A result you want to achieve in your professional life is a career goal. It is essential to establish career objectives so that you can concentrate on progress and have strategies for achieving them. You can set goals for the short term and the long term to make sure you’re working toward something and getting closer to your desired outcome.
In this article, we explain why goals are important, give you 20 examples of career goals to think about, and offer some advice on how to set goals.
Why are career goals important?
Career goals are significant in light of the fact that they give center and spur you to be dynamic as opposed to latent in your profession. Your personal life can benefit from your professional accomplishments. For instance, promotions may result in a higher salary, allowing you to live more comfortably.
Career objectives can be either short-term or long-term, and the SMART formula, which stands for:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Realistic
- Timely
A method for establishing attainable, actionable goals is the SMART formula. Experts utilize this and different techniques to make objectives for their professions and measure the progress of those objectives. For example, you could utilize the Shrewd recipe to pursue getting an advancement, wage reward or administrative role inside your organization.
What exactly is a career goals statement?
As the name infers, a vocation objectives explanation is your own vision for the fate of your profession. Think of it as the ultimate goal you’re pursuing.
For instance, you might be employed as a marketing analyst at the moment, but your long-term career objective is to establish your own software-focused marketing agency. That objective ought to be formally documented in your career goals statement.
What specifically does it mean to “formally document”? Simply put, you should write down your goals statement rather than just keeping it in your head. Soon, we’ll talk more about the significance of that. However, keeping all of that in mind, the following is an example of a career goals statement:
By the year 2025, I will start my own agency that will offer clients in the software industry a variety of marketing services. I will achieve this by taking advantage of any marketing position I am offered in order to improve my skills, participating in community and social events to build my network, and scheduling informational interviews with the current owners of the agency.
A goals statement, also known as a personal statement or statement of purpose, or an essay of a similar nature must be submitted with a student’s application materials to many graduate schools.
However, in the interest of simplicity, we will concentrate on personal career goals statements for individuals who wish to formalize their goals and gain a better understanding of what they are working toward in their careers.
20 examples of career goals
To help you figure out what you want to accomplish in your professional life, here are twenty examples of career goals:
- Improve performance
- Intern at a company you admire
- Earn promotions
- Find a rewarding career
- Build your network
- Earn a certification
- Get a professional degree
- Advance your education
- Save money
- Become an expert
- Start a business
- Develop your skill set
- Win an award
- Become a leader
- Gain new experiences
- Improve work relationships
- Innovate a process or product
- Achieve better work-life balance
- Create a personal brand
- Retire
1. Improve performance
You might want to think about setting a goal to boost your productivity and efficiency at work. This may assist you in rapid professional development. Analyzing performance metrics, such as the quality of your work or the number of assignments you complete, is one way to work toward this objective. You can track your goals and steadily improve key aspects of your performance by using metrics.
2. Intern at a company you admire
An internship gives you real-world work experience and lets you see how the career you want to pursue is run. You can set a goal to intern at your favorite company because many careers may require internship experience.
You can accomplish this by tailoring an effective internship application to the company you are interested in working for. To assist you in writing an effective application, conduct in-depth research on the company and learn what they might be looking for in interns.
3. Earn promotions
Promotions can help you advance professionally and advance your career, so it might be on your list of career goals. It’s helpful to talk to your manager and let them know that you want more responsibility when you’re ready for a promotion. Your manager can help you figure out what you can do to show that you are worthy of a promotion.
4. Find a rewarding career
Finding a job, you enjoy can increase both your happiness and job satisfaction. This is a goal that you can reach at any time, even if it sometimes requires you to switch jobs and careers. Throughout your career, working for a variety of employers can help you clarify the aspects of a job that you consider essential for a desirable career.
5. Build your network
Because your contacts can assist you in achieving other objectives, such as professional development, expanding your network is an important career objective. You can learn more about the industry, including job opportunities, by meeting professionals and staying in touch with them.
You might also get career advice and mentorship from people in your network. By attending networking events and connecting with other professionals through social media, you can expand your network.
6. Earn a certification
Earning certifications could help you get a promotion or raise in pay. You can get specific certifications for a lot of jobs, but if your job doesn’t require a specific certificate, you might look for one in a related field. You can set certifications as an objective for various career milestones and keep track of them easily.
