New GBA Best Practices Guide Helps Firms Develop Early Career Professionals

GBA has released a new Best Practices guide, Empowering Early Career Professionals, to help member firms take a more intentional approach to developing the next generation of geoprofessional leaders. The guide was prepared by GBA’s Inclusion Advancement Committee and focuses on practical ways firms can recruit, onboard, support, and retain early career professionals.

The first decade of a geoprofessional’s career often shapes their long-term growth, confidence, and leadership readiness. The guide notes that intentional early career professional development is an important part of succession planning for geoprofessional consulting firms, especially as firms navigate workforce changes, anticipated retirements, and a tight labor market.

Designed for firm leaders, managers, and human resources professionals, this resource offers field-tested guidance firms can adapt based on their size, culture, and resources. It can be used to strengthen onboarding, improve retention, support career growth, and build a stronger leadership pipeline.

Key takeaways include:
• Define early career professionals by years of geoprofessional experience, not age.
• Build belonging through onboarding, mentorship, sponsorship, advocacy, and varied project experience.
• Create growth pathways through leadership opportunities, career mapping, business development exposure, recognition, and advancement.

The guide also encourages firms to identify three best practices they can realistically implement in the near term, with early career professionals taking an active role in their own development.

GBA members can download “Empowering Early Career Professionals” from the GBA store:

GBA Best Practices are short, focused guides that save you from learning lessons the hard way, and they are just one of many tools available to member firms. LEARN MORE ABOUT GBA MEMBERSHIP BENEFFITS.