@2xnp
I don’t think the PDC’s are a ruse but they definitely aren’t somewhere the individual contributor will ever get a promotion to leadership (that isn’t decided well in advance). Lateral moves sure. What these last few years have taught me is that the individual contributor position in Chevron is built on a lie and that lie is the Career Development Plan. As someone mentioned on another thread, Chevron will string you along for as long as you let them. The CDP is, to use your words, a ruse. It is not worth the paper it could be printed on. I’m not sure if all functions use a CDP but Chevron has completely mastered the art of getting people to deceive themselves into thinking in another year you’ll get to post for the role you want or you’ll get a shot at a team lead role in another BU. What are some tell tale signs you are being deceived? Well, if you get to meet with you PDR or sponsor and you express interest in a role and you get a line about how they don’t feel like your experience doesn’t quite make you ready and your next role should be X which should prepare you to post for the role you want in 2-3 years. You take the consolation role and 2-3 years pass and the role you want isn’t open, so you go for another role which doesn’t advance your career but it’s something different right? Wrong. You just got played for 3 years. Meanwhile, the person in the role was promoted about 2 moves above their PSG (more later) or they came from another function and don’t know the first thing about that division of the company (Midstream got an Advisor who was a Wells engineer). Ask yourself how a Wells engineer has the technical knowledge to become an Advisor in Midstream? Chevron should grow a pair and start having difficult conversations with people. If Chevron doesn’t want someone to move into a team lead role or a particular position, then tell them. Allow them to accept their fate or move on from the company. Don’t waste 10 years in this company getting strung along. If you got ambition but aren’t getting any traction, regardless of what function you work in, my advice is to get out.
And with regard to people getting over promoted. In my time with this company I’ve seen people put in roles (that were on my CDP) for which they had no experience only to be literally told by the sponsor that I didn’t have the experience to post for the role. Needless to say as a experienced hire I was doing this role prior to Chevron. With over 10 years with the company I have the following conclusion on that - when they want someone in a role experience doesn’t matter but if you are someone they don’t want in the role then experience is all they will talk about.
Take control of your career. If you are getting strung along my advice is to get out and build a network outside this company. Nothing will change.