The Best Career Management Software for 2024 and How They Stand Out

Let's face it: Managing career development processes for your employees isn't always the easiest thing. Not to mention it can be time-consuming, so you might not even find the time to prioritize it.

Whether you're struggling with finding out just what skills they need to improve or you simply can't wrap your head around the best training methods, the right career management software can save the day.

To help you pick the best career management software solution for all employees, we're analyzing ten solutions you can try out.

🖥️ What is career management software?

Career management software is a digital tool designed to assist individuals and organizations in planning and navigating career paths.

For organizations, this software helps in tracking employee career development, identifying potential leaders, and aligning employee aspirations with organizational needs.

Career management software is used independently or as a part of a large human resources tech stack to analyze and improve employees' career development paths. 

Managers can use it to find and nurture talent within the organization. At the same time, employees take their turn to plan and track their ideal professional growth.

This type of software gives managers and employees the tools they need to optimize professional development and enterprise productivity through:

• Career planning: Employees can create career development plans, set career goals, and track progress to advance their careers and improve performance. 
• Skill assessment: Your team can take skill assessments, psychometric tests, and personality tests to identify strengths and weaknesses, so managers can provide targeted career development plans that will help employees build skills for the long run. 
• Training and course management: Employees can browse through available training resources and complete various types of training to gain or improve their skills and knowledge.
• Performance reviews: Link up career goals with performance reviews so managers can better guide and adjust employees' career development. 
• Succession planning: Managers can spot high-potential employees, monitor their results, and prepare them for future roles to ensure they have the perfect talent pipeline for core positions.

⚙️ 10 Career management software tools compared

Go over the following ten options for the best career management software, core functionalities, and potential drawbacks to help you choose the right career management solution for your team's needs.

Zavvy

Zavvy is an all-around solution for employee growth, particularly offering a 360-degree growth system powered by artificial intelligence.

Zavvy's AI makes traditionally overwhelming tasks for People Ops more approachable.

👀 Core functionalities:

• Defining complete career progression paths and continuous development plans.

• Carrying competency analyses and development processes.
• Building career leveling frameworks.

• Generating skills matrix analysis and people analytics. 
• Taking advantage of AI to build better training paths.
• Boosting productivity with automatic assignments, recurring learning events,and notifications (including reminders via Slack, MS Teams, or email).
• Building competencies and bridging skills gaps with a training library of over 10,000 courses.
• Various integrations with HR management, applicant tracking, collaboration, and content tools.

💸 Costs: Plans start at 4€ for each employee/month. You can tweak the cost as you go, as you'll strictly pay for your desired solutions.

You can also Zavvy for free by first booking a call to get a custom trial account for your needs.

🤔 Drawbacks:

• Zavvy might not be right for super small teams (fewer than 75 employees) as the minimum monthly package starts at $300/month.

Leapsome

👀 Core functionalities:

• Flexible goals processes and frameworks + OKR management
• Roadmap for the professional growth of your employees
• Customizable competency frameworks
• Visual development requirements
• Learning paths, libraries, and schedules, complete with learning progress updates

💸 Costs: Pricing starts at 8€ per employee/month and scales with every feature you add to the base product.

For instance, while their Competency Framework is always included, you'll need to get the workplace learning software module separately. There's also a 14-day free trial to give the app a try.

🤔 Drawbacks:

• Users generally note the UI is clunky, and they can occasionally experience bugs that prevent them from completing actions on the spot.

Workday 

👀 Core functionalities:

• competency framework and library;
• embedded reporting and dashboards;
• goal setting and alignment;
• flexible performance review framework and calibration;
• succession planning;
• opportunity graph.

💸 Costs: Workday is one of the more expensive picks on our list. Additionally, their pricing isn't publicly available. You do get a 30-day free trial to test some of their features.

🤔 Drawbacks:

• high monthly costs;
• no dedicated feature for career frameworks and growth plans.

Lattice

👀 Core functionalities:

• OKR and goal tracking;
• career tracks and individual development plans;
• people insights;
• competency matrices;
• integration with one-on-ones.

💸 Costs: When you choose Lattice, you'll pay for each module you want as follows. For instance, you might need the Performance Management + OKRs & Goals module ($11 person/month), but to help your employees develop, you'll also want the Grow module ($4 person/month). No free trial is available.

🤔 Drawbacks:

• While Lattice does allow you to set individual development plans, managers will have to manually create training courses and paths for their employees as no time-based static training journeys are available.

