HR and managers, prepare the new version of this key meeting today
From October 1, 2026 , the professional interview as we know it will evolve. This mandatory meeting, established by the 2014 law and revised in 2018, will give way to a new version called the “career path interview” .
Objective: to make it a more strategic tool for the development of employees and collective performance.
1. Why reform the professional interview?
In a context of rapid change in professions and skills , the public authorities wish to reposition the professional interview as a lever for employability and adaptation rather than a simple administrative meeting.
This reform is a continuation of the work of France skills and the CNEFOP on career path management. It aims to encourage companies to approach these exchanges in a more qualitative, forward-looking manner, and more in line with the development needs of their employees.
2. Professional interview 2026: changes to know about
> A redesigned frequency for sustainable monitoring
The career path interview will replace the current system “every 2 years + review at 6 years”.
The reform project provides for:
- An initial interview during the employee's first year in the company;
- Then an interview every 4 years ;
- And a summary inventory at regular intervals (modalities to be specified by decree, but possibly every 8 years).
This new schedule aims to give the company more time to implement the identified actions (training, mobility, support).
> Expanded content focused on journeys and skills
The interview will no longer focus solely on the training courses taken, but on the employee's entire professional career .
In particular, it will have to address:
- The skills used in the current position;
- Developments in the profession or sector;
- Wishes for development or retraining ;
- Prospects for developing employability ;
- And, more broadly, the conditions of articulation between individual project and company strategy.
> Reinforced obligations
Companies will have to adapt their branch or company agreements to this new frequency.
Failure to carry out or comply with these interviews will continue to expose the employer to financial sanctions , particularly in structures with 50 or more employees.
What are the impacts for HR and managers?
> HR side: adapt processes and tools
This reform involves rethinking the overall process :
- Updating internal policies and collective agreements;
- Adaptation of maintenance tools and supports;
- Integration of the “course” dimension into the development plan of skills ;
- Implementation of more qualitative monitoring dashboards : interviews carried out, actions taken, completion rate.
HR teams become guarantors not only of regulatory compliance, but above all of the consistency of internal paths .
> Managers: adopt a development posture
Managers will be invited to adopt a more strategic and open posture:
- Approach the interview as a moment of dialogue and projection , not as a formality;
- Identify levers for progression and mobility ;
- Encourage employees to take an active part in their career path.
This requires training or support to master new content and adopt a listening and co-construction approach.
How to anticipate the implementation of the reform?
Even though the entry into force is planned for 2026, it is useful to prepare for the transition now .
> Audit your current practices
frequency, completion rate, quality of interviews, monitoring of actions.
> Update frames and supports
to integrate new themes (employability, skills , reconversion).
> Train your teams and managers
to this new approach to professional dialogue.
> Review your collective agreements
or your internal policy to integrate the new frequency.
> Communicate and manage the transition
on future developments to maintain trust and transparency.
Transforming constraints into opportunities
> When reform becomes a lever for performance
Rather than an additional constraint, this development can become an opportunity to strengthen talent management and loyalty .
If properly carried out, the reform of the system can contribute to:
- Better align individual aspirations and corporate strategy.
- Anticipate needs in skills .
- Create a culture of continuous development.
- Promote internal mobility and employee retention.
How can Equoranda support you in this transition?
Rather than undergoing a reform, let us take advantage of it to restore meaning to a key moment in managerial dialogue.
At Equoranda , we see this reform as a fantastic opportunity to raise the quality of HR and managerial dialogue around career paths.
Our training and support help you to:
- Train your managers to conduct constructive and engaging interviews.
- Support your HR teams in redesigning processes and supports.
- Develop a culture of sustainable employability , based on self-knowledge, motivation and skills .
- Equip your organizations to make these interviews a real lever for collective engagement and performance .
Anticipating today means transforming the 2026 reform into a driver of progress for your employees and your organization.
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