# Career paths: Specialist career, management career, and visible development > Why people resign to get promoted, how career models based on job architecture are created, and how development becomes traceable in the HR system. URL: https://techport.ai/en/hr-beratung/onboarding-und-entwicklung/karrierepfade --- 1. [HR Consulting](/en/hr-beratung)/ 2. [Onboarding and Development](/en/hr-beratung/onboarding-und-entwicklung)/ 3. Career Paths and Internal Development [Onboarding and Development](/en/hr-beratung/onboarding-und-entwicklung) # Career Paths and Internal Development By Redaktion techport.ai, HR-Beratung · Last updated on 21 August 2026 In the exit interview, the developer says he has the opportunity to become a team leader at his new employer. He would have been one at your company in a year's time too. He just didn't know it, because no one told him and because it wasn't written down anywhere. This happens more often than resignation statistics show, because 'better prospects' is given as a reason and no one asks whether the prospects were lacking internally or just invisible. Career paths make it visible how one can progress in a company, even without management responsibility. They are based on job architecture and describe what distinguishes two levels and what someone can do to bridge that gap. ## How to recognise it * The only way up is through management. Good specialists become poor managers because there is no other recognition. * Promotions are decided ad hoc, usually in response to an external offer. * Employees cannot state what they would need to do to reach the next level. * Development plans are recorded in meeting minutes and never read again. ## Why this happens Without job architecture, there are no levels; without levels, no paths. Many companies only have two stages: employee and manager. There is nothing in between, so every development becomes a management issue. And development is not tracked because it does not take place within any system. ## Our approach 1. **Define career paths.** Based on the job architecture, we determine for each job family which levels exist and whether a specialist and a management career path are required. In technical areas, almost always both. 2. **Describe transitions.** For each step from one level to the next, we describe what competencies, experiences, and results are expected. Specifically enough for employees and managers to understand the same thing. 3. **Plan and track development.** In development discussions, target levels and steps are agreed upon and documented in the HR system. Progress becomes visible to both sides. 4. **Regulate promotions.** We define when and how promotions are decided, with fixed dates and criteria. This reduces pressure from individual discussions and makes decisions comparable. ## What you gain * People stay because the next step is visible to them within your company. * Specialist expertise is retained because it does not have to be converted into management to be recognised. * Promotion decisions become justifiable, also to the Betriebsrat (works council). ## From our projects If we evaluate exit interviews from recent years, 'lack of prospects' is one of the most common reasons, and in many cases, the prospects existed, they just weren't visible. After implementing defined career paths, the question in development discussions shifts from 'What can I become here?' to 'What do I need to do for it?' This is the change that fosters retention, not the title. ## Good to know Promotions are transfers within the meaning of the Betriebsverfassungsgesetz (Works Constitution Act) and require approval under § 99 BetrVG (Works Constitution Act) in companies with more than 20 eligible employees. Documented criteria and a transparent process significantly accelerate approval. ## Frequently asked questions Do small businesses need career paths? Yes, for around 100 employees or more, because then not everyone knows what is possible. The paths can be simple: three to four levels per family are often sufficient. What about people who do not want to advance at all? For them, horizontal paths are important: new tasks, project roles, deepening expertise. A good career model recognises this and also includes those who wish to remain where they are. ## Let's talk about Career Paths and Internal Development In a thirty-minute first call we clarify where your biggest lever is and whether we are the right partner for it. [Book a first call](/en/kontakt)[Our consulting](/en/so-funktionierts) ## Further reading [Strategy and PlanningJob Architecture and Job DescriptionsWithout job architecture, there is no pay transparency, no skills management, and no fair career paths. How job families, levels, and job descriptions are created and maintained.](/en/hr-beratung/strategie-und-planung/job-architektur)[Mobility and LeaversInternal Mobility and PromotionsWhy companies recruit externally for what they have internally, how an internal job market works, how managers learn to let go of talent, and how promotions become transparent.](/en/hr-beratung/mobilitaet-und-austritt/interne-mobilitaet)[Strategy and PlanningSuccession Planning and Critical RolesSuccession planning in four steps: identify critical roles, build a successor pool, implement development plans, review annually. With a focus on age structure and knowledge loss.](/en/hr-beratung/strategie-und-planung/nachfolgeplanung)[KnowledgeHR MetricsDefinitions and formulas that read the same across the company.](/en/hr-beratung/kennzahlen)[KnowledgeHR GlossaryKey HR terms, briefly explained.](/en/hr-beratung/glossar) Back to the field [Onboarding and Development](/en/hr-beratung/onboarding-und-entwicklung) ## Sources * [§ 99 BetrVG (Works Constitution Act), co-determination in individual personnel measures](https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/betrvg/__99.html) Rt Written by [Redaktion techport.ai](/ueber-uns), HR-Beratung Mehr als 15 Jahre Erfahrung in HR-Prozessen und HR-Systemen, Einführung von HR-Software in mittelständischen Unternehmen, Verhandlung von Betriebsvereinbarungen zu IT-Systemen. This page reflects the position as at the date shown and does not constitute legal advice. For specific questions we work together with your legal advisers. 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