Career Path Map Builder

Show people how they can grow in your business: map the steps from entry roles to lead roles, with what changes at each step, the skills it needs and the signs that someone is ready.

Who it is for

• Business owners who keep losing good people who "could not see a way to move up."

• Managers and supervisors asked "what is next for me?" who want a concrete, fair answer.

• HR and training professionals building career paths, promotion criteria and succession plans.

• Small teams with few titles that want to show growth through skill steps, specialist roles and side moves.

The problem it solves

When the way to move up is unwritten, people guess, good employees leave for a title elsewhere, and promotion decisions look like favoritism. This guide covers seven steps: list your roles, arrange them into steps and tracks, describe what changes at each step, write readiness signs anyone can check, describe the route to each step, and publish a one-page map. It also shows how to keep moves fair and open, and how to offer real growth when there is no next job title.

What is inside

Career Path Map Builder (PDF, 30 pages)

• Copyright and License, contents and how to use the guide (2 pages)

• What a career path map is, with a full example map and words used (1 page)

• Why build one, the small-business reality and what a map is not (1 page)

• Seven steps from role list to published map (1 page)

• Steps 1 and 2: Scope and role inventory (1 page)

• Step 3: Arrange roles into steps and tracks, with three patterns (1 page)

• Step 4: Describe what changes at each step (1 page)

• Step 5: Write readiness signs anyone can check, from weak to strong (1 page)

• Step 6: Describe the route to each step (1 page)

• Keeping moves fair and open (1 page)

• When there is no next job title (1 page)

• Step 7: Test, publish and keep it current, with words for introducing the map (1 page)

• Using the map in career conversations (1 page)

• Variations for retail, clinics, restaurants, trades, offices and warehouses, with sample readiness signs (1 page)

• Common mistakes and questions (1 page)

• Your first 30 days, the final check and the yearly review (1 page)

• Using the PowerPoint and Excel files (1 page)

• Templates with prompts: role inventory, career path map, step profile, readiness check (4 pages)

• Example 1, a restaurant: role inventory, map, two step profiles and a readiness check (5 pages)

• Example 2, a heating and cooling company: map and step summaries (2 pages)

PowerPoint map file (13 slides): symbol key, blank maps with one, two and three tracks, a step card, a readiness card, and both example maps. Every box and arrow is an editable shape.

Excel workbook: role inventory, step profiles, a readiness check that counts signs met and shows a status, drop-down lists, and the filled-in restaurant example.

How to use it

1. Read the seven steps (pages 4 to 6).

2. List every role with the role inventory.

3. Draw your map in the PowerPoint file.

4. Write a step profile for each step, with readiness signs that start with "Has."

5. Test it with employees, publish it, and use it in career conversations.

Formats and file types

• PDF (US Letter, print or screen), 30 pages

• PowerPoint (.pptx), 13 widescreen slides with editable shapes

• Excel workbook (.xlsx) with drop-down lists and formulas

• Licensed for use within your organization

• Promotion and pay decisions are subject to employment rules. Check the rules for your location and company policy; this product is not legal advice.

Frequently asked questions