A development interview should not be seen as an administrative constraint. If it is limited to an HR formality, it loses all interest. Properly conducted, on the contrary, it is a lever for individual progress, loyalty and collective performance.

Yet many organizations struggle to make it a part of everyday life for managers and employees alike. So how can we transform the development interview into a meaningful meeting with lasting impact?

Understanding the importance of development interviews in managerial support

Giving meaning beyond the HR ritual

In many companies, the development interview is still seen as an obligation. The manager ticks boxes, the employee prepares quickly, and everyone leaves with the feeling of having "done the job", but with no real added value.

For example, one HR manager notes that her managers spend an average of 30 minutes on these interviews, whereas 1h30 was planned. They give priority to immediate "productivity" over discussion.

A well-conducted interview becomes a privileged moment of managerial support. It helps clarify ambitions, express needs and, above all, reinforce mutual commitment.

Linking interviewing to talent management strategy

A relevant development interview must articulate :

• Employee aspirations (internal mobility, new skills, career development).
• Company needs (strategic issues, collective priorities, new skills to be acquired).

For example, if a company is committed to sustainable development, the interview can reveal which employees wish to learn about CSR issues and contribute to cross-functional projects.

Preparing the individual interview as a lever for skills development

Equipping managers to go beyond the checklist

An ill-prepared manager tends to turn the interview into a succession of top-down questions, without really listening. To avoid this, it's essential to help him or her approach the discussion in a different way. 

For example, by providing a practical guide with open-ended questions, inviting employees to express themselves freely: "What skills would you like to develop this year?", "What motivates you most in your current role?", "What would you need to be more effective in your day-to-day work? This type of formulation opens the door to a constructive dialogue, far richer than a standard questionnaire.

Empowering employees in preparation

The interview is not just a managerial responsibility. It takes on its full meaning when the employee is also involved in its preparation. Some companies encourage this approach by asking each employee to identify three successes and three difficulties encountered in the past year. This approach transforms the dynamic: the employee doesn't "undergo" the interview, but becomes a player in his or her own professional development.

Rely on concrete data and constructive feedback

An interview based solely on subjective impressions can quickly become frustrating. For feedback to be valuable, it must be based on tangible facts: project results, customer feedback, team evaluations. In this way, feedback takes on a much more constructive dimension. 

So, instead of a vague judgment such as "I find you less involved", a manager can formulate: "Your presentations at customer committees have been praised. To make further progress, let's work on managing speaking time to strengthen your impact."

Conducting development interviews with impact and feedback

Creating a climate of trust for professional support

Employees will not share their difficulties or ambitions if the environment does not inspire confidence. The role of the manager is therefore to set a benevolent framework. A simple way to do this is to start the interview with a sincere acknowledgement of successes. This positive openness creates a dynamic that makes discussion of areas for improvement much more fluid.

Balancing feedback and projection to develop skills

An interview focused exclusively on the past gives the impression of a simple review. To be motivating, it must also look to the future :

• What skills will we need to develop tomorrow?
• What new responsibilities should we assume?
• What kind of support (training, mentoring, in-company coaching) can you call on?

For example, an employee who has strengthened his or her leadership skills on a cross-functional project may be encouraged to co-lead an internal training workshop.

Formalize concrete, measurable commitments

A common pitfall is to end the discussion with overly general intentions. For the discussion to lead to real progress, it' s best to identify two or three specific actions, with deadlines.

This could be, for example: "Participate in a negotiation training course by June" or "Take the lead on inter-team coordination from the next quarter". These concrete commitments turn the meeting into a real action plan.

Follow-up: anchoring the development interview in day-to-day talent management

A development interview should not be an isolated event. For it to have a real impact, it must be a long-term process. For example, some managers take up an objective defined during the meeting on a regular monthly basis to measure progress. This continuity anchors the dialogue in day-to-day reality.

At the same time, increasing the number of exchanges helps reinforce a feedback culture. A simple ten-minute feedback session after a customer presentation can be enough to highlight a strong point and identify an area for improvement. These short, repeated moments give depth to managerial support, and prevent the annual appraisal interview from taking over the entire burden of assessment.

Finally, digital HR tools play a key role today: they centralize objectives, feedback and follow-up, guaranteeing continuity in talent management and a clear vision of each individual's development.

To explore : the continuous development kit, or how to embed a culture of continuous development in your teams. 

Making development interviews a lever for collective performance

Identify key skills for the organization

Beyond the individual, development interviews are a valuable resource for HR. By consolidating data, they provide a map of available skills and emerging needs. One consulting firm, for example, discovered that nearly 30% of its consultants wanted to progress in data. It was then able to design an ongoing training course specifically adapted to this collective demand.

Reinforce the culture of constructive feedback

Interviews are not just an individual tool: they also help to establish a lasting feedback culture. In an industrial company, the regularization of these exchanges has smoothed cross-functional projects and reduced inter-team tensions. Employees have gained in confidence and efficiency.

Developing talent and building loyalty

Finally, regular monitoring of professional development boosts loyalty. An employee who feels supported in his or her ambitions is more committed and less inclined to leave the organization. A retail customer we worked with experienced this first-hand: by introducing twice-yearly interviews and reinforcing its individual support plan, it reduced turnover by 15% in just two years.

Best practices for embedding development interviews in the corporate culture

• Train managers in the role of coach and mentor.
• Simplify HR processes to prioritize the quality of exchanges.
• Encourage regularity with quarterly checkpoints.
• Align with HR strategy and talent management.
• Highlight success stories (successful internal mobility, skills development).

A development interview is not an HR formality: it's a strategic lever for developing skills, managing talent and boosting collective performance. For HR and training managers, the challenge is to equip managers, to integrate constructive feedback into their day-to-day work, and to transform each individual interview into a lasting opportunity for growth and loyalty. To find out more, discover NUMA's Development Conversations training course, which turns development interviews into a genuine managerial ritual.