Career mapping gives employees a clear path forward, helping them grow, stay engaged, and see a future within your company. It’s not about promotions; it’s about building skills, exploring opportunities, and making informed career moves. When employees understand where they’re headed, they’re motivated to learn, contribute, and stick around.
On our Return on Intelligence podcast, Pete Schramm, a career mapping expert, shared his experience helping leaders navigate the process. He spoke about the value of career mapping, a strategy for professionals who want to think long-term. But as Pete points out, it’s equally valuable for L&D teams to understand and use themselves.
From this discussion, here are key tips on how to implement career mapping effectively. The full interview is below to listen or watch, but here are some highlights.
What is career mapping?
Career mapping is a personal development process where employees outline their past experiences, current roles, and future aspirations. Mapping is not limited to professional activities; personal and educational activities are also considered. Specific certifications and skill sets are mapped out alongside these roles as well.
For L&D teams assisting their employees with career maps, the goal is to create a clear roadmap for skill development, role progression, and growth opportunities. It provides team members with a sense of direction and motivation to stay engaged and invested in your organization's future.
Here are seven key strategies to make career mapping work for your team:
1. Help employees find their ‘why’
Today, most people’s careers no longer follow a straight line. It is much more typical for someone to move between companies or change careers entirely. The key to keeping them engaged is helping them identify their purpose—their ‘why.’
When employees understand what drives them, they’re more motivated to develop skills that align with their goals. L&D teams can support this process with skill assessment tools that help employees recognize their strengths, interests, and transferable skills.
Support their skill assessment
A personal board of advisors (more on this in a bit) is an excellent resource for helping employees understand their motivations and think more deeply about their transferable skills. However, other skill assessment tools, especially self-assessments, are also valuable.
Empowering employees to develop new skills boosts engagement and retention while driving better business outcomes. AI-powered tools like Absorb Skills simplify this process by creating personalized learning paths tailored to each employee’s role and goals. Learners can identify their career objectives, evaluate their current skill sets, and access a curated course library selected based on that data.
2. Create a mentorship program
Career mapping is most effective when paired with a mentorship program. Not every employee knows where they want to go, and they may not recognize how their past experiences could shape their future career.
Mentors can use their experiences to help employees uncover valuable experiences, roles, and education they want to pursue in their professional careers. One of the best forms of mentorship is the personal board of advisors (PBA).
A PBA is a way to “crowdsource” mentorship. It’s a team of senior individuals in and outside the company who offer different perspectives on personal and professional growth for the employee you’re working with. A well-rounded PBA includes different types of mentors, such as champions, allies, functional experts, and accountability partners, so employees get varied perspectives on their growth.
3. Work with the multi-dimensionality of each employee
Career maps are dynamic and can change over time. Employees may switch industries, take on new responsibilities, or develop skills that open new doors. Instead of focusing solely on job titles, career mapping should focus on transferable skills like revenue generation, business execution, or cross-functional expertise.
4. Define what kind of leaders your organization needs
Not every employee wants to be a leader. Or they think they do, but their leadership style isn’t what your organization needs. So, before investing in any leadership development, define the leadership skills you want in your organization.
Once leadership pathways are defined, you can get into specifics with your employees. L&D can help employees assess if leadership is the right fit and map out a learning pathway. In leadership development, these are typically step-by-step programs designed to build leadership-specific skills over time. They can combine courses, workshops, and experiential learning tailored to individual abilities and goals.
5. Incorporate emotional intelligence training
Strong leadership requires much more than just functional and business skills. The most successful leaders create new leaders, and that requires emotional intelligence.
Career mapping should include training that blends technical skills with soft skills like emotional intelligence. The Absorb Amplify content portfolio is designed to help organizations address current business challenges while preparing for future demands. Three distinct libraries—Amplify, Amplify Plus, and Amplify Max—offer various courses to equip employees with well-rounded knowledge and skills for any career path.
6. Listen to employees and act on feedback
Career mapping isn’t a one-time event, it’s an ongoing conversation. Feedback loops make sure employees feel heard and that L&D initiatives stay relevant.
Simple surveys are an excellent tool. But feedback is only valuable if it leads to action. Transparency is key—sharing results and acting on employee input strengthens engagement and trust.
7. Set clear expectations
More than half of voluntary turnover occurs in the first 12 months. Employees who don’t see a clear future at a company often leave due to a lack of career direction, not just salary concerns.
Integrating career mapping into onboarding helps employees see their potential path within the organization from the start, You’re not diving into full leadership training, but you need to learn more about the employee in a professional context. How do they fit into your organization today? What are their career goals? Where might they go in your organization in the future? Early conversations like this can help L&D teams build development plans, connect employees with mentors, and provide training opportunities that match long-term ambitions.
Career mapping is a win-win
Career development is still a top priority for L&D teams in 2025—and career mapping is a key method to engage employees in your business objectives. When your workforce has access to personalized learning paths that close skills gaps, upskilling not only advances their career but also meets common L&D metrics such as increased productivity, improved internal mobility, and creating a thriving culture of learning.
Is career mapping right for your organization? Ask yourself:
- Are employees leaving due to a lack of growth opportunities?
- Is there a skills gap between current employees and future business needs?
- Do managers and employees have visibility into career progression?
The urgency to act is real—by 2030, 39% of all employees will need reskilling to keep up with workplace changes. Organizations that prioritize career development now will be better positioned to retain top talent and drive long-term success.
Watch the full episode:
