You can also access this resource, and many others, in Issue 364 of my Talent Edge Weekly newsletter.
As internal mobility and career development remain top priorities, I am always interested in data on how careers progress. A new Harvard Business School analysis looks at one dimension: upward advancement. Based on this working paper, Professor Paul Gompers and coauthors analyzed 150 million resumes to build a seniority measure, defined as the typical number of years it takes someone to reach a given job title within their industry and firm size. Using this measure, more than half of those with 10 years of experience had kept pace, reaching seniority level 10 or higher, but only 19% of those with 20 years had kept pace to reach level 20. What this reinforces for me is that career growth cannot be defined only by upward advancement. Deepening expertise, expanding scope, lateral moves into higher-value work, and broader business exposure can all be meaningful forms of progression. The challenge is making sure employees see them that way, a matter of positioning and communication. One tactic I like for creating these opportunities is project-based work, or short-term work tied to a real business need outside someone’s regular responsibilities. It can give employees new skills, experiences, and connections while helping the organization move talent to priority work. Internal talent marketplaces, often enabled by technology, can make these opportunities more visible and accessible. With this in mind, I’m resharing my one-pager with eight questions to help identify potential projects for an organization’s internal talent marketplace.
