.
Action planning
After a healthy dose of introspection, it’s time to take action. This step focuses on creating a solid strategy to guide employees toward their goals. Consider developing an experience plan that includes:
- Role transitions
- Training opportunities
- Hands-on experiences
- Leadership opportunities
- Employee mentorship programs
- Stretch assignments
These experiences should be tailored to enhance each employee’s skills and align with their career vision, while also addressing skill gaps within your organization.
To keep everything on track:
- Create a timeline or flowchart to highlight key dates and milestones.
- Set deadlines for long-term objectives.
- Schedule regular reminders to assess progress and make adjustments as needed.
Practical career mapping template examples
Now that you understand why and how to run a basic career pathing exercise, how do you put it all together?
Answers for “how to create a career map” run the gamut from complex assessment softwares to downloadable templates and handwritten plans. Career mapping templates are designed to lighten your load, with pre-built journeys, and examples that are straightforward and relatable.
Here are a few examples we found to get your wheels turning:
Basic career path template
If “simple but useful” is what you’re going for, this all-rounder template might do the trick.
First, guide employees through a self-assessment and goal-setting exercise. Next, use the template to plot out a basic career progression. Then, discuss with the employee and adjust the plans, skills, and action points as needed. Add a timeline for completion and schedule check-in appointments along the way to track progress.
Hat tip to HiBob.com and Indeed for inspiration.
This basic career pathing template can also serve as an information gathering exercise for job shadowing, employee mentoring, or other aspects of your internal mobility program.
Software-based career path template
Project management tools like Airtable, Asana and Trello offer fully customizable templates for tracking employee development, many of which are free to use. For example, plan and track continuous learning online with the employee development plan template from Clickup.
The beauty of this template is in its power and flexibility. Save time with pre-built functions. Customize by setting your own development milestones, like mentoring, certifications, leading a project, and presenting to the c-level. Then, track progress using timelines, goals, and responsible parties.
Use this solution to create personalized development plans for each employee. You can track their progress and performance using measurable goals. It also encourages collaboration among teammates and management, making it easy to share feedback and support one another.
Industry-specific career mapping templates
For pre-designed, yet fully editable PowerPoint presentations tailored to specific industries and roles, check out this resource bundle from SlideTeam.
The IT career map explains career options for professional scrum masters such as coaches, mentors, managers, or product owners. It defines the characteristics, essential activities, and struggles associated with becoming a scrum master.
For marketing pros, this template shows how individuals can progress from one role to another, skills to hone, and responsibilities they can expect to take on. You’ll also find customizable career path plans for project managers and SEO roles.
Finally, we love this career path template showing current position and end goal.
What’s cool about it?
- Broad enough to be used for multiple roles/departments
- Divides career journey into 1-3 year target, 3-5 year target, end goal
- Includes SWOT analysis
- Ranks skill categories by importance
Template for career mapping through mentorship
Mentorship plays a crucial role in career mapping by encouraging curiosity, self-reflection, and knowledge exchange. It helps employees gain clarity on their goals and find actionable ways to achieve their full potential.
Our very own mentoring session agenda templates feature thought-provoking questions designed to help mentors and mentees clarify goals, identify obstacles, and explore new paths for growth.
For example, they prompt participants to consider:
- Do you prefer managing projects or working as an individual contributor?
- What motivates you to collaborate with others?
- What types of projects energize you the most?
- Are there cross-training opportunities you’d like to explore with a different department?
- What does professional growth look like to you?
- What’s a professional milestone you're most proud of?
- If you could start your career over, would you choose a different path?
- What are your strengths in your current role, and how can you use them in the future?
- What’s the biggest challenge holding back your professional development?
- What are your 1, 3, and 5-year career ambitions?
Use these templates during the self-assessment and goal-setting phases to guide reflection and goal definition. In later stages, mentoring programs can support action by facilitating skill sharing, job shadowing, and other hands-on development opportunities.
Empower your team with Together
We believe in creating meaningful connections through mentorship. Our platform makes it easy to foster a culture of growth, where employees can explore their career paths and receive the guidance they need to succeed. Build customized development programs, recognize learning through badges and certificates, and track progress—all in one place.
Align your team's development with your company's goals, and help everyone move forward together. Get started today—book a demo!