7. Get a professional degree
You can get a professional degree to show that you are an expert in your field, which is useful for jobs like teaching and engineering. You will work toward enhancing your knowledge and skills after graduation as a result of this objective. Higher salaries and job security are common benefits for professionals.
8. Advance your education
If there are job opportunities in your industry that require advanced degrees, upgrading your education is a great goal. You can continue your education and work toward degrees if necessary while working in your field. To help you cover the cost of continuing your education, some businesses even provide tuition reimbursement.
9. Save money
When you start your career, opening a savings account can help you save money for retirement and other future expenses. If you want to make progress toward your savings objectives, it might be beneficial to set aside a portion of your weekly wage. Being aware of your financial objectives can also assist you in your job search because it may give you a better understanding of your salary requirements.
10. Become an expert
There are numerous advantages to becoming an expert in your field, including job offers, raises in pay, exclusive opportunities, and recognition. You can reach this long-term objective by improving your skills and learning new ones. You may be able to achieve this objective with the assistance of a mentor, particularly one with expert status.
11. Start a business
People who are creative and have entrepreneurial skills should aim to start their own business. Owning a business can give you the satisfaction of creating goods or providing services while also allowing you to work when and how you want.
It takes a lot of planning and research to start a business so you can learn about the market, customers, and competition. Make sure you know everything there is to know about running a business and meet other professionals who might be able to help you.
12. Develop your skill set
By figuring out the skills that are most important to your job and practicing doing tasks that require these skills, you can set goals to improve your skill set.
When learning new skills, it’s helpful to get feedback from coworkers on your strengths and weaknesses. You can also take advantage of educational and training opportunities, such as online courses, job shadowing, and company training programs, to achieve this objective.
13. Win an award
Setting a career goal to win awards may inspire you to work hard every day because receiving recognition for your work can be very motivating. There are specific industry awards for certain occupations. You could also set a goal of winning national or company awards.
To win an honor, be inventive and take on extra obligations so different experts notice your capacities. Publishing your work is helpful if you are working toward awards at the national or industry level. You can submit an application for consideration for some awards or request that other professionals submit you for consideration.
14. Become a leader
Being a leader is a great goal to set for yourself if you have natural leadership skills or enjoy leading others. You don’t have to change your job title to be a leader, though it can be helpful. Be supportive and volunteer for additional responsibilities to become a leader. Consider the leadership qualities and abilities that you may need to improve in order to achieve this objective. For instance, leaders are excellent communicators and problem solvers.
15. Gain new experiences
In your career, there are numerous professional experiences to pursue. You might, for instance, work abroad, speak at conferences, create a product, or lead a project. You can be motivated and provide milestones for long-term goals by setting a goal to gain new experiences. For instance, acquiring experience in driving undertakings might assist you with procuring advancements.
16. Improve work relationships
Your attitude and the atmosphere at work can be significantly influenced by your workplace relationships. Improved communication, teamwork, and output may result from cultivating genuine relationships with coworkers.
By practicing effective communication with coworkers and offering to assist them with projects, you can accomplish this objective. To build relationships, try to have conversations with coworkers on a regular basis.
17. Innovate a process or product
Being creative is a valuable quality that can assist you in achieving your objectives and advancing in your career. Assess the item and identify areas for improvement in order to innovate a process or product. You can also be creative by coming up with a new method or product.
18. Achieve better work-life balance
Balance between serious and fun activities intends that there’s a harmony between your own and work life. In an ideal world, you would be able to achieve personal and professional success while focusing on your top priorities.
Balance between serious and fun activities is extraordinary to every person, so finding and further developing it relies heavily on how you focus on parts of your life. To ensure that you can focus on all of your priorities, determine what is most important to you and develop time management strategies. Your employer’s flexibility may also play a role in your ability to strike this balance.
19. Create a personal brand
The way you present yourself to other people is your personal brand. Think about how you want others to see you in order to build a personal brand. A personal brand can demonstrate your unique professional identity, increase your industry visibility, and give you credibility. For freelancers, who may use their personal branding to promote their services, personal branding is especially important.
Identify the image and personality traits you want others to associate with you in order to build a personal brand. To match your personal brand, you can make a logo, create a website, and set up social media accounts. To build your brand, you must act and communicate consistently, just like a company brand would.