Qualtrics

👀 Core functionalities:

• analytics and real-time reporting tools to track performance and success metrics;
• mobile accessibility so employees and managers can handle tasks on the go;
• highly customizable 360° feedback builder.

💸 Costs: While pricing information for Qualtrics isn't public, reviews indicate you should expect a higher-than-average cost. 

🤔 Drawbacks:

• Pricing information is not readily available.
• The app was primarily designed for employee feedback and surveys and nothing else, so it lacks core features you'll need for career management, like guiding journeys for employees/managers or career frameworks.

HRSG

👀 Core functionalities:

• career pathing software;
• competency mapping;
• employee development;
• testing and assessments with access to a large content library.

💸 Costs: There is no public pricing available. You also need to ask for a demo to get a cost estimate.

🤔 Drawbacks:

• HRSG is strictly a tool for career management, so you'll lack other features that can help provide a better employee experience, such as employee feedback analysis, performance reviews, or onboarding training.
• No third-party integrations are available.

GrowthSpace

👀 Core functionalities:

• career path planning and internal mobility capabilities;
• team and one-on-one coaching;
• cohort-based workshops and internal mentoring;
• dedicated onboarding programs for role transitions;
• access to over 2,000 coaches, trainers, and mentors.

💸 Costs: Per-user costs depend on the package type you choose. Expect to pay based on the credits you choose, priced per the number of sessions and the size of your team.

🤔 Drawbacks:

• limited third-party integrations;
• GrowthSpace strictly focuses on growth, so you won't find adjacent features such as performance reviews, onboarding checklists, or employee surveys.

TalentGuard

👀 Core functionalities:

• talent frameworks and competency manager;
• talent pathing and assessments;
• AI-driven Intelligent Role Studio to quickly improve job role data with skills and proficiencies;
• succession planning;
• development planning and certification tracking.

💸 Costs: A free trial is available, although the pricing isn't public yet.

🤔 Drawbacks:

• The product's still in its early stages, so they lack features for career development that other career management tools have, like one-on-one scheduling or an extensive training library.

Paddle HR

👀 Core functionalities:

• talent marketplace and internal mobility;
• career pathing solutions for skill development;
• internal recruiting to find the best talent in your organization;
• AI-powered employee skills analytics to drive your talent strategy.

💸 Costs: You can only get a cost estimate by contacting them.

🤔 Drawbacks:

• Paddle HR doesn't have core features that help you run employee performance reviews or create custom training programs;
• limited third-party integrations;
• no dedicated succession planning;
• the future of the product is uncertain as Paddle HR is now part of LinkedIn.

Talentia

👀 Core functionalities:

• career pathing models and talent management matrix;
• an AI-based virtual assistant to improve employee engagement;
• succession management;
• flexible learning processes and regulatory training + a complete Learning Management System (LMS);
• advanced HR intelligence and reporting for career development;
• performance management and appraisal/compensation software;
• available in many languages, including Spanish, French, and Italian.

💸 Costs: The pricing for Talentia isn't publicly available, but several reviews note you should expect premium costs. 

No trial or free version is available.

🤔 Drawbacks:

• high costs most small and medium teams won't be able to afford;
• few third-party integrations with popular tools for their HCM suite.

🧰 Key features to look out for in your career development software solution

Note: The career development features you need will depend on the size and stage of your business. 

For instance, if you're a startup not planning on scaling your team over the next year, you won't need a complex succession planning system just yet.

In this case, however, a career planning tool paired with training capabilities is a must to ensure you've got a small but dependable and highly-skilled team.

But suppose you're a rapidly growing midsize business expecting to double or triple your team size in the next couple of years.

In that case, you need to focus on scalability. Along with career planning and training capabilities, a performance review feature becomes essential to keep up with your growing team. This allows for consistent feedback and adjustments to employees' career paths.

Moreover, even though you may not have a vast team, planning for succession would be wise to ensure smooth transitions as you grow.

An all-encompassing career development software is necessary for a large, enterprise-level organization with a vast and diverse workforce.

Such organizations typically have complex structures and a high number of employees, making it necessary to track and manage the development of each employee. 

Alongside career planning and skill assessments, robust features like training and course management, performance reviews, and succession planning are vital. They help to manage, grow, and nurture talent across different departments and levels. 

Plus, additional features such as integrated analytics and reporting capabilities would be beneficial to track progress and inform data-driven decision-making at this scale.

