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Description

Conducting the Career Development Review: Preparing, Questioning and Documenting

One day to conduct a career development review that serves the employee and the department alike

  • 1 day — 7 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

The manager receives the form the day before and discovers the questions during the meeting itself. The employee answers to be polite and nothing happens afterwards. The conversation ends with a box ticked, without a single avenue explored or a single commitment made.

This one-day programme focuses on conducting the conversation, not on administering the wider process. Participants prepare their review from objective information, practise drawing out an employee who asks for nothing, handle a career wish for which no internal opening exists, and write a record that can actually be used. Each participant conducts at least one simulated review during the day.

Learning objectives

  • Prepare a review from the employee's career history and the information available
  • Open the conversation by stating its purpose and what it does not cover
  • Help an employee who asks for nothing to articulate a career project
  • Handle a career wish with no internal opening without dismissing it
  • Write a record that a third party can understand and that leads to follow-up actions

What makes this programme different

One simulated review per participant with focused feedback on the questions asked
Practice on two difficult profiles: the silent employee and the demanding employee
A written record drafted in session and then reviewed by another participant

Programme

1Preparing the review

Supporting information and posture

  • Information to gather on the employee's career history
  • Reading the previous record and the actions that followed
  • Practical arrangements and time to allow for
  • What the person conducting the review must not promise

2Conducting the conversation

Questioning, listening and refocusing

  • Opening the meeting and restating its purpose
  • Questions that get the employee talking about the work actually performed
  • Exploring skills acquired and career aspirations
  • Refocusing a conversation that drifts towards pay

3Closing and documenting

Options, written record and follow-up

  • Framing realistic options and the conditions attached to them
  • Handling a career wish with no internal opening
  • Writing the record and validating it with the employee
  • Passing it to the HR team and tracking commitments

Who is it for

Team managers and HR professionals who are required to conduct career development reviews.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.