Career anchors

Ever since Edgar Schein (1978) coined the phrase career anchors , the phrase has recurred in books on careers. Schein meant by his metaphor those talents that we see ourselves as possessing which, together with our values and motives, guide our career choices, and serve to stabilize and integrate our careers over time. 

Re-appraisal of our career anchors demands that we look at our needs and what we are seeking from our careers. This... 

Schein, E. 1996. Career anchors revisited Implications for career development in the 21st century Academy of Management Executive 10(4) 80-89. 

Careers today are less secure. The waves of managerial redundancies in recent years mean that the safe corporate career is a thing of the past. In these stormy times anchor is perhaps no longer an appropriate metaphor. Or if it is, then we need perhaps to weigh the appropriateness of our current anchors. 

Identify and discuss developmental and anchor methods for understanding and managing employee careers. 

Boat Anchor—a slang term, used to describe an injection mold that is no longer suitable for fabricating parts. It may be because the design is obsolete or the mold is not capable of producing satisfactory parts. Note being associated with a boat anchor is not good for one s career. 

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