20. Retire
One common end goal of having a career is to retire with enough money saved for your needs. People typically retire between the ages of 65 and 70. Setting up a savings account early is helpful for retirement savings. Retirement benefits like pensions and 401(k)s offered by employers can help you save for your future. You can also think about investing in these assets to make money.
3 tips to set career goals
Follow these tips to set your career goals:
- Determine metrics
- Align your goals
- Ask for help
1. Determine metrics
If you set measurable goals, you might have a better chance of succeeding in achieving your objectives. Metrics like quality, productivity, and time frames can assist you in quantifying and tracking your objectives. It is also helpful to ensure that your goals can be achieved when you are able to measure them.
2. Align your goals
Regardless of the goal you are currently aiming for, aligning your short- and long-term goals can help you move forward. A short-term objective might be to improve one’s skills; a long-term objective might be to become a manager by learning the skills managers use.
Many profession objectives can add to achieving others, so perceiving how your objectives associate might assist you with making progress all the more rapidly.
3. Ask for help
When you ask your coworkers for help with your goals, you can get access to more resources and information. Finding a mentor early on in your career can help you learn more about career advancement and industry-specific skill development. When you require assistance achieving your objectives, your professional network is also an excellent resource.
Some objectives may necessitate the support or acknowledgement of others. For instance, in the event that you’re looking for an advancement or title change, it’s helpful to illuminate your director so they realize this is an interest of yours. If managers and employers are aware of your goals, they may be more likely to consider you for a position.
5 tips to write career goals
A statement of career goals has many advantages. But before you can write one for yourself, what do you need to know?
Here are five suggestions you should follow:
- Invest the time in reflection
- Get specific
- Use confident language
- Develop an action plan
- Be flexible
1. Invest the time in reflection
Do you recall our discussion of the above-mentioned opportunity for self-reflection? Make sure you actually take the time to write down your career goals statement before you jump right in. This will help you focus on a goal you want to achieve rather than one you think you should set.
The most crucial component of a goal is this: It ought to be something you actually hope to accomplish. In the end, setting one solely because you believe it is expected of you will not serve you well.
2. Get specific
A goal must be specific in order to have an impact and provide the necessary sense of direction. A general goal like “climb the ladder” or “earn more money” is too vague to motivate anyone.
Try using the SMART goals framework when writing your career goals statement. That means the following:
- Specific: Be specific about your goals, such as “start my own marketing agency focused on software clients.”
- Measurable: Similarly, define your success criterion so you can determine when you have actually accomplished your objective.
- Achievable: Make sure your goal isn’t so lofty that it’s unattainable because you don’t want to put yourself in a position where you’ll be disappointed.
- Relevant: Check to see if what you want to accomplish actually applies to you—this is where your self-reflection comes in handy!
- Time-bound: Without a timetable for when you intend to achieve it, a goal is nothing. Your statement of career goals ought to be somewhat long-term—not something you want to complete next week. In any case, “long haul” can mean a half year to certain individuals and 20 years to other people. Make it crystal clear when exactly you want to accomplish this goal.
3. Use confident language
There is no place in your career goals statement for vague and evasive language. There is no need to begin with “I really want to…” or “I really hope I can.” Instead, begin your career goals statement with the certain and resolute statement “I will.” That phrase not only clears up any ambiguity further, but it also provides you with a helpful encouragement whenever you come back to it.
4. Develop an action plan
Setting a goal is a good first step, but if you don’t know how you’ll get there, setting a finish line for yourself is pointless.
The actions you will take to achieve that goal should be outlined in the last section of your statement of career goals. Instead of simply assigning yourself a goal and feeling clueless about how to get started, this provides you with a path that you can follow.
5. Be flexible
One more important thing to keep in mind is the following: Goals shift. Of course, setting long-term goals for your career is the whole point of setting goals, but that doesn’t mean they will always be the same.
Imagine a scenario in which in the wake of conversing with some other organization proprietors you conclude that business possession truly isn’t so much for you. Or what if personal circumstances force you to remain in traditional employment for some time, making the deadline of 2025 unattainable? Or what if you succeed in achieving your goal and need to devise a new one?
These things happen, whether for the better or worse, so you need to be adaptable and ready to take what comes your way.
Don’t completely trash or delete your previous goal if and when your goal changes. Keep it instead and write a brand-new one. The progression of your goals over time can actually be quite instructive