Building an Internal Career Advice Library: Empowering Your Workforce

As HR leaders, we're constantly seeking ways to enhance employee development and retention. One powerful tool often overlooked is career coaching, supported by an internal library of career advice. Let's explore how to create this resource and why it's crucial for your organization.

A career library resource should be communicated to employees through multiple channels and at various touchpoints throughout their career journey. Initially, introduce the resource during the onboarding process to new hires, highlighting its value for career planning from day one. Regularly promote it through internal communication channels such as company-wide emails, newsletters, and the intranet homepage. Managers should be encouraged to reference the library during performance reviews and career discussions.

Additionally, showcase the resource during company events, lunch-and-learns, or professional development workshops. Key career junctures to re-emphasize the library include promotions, role transitions, completion of major projects, and work anniversaries. By integrating the career library into these pivotal moments and maintaining consistent visibility, you ensure that employees view it as an integral part of their professional growth within the organization.

Firstly, let’s consider what career coaching is, and why it should form a critical part of your talent strategy.

What is Career Coaching?

Career coaching is a process that helps your staff identify and achieve their professional goals. It involves guidance on various aspects of career development, including:

1. Skills assessment and development
2. Goal setting and planning
3. Promotion and transition preparation
4. Networking strategies
5. Cross-cultural training for secondment
6. Work-life balance
7. Leadership development

Why Implement Career Coaching Resources?

In today's dynamic business landscape, investing in your employees' career development is no longer a luxury—it's a necessity. Implementing career coaching resources within your organization can yield significant benefits for both employees and the company as a whole. By providing accessible, comprehensive career guidance, you're not just helping individuals; you're cultivating a more skilled, engaged, and loyal workforce. Here’s some reasons why HR leaders should prioritize the creation of internal career coaching resources:

1. Employee Retention: When employees see clear paths for growth within your organization, they're more likely to stay.
2. Skill Development: Career coaching resources help employees identify and work on skills crucial for their advancement.
3. Increased Engagement: Employees who feel supported in their career goals tend to be more engaged and productive.
4. Succession Planning: By nurturing internal talent, you're creating a pipeline of future leaders.
5. Cost-Effective Development: An internal library is a scalable, accessible way to provide career guidance.

Creating Your Internal Career Advice Library

Now that we've established the importance of career coaching resources, let's dive into the practical steps of building your own internal career advice library. This endeavor doesn't have to be overwhelming; with careful planning and execution, you can create a valuable resource that grows with your organization. The key is to start with a solid foundation and gradually expand your offerings. Here's a step-by-step guide to help you get started on developing a comprehensive, accessible, and engaging career advice library for your colleagues:

1. Identify Key Topics: Survey employees to understand their career development needs.
2. Curate Content: Gather resources including articles, videos, and worksheets covering various career development topics.
3. Develop In-House Materials: Create content specific to your organization's career paths and opportunities.
4. Implement a User-Friendly Platform: Choose an easily accessible digital platform to host your library.
5. Encourage Contribution: Allow employees to share their experiences and advice.
6. Regular Updates: Keep the content fresh and relevant to maintain engagement.
7. Promote Utilization: Integrate the library into your onboarding and performance review processes.

An effective internal company career library should include a diverse range of resources to cater to different learning styles and needs. Here's a breakdown of what could be included:

Types of Resources:

Videos: Including recorded workshops, webinars, and short instructional clips. 

Documents: Such as career planning templates, skill assessment tools, and goal-setting worksheets.

• EG. Here’s a template to align and track development outcomes.

Articles: Both internal and curated external content on career development topics.

• EG, videos about how modern careers work HERE and HERE
• What Are Competencies?
• Do I Need A Coach?

Employee-generated content: Success stories, career path examples, and advice from senior staff.

Slide decks: From internal presentations on career-related topics.

Podcasts or audio content: For those who prefer auditory learning.

• Women At Work: HBR
• Work Life: Adam Grant
• HIdden Brain: Shankar Vedantam

Interactive tools: Such as self-assessment quizzes or digital career mapping tools.

• Career Anchors Exercise: HERE

E-learning modules: On topics like leadership skills, communication, or industry-specific knowledge.

Mentorship program information: Guidelines and resources for mentors and mentees.

• Skills For Effective
• Mentoring: HERE
• Mentee Skills Resourcefulness: HERE
• Mentor Skills Resourcefulness: HERE

External resources: Links to relevant professional associations, certifications, or courses.

Balancing Internal and External Content: A mix of both is ideal. Internal content provides company-specific insights, while external resources offer broader perspectives. Aim for about 60% internal and 40% external content.

Update Frequency: The library should be a living resource. Aim to:

• Review all content quarterly
• Add new resources monthly
• Update company-specific information as changes occur
• Refresh external links and resources bi-annually

Hosting: The library should be easily accessible. Consider:

• Your company's intranet
• A dedicated learning management system (LMS)
• A cloud-based platform like SharePoint or Google Drive or MSTeams
• A custom-built internal website

Ownership and Responsibility: While HR typically oversees this resource, a collaborative approach works best. All leaders and employees across the organisation should feel that this is their resource to contribute to and yield from. The teams directly involved in maintaining the assets will typically include:

1. HR Leadership: Overall strategy and alignment with company goals
2. Learning & Development Team: Content curation and creation
3. IT Department: Technical support and platform management
4. Department Heads: Input on role-specific career paths
5. Employee Ambassadors: Gathering feedback and promoting usage

Consider appointing a "Career Resource Librarian" within HR to coordinate these efforts and ensure the library remains current and valuable.

By incorporating these elements, you can create a comprehensive, dynamic career resource that truly serves your employees' needs. Remember to solicit regular feedback from users to continually improve and tailor the library to your organization's unique culture and requirements. By creating an internal career advice library, you're not just providing resources – you're fostering a culture of continuous learning and growth. This investment in your employees' futures will pay dividends in engagement, retention, and organizational success.

If you're interested in learning more about how BOLDLY can help your organisation, we invite you to explore our website or write to us at connect@boldly.app

About the Author:

Alexandra Lamb is an accomplished organisational development practitioner, with experience across APAC, North America, and MENA. With 20+ years in professional practice, conglomerates, and startups, she has collaborated with rapid-growth companies and industry innovators to develop leaders and high-performance teams. She is particularly experienced in talent strategy as a driver for business growth. Drawing from her experience in the fields of talent management, psychology, coaching, product development, and human-centred design, Alex prides herself on using commercial acumen to design talent solutions with true impact.