Steps on How You Can Set Your Career Goals

Many professionals are likely to have a difficult time figuring out what goals they have for their careers, which is also the main reason why they tend to feel stuck and unable to move up in the corporate ladder. Not having a clear set of career goals can leave you wandering and feeling like you are going nowhere. That’s why it is very important for any professional or worker to have particular goals which they could base their career plans on.

So how do you set career goals? Here’s what you should do.

1. Make a list of your strong and weak points. Your strengths shall reflect the goals you have attained in the past as well as the areas you think you can easily succeed in. On the other hand, your weaknesses should offer insight over what goals you cannot easily obtain.

2. Identify a particular goal. Normally, this will be in a question form, like “What do I want to find myself doing in a couple of years?” Take note that in determining a goal, it is important that you also take into consideration the number of years it will take you to achieve it. Also think about other factors, such as your family, financial status, and personal improvement.

3. Take a look at what action steps need to be taken in order for you to reach your goals in a specific time frame. Take into account which goals will be difficult to achieve because of your weaknesses, and which will be the easier ones owing to your strengths. Through this, you will easily determine whether or not you will need some form of assistance and what kind of help you will need.

4. Have smaller goals that will help you measure how far you have come in reaching your bigger and long-term goals. These smaller goals will serve as your guide or milestone to your ultimate career goal. Plus, achieving the smaller ones will keep you motivated to continuously go for the bigger ones.

Consideration

While it may sound easy and simple to come up with career goals, many of us find it difficult to actually create a career plan that includes our long term goals as well as the specific steps that will lead to the achievement of such goals. And so, for many, it is very helpful to get to work with career experts who are experienced in career planning. With the help of career counselors, mapping out a career plan becomes easier because they know exactly what it takes for a person to create a concrete plan and how all specific goals can be met in a specific period of time.