Think your organisation is nailing career conversations because they’re part of the performance review? You’re not alone. I hear this all the time. A well-meaning question like “What are your career goals?” is often squeezed in at the end of a performance review meeting, tucked between a salary discussion and next quarter’s targets. But here’s the thing. It doesn’t work.
Let me ask you this: When was the last time you saw a meaningful answer to that question in a review form? One HR Business Partner told me that in her company, 80% of responses were left blank. In the other 20%, the most common entry was a vague “To be promoted.”
It’s no surprise, really. Research from the UK’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills backs this up. Career decisions are complex. People need time to reflect, explore, and articulate what they want. A rushed five-minute slot at the end of a review just doesn’t cut it.
Performance Reviews vs. Career Conversations
The crux of the issue is this: performance reviews and career conversations serve very different purposes.
Performance reviews are like looking in the rear-view mirror. They focus on what’s already happened – achievements, outcomes, and whether goals were met. They can be incredibly useful, but they’re also high stakes. They’re tied to pay rises, promotions, and job security. That pressure makes it harder to have open, forward-thinking discussions.
Career conversations, on the other hand, are like setting out a roadmap for the future. They explore aspirations, values, and possibilities. They help people see where they’re going, how to get there, and what support they need along the way. Done well, these conversations build motivation, clarity, and a sense of purpose.
The danger of combining the two is that performance reviews tend to dominate. When that happens, career conversations are either skipped entirely or become surface-level at best.
A Story That Still Stings (But Had a Happy Ending)
Let me tell you a story I’ll never forget because it still hits home.
I was working as HR Director at a global IT consultancy. One morning, I arrived at the office as usual, and one of my best team members, Julie, was already there. She looked a little anxious as she asked, “May I have a word, Antoinette?”
Before I could even finish saying yes, she had closed the glass door to my office and said, “I’m sorry Antoinette. I need to give you my resignation. I’m going back to Australia.”
I was stunned. Julie had just married a Brit. She seemed happy in her work. I assumed she was settled here in the UK. But that was my mistake. I assumed.
Julie later told me she was thinking about starting a family and wanted to raise her children near her own parents in Australia. The company was global. We had a Sydney office. Luckily, we were able to transfer her there, and ten years later, she was still with the company. By then, she was HR Director for Asia Pacific and mum to two beautiful daughters.
The company didn’t lose her. In fact, it benefited from her move. But it could have been such a different experience for both of us if I’d made space for a proper career conversation earlier.
Why Separate Career Conversations Matter
Julie’s story isn’t unusual. I see it in organisations all the time. Here’s what happens when we make time for separate, focused career conversations:
For Employees:
- They feel heard and valued, which boosts motivation and satisfaction.
- They’re more likely to identify opportunities and take steps to grow.
- They’re more likely to stay, because they see a future for themselves within the organisation.
- They take ownership of their development.
- They benefit from a more holistic, wellbeing-focused approach to growth.
For Organisations:
- There’s greater alignment between individual ambition and strategic direction.
- Redeployment becomes easier – secondments, lateral moves, and project work are all informed by actual aspirations.
- You grow future leaders who are ready to step into roles smoothly and successfully.
- You retain top talent. (Let’s face it. Career support is a major differentiator in today’s job market.)
- You boost performance. Engaged employees do better work. It’s that simple.
Practical Steps for Embedding Career Conversations
So, how do we move from theory to practice?
It starts with building a culture where career conversations are the norm, not the exception. Here are a few ways to do that:
- Train managers in how to have career conversations separately from performance reviews. Give them tools like our Career Conversation Model and Career Conversation Toolkit.
- Make time for informal check-ins where careers are on the agenda.
- Encourage employees to reflect and come prepared. Use tools like the Career Compass Workbook to help them reflect.
- Offer mentoring, peer coaching, or career clinics to give people multiple safe spaces to explore their future.
- Role-model openness. When leaders talk about their own career journeys (including all the twists and turns) it gives permission for others to do the same.
A Key Message
If there’s one takeaway I want to leave you with, it’s this:
Ask before it’s too late.
Don’t wait until someone resigns, or burns out, or starts looking elsewhere. Start the conversation now. You don’t need all the answers. You just need to create the space, listen without judgement, and support them in taking the next step.
Want to Learn More?
This article is inspired by my book, Confident Career Conversations: Empower Your Employees for Growth and Retention. If you’d like to dig deeper into how to make career conversations part of your culture, I’d love to share a free chapter with you.
