hcm

Career path

PROFESSIONALEstimated read: 7 min· Updated 2026-06-03

Career path

ProfessionalAny employee

/hcm/me/career is the employee-side career-progression surface. AxisSynapse implements a workspace career framework — families (IC vs Manager, plus discipline tracks like Engineering, Sales, Design) × levels (junior, mid, senior, staff, principal, …) × the expectations that define each level. The framework lets you see your current level, readiness to the next, your gap analysis, and a deep-dive with the AI career coach.

TL;DR — Open HCM → Me → Career. Your current level, target level, readiness % + gap analysis appear. Click any expectation to see what evidence counts toward it. The AI coach can help draft a development plan.

Before you start

  • The workspace must have a published career framework. If your workspace doesn't yet, the surface shows a placeholder and points at HR.
  • Readiness % is HR-evidenced + manager-validated — your own click counts toward "I've reflected" but not toward formal readiness measurement.

Your current level

FieldWhat it doesAccepted values / default
FamilyIC, Manager, Specialist, etc.Set at hire / promotion; visible read-only here.
DisciplineEngineering, Design, Sales, Operations, etc.Set at hire / promotion.
LevelL2, L3, L4, etc.From the published framework; expectations rendered on click.
Tenure at levelHow long you've been at the current level.Some workspaces have a minimum tenure before next-level eligibility.

Readiness to next level

The readiness card shows your % completion against the next-level expectations, broken down per expectation.

FieldWhat it doesAccepted values / default
ExpectationA specific behaviour or output the next level requires.From the published framework.
StatusNot started / In progress / Demonstrated / Sustained.Manager + HR contribute evidence; you click 'I've reflected' to engage.
Evidence countHow many pieces of evidence are recorded for this expectation.Goals, project artefacts, peer feedback, 1:1 notes can all serve as evidence.
Readiness %Aggregate across all next-level expectations.Calibration sessions reconcile across managers.

Gap analysis

Beyond a single readiness %, the gap analysis surfaces the TOP-3 areas where evidence is thinnest. Each item links to:

  • Suggested goals you could set
  • Recommended learning courses
  • Project-type opportunities the workspace has flagged

AI career coach

Click Talk to coach to invoke the AI surface. The coach can:

  • Help you draft a development plan
  • Suggest skill-building learning paths
  • Frame talking points for your next 1:1
  • Compare your current track to adjacent tracks (e.g. IC to Manager transition)

PII anonymized before prompt

The AI career coach receives an anonymized version of your career record. Names, emails, internal identifiers, and dates are stripped before the prompt. The AI never sees raw HR data or compensation.

Promotion proposal flow

You don't propose yourself for promotion directly. The flow:

  1. Manager proposes during a calibration cycle

    Your manager flags you for promotion during a pre-calibration review window. Audit log records HCM_CAREER_PROMOTION_PROPOSED.

  2. HR runs calibration

    Multiple manager proposals are normalized against the cycle's per-session promo cap (workspace policy decides the cap).

  3. HR finalizes after 4-eyes

    A different HR admin than the proposer finalizes. Promotion is recorded; audit log emits HCM_CAREER_PROMOTION_APPROVED.

  4. You see the outcome

    Your level updates; the new level's expectations replace the old. You're now developing against the next level beyond that.

Every field, explained

FieldWhat it doesAccepted values / default
Current levelWhere you are in the framework.Read-only; from your HR record.
Target levelWhere you're working toward.Defaults to the next level in your track; you can pick a different track for cross-track exploration.
Readiness %Aggregate completion against the target level's expectations.HR + manager evidence drives it; calibration normalizes.
Gap analysisTop-3 thinnest-evidence expectations.Updates as evidence accumulates.
AI coach buttonInvokes the AI development-planner surface.PII-stripped prompt; coach output is read-only.

Common gotchas

  • "My readiness % isn't moving even though I'm working hard." Readiness is driven by manager + HR evidence, not self-report. Talk to your manager about logging evidence (project artefacts, peer feedback, completed goals).
  • "I want to switch tracks (IC → Manager) but the surface doesn't show it." Cross-track moves need HR involvement; click Explore other tracks to see how your evidence would map.
  • "My promotion proposal didn't go through calibration." The per-session promo cap may have been exceeded. Talk to your manager about the next cycle.
  • "AI coach suggested something I disagree with." The coach is suggestive; nothing it says is mandatory or binding on your manager or HR.

Troubleshooting

Error codeWhat it meansFix
CAREER_FRAMEWORK_NOT_PUBLISHEDWorkspace has no published framework yet.HR publishes the framework.
CAREER_LEVEL_NOT_FOUNDYour level isn't in the framework.HR reconciles.
CAREER_COACH_UNAVAILABLEAI gateway returned an error.Retry; if persistent, contact admin.

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