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Leaders Building Leaders

3) Career Development Conversations

Unlocking Your Team's Potential

Last updated 4 December 2025
Three people discussing a path to a target on a strategy map, symbolising career planning steps

Career development conversations are structured, ongoing dialogues between supervisors and employees that focus on professional growth and future aspirations.

These discussions are essential for:

  • Identifying and nurturing employee potential

  • Aligning individual career goals with organisational objectives

  • Exploring development opportunities and learning paths

  • Creating actionable plans for skill enhancement and career progression

Why Investing in Career Development Benefits Everyone

Employee

  • Deeper sense of engagement and job satisfaction

  • Improved career capital and productive longevity

  • Gain broader and deeper competencies to boost performance at work

Supervisor

  • Boost team productivity and work outcomes with motivated, engaged and skilled employees

  • Promote growth and performance-driven team culture by role-modelling desired behaviours

  • Hone your supervisory and leadership capabilities with career coaching skills

Organisation

  • Increase staff retention as employees develop and flourish with range of growth opportunities

  • Stronger employer value proposition; engaged and motivated employees can in turn attract more talents

  • Enhanced agency business outcomes with a skilled and agile workforce

Role of a Supervisor

  1. Evaluate employee's holistic performance based on WHAT (i.e. work deliverabes/outcomes) and HOW (i.e. competencies)

  2. Provide feedback on contributions and discuss future developmental plans

  3. Support their career development plan through identifying relevant learning opportunities (e.g. SJR, TAP, STIP, Gig, Training courses)

  4. Provide adequate resource and support while they participate in external developmental opportunities (e.g. prioritisation of workload) while ensuring that performance in core work is not compromised.

4-Stage Model to Quality Career Conversations

  1. Set up and prepare for the discussion: Gather information, reflection and plan the agenda

  2. Establish trust: Set a positive atmosphere for the discussion

  3. Seek and share information: Listen, clarify, and explore career options

  4. Agree on action: Conclude the discussion and plan practical follow-ups

Refer to the Career Development Conversation Guide (under Learning Resources) to access suggested questions and tips for each stage of the process.

Learning Resources

1) CSC Courses

  1. Wayfinding Careerfitness for your Team (CRWCTVL) (DD/Dir-level supervisors)

  2. Navigating Careerfitness for your Staff (CRNCSVL) (AD-level and below supervisors)

2) LEARN Course

Visit the LEARN Platform to access these resources (www.learn.gov.sg - login required)


Title

Course Provider

Duration

1

Driving Career Fitness for your Organisation (For Head of Organisations)

Please contact PSD_In-Emp@psd.gov.sg to gain access to this module.

PSD-CSC

30 mins

3) Additional Resources (Intranet-access required)

Below are additional learning resources to facilitate your career development conversation as a supervisor:

Public Service Career Coach Network

The Public Service Career Coach Network (PSCCN) provides coaching for all officers, including supervisors, across different career milestones.

Available coaching topics:

  1. Adapting to a New Role

  2. Building a Learning Mindset

  3. Navigating Mid-Career Switches

  4. Retiring Purposefully

  5. Conducting Effective Career Development Conversation [Supervisor]

  6. Building my Team's Capability [Supervisor]

How to book: Officers may book sessions through the Acuity Booking Page or via the Workpal App.