These are the five core functionalities the career development apps you're going to test should have. 

But every software in the space does things a bit differently.

So in a lot of situations, a feature won't behave the same way within different platforms and won't help you with all use cases.

Career path visualization

Career pathing is the bread and butter of any career management software. That's because it's the very foundation that tells you where employees need to get and what process they should follow to achieve their goals.

The right tools should help you create a career progression framework that keeps up with internal changes as well as new demands from the employee's side. In other words, you're looking at dynamic career frameworks you can always update based on new criteria or peer feedback.

👉 Drop an eye over real career progression examples from other companies to inspire your own career pathways.

Skills gap analysis

The skills gap analysis feature is a must-have as it allows you to identify areas for improvement by comparing your current skills and competencies to the skills required for an employee's ideal job or career path. 

An unified platform lets managers carry skills assessments and create appropriate learning plans and see what skills are needed for potential promotions or career moves within an organization.

👉 Use our guide to building a competency model in five steps before you use run competency-based evaluations.

Personalized learning and development plans

A learning and development feature set helps you tailor growth plans for each employee's needs and goals. Having these as part of the employee's development plan allows for better tracking and regular reviews that keep employees accountable for meeting their goals. 

HR teams and managers can check in periodically to see how employees are progressing and provide coaching or resources to get them back on track if needed.

Zavvy helps you build and run engaging training programs faster with AI, so you won't have to worry about manual assignments, sending regular reminders, dealing with formats that aren't up-to-date, or tracking progress.

And for instant feedback and advice, your team can use the AI Coach right within their Slack workspace.

Integration with other HR systems

You'll want your career management software to integrate with the other HR tools you're using to ensure complete data accuracy and speed up processes. 

Specifically, make a note of the HR management, applicant tracking, collaboration, and career development solutions you're already using. Then see if your career management software picks easily connect with these.

Analytics capabilities

People analytics provides valuable insights that help managers plan and develop employees' career paths. You'll use analytics to better understand your team's current skills, competencies, and experiences.

AI-based solutions can help you forecast the most important skills and roles in the coming years. This allows you to plan training, hiring, and succession strategies to meet those future demands. 

Zavvy's analytics tools allow you to filter through employee data for attrition rates, tenure, gender, age, headcount, compensation, start date, or department. You can then visualize your data on a customizable dashboard to see progress.

User-friendly interfaces

Employees use career management software heavily — sometimes even daily. So they'll need to enjoy using the platform. This means frequent bugs, complicated workflows, or outdated designs won't motivate them to complete their training or submit their progress.

Make sure you test two to three career management software options with your team beforehand from both a design and functional point of view. This will ensure your employees will be happy with the final choice and stick to their career plans.

🏆 What benefits can your organization gain from using career management software?

Career management software can provide numerous benefits to organizations by streamlining and automating key career planning processes.

• 👉 It gives managers and employees better visibility into potential career paths within the organization. Using career management platforms, employees can explore what skills they need to develop, what roles they may qualify for in the future, and what training opportunities are available to help them progress in their careers. 
• 👉 The enhanced visibility such software provides in career planning can improve employee engagement by showing workers that their career growth matters. Knowing there are clear paths forward and what steps to take to get there motivates employees and makes them feel more invested in the company's success. 
• 👉 It helps managers identify high-performing team members ready for more responsibility and match them with the right opportunities. 
• 👉 It improves career mobility within the organization and helps retain employees, especially for high-potential talent. Workers who feel they are progressing and advancing are less likely to seek opportunities elsewhere. 
• 👉 It enables managers to optimize how they use their employees' skills and expertise. They can place workers in roles that best match their interests, capabilities, and career aspirations.

👀 Check out our guide on performance management tools for a detailed analysis on the best solutions on the market that will allow you to automate performance management in your organization.

➡️ High-performing teams work smarter with Zavvy's career management software

Data-driven choices are the future of organizations with happy and skilled employees.

Zavvy's AI-based career management software will allow HR teams to:

• Create career frameworks that rely on unbiased data and can move people from A to B.
• Use AI to put together actionable development plans based on feedback insights and provide relevant follow-up training materials.
• Run people focused programs, such as performance reviews and skills gaps analyses.
• Give employees access to over 10,000 courses to help them reach their development targets. 
• And so much more!

📅 Book a demo of Zavvy to learn more about how you can handle all career management needs under one single subscription — complete with other capabilities your team might need, like onboarding and performance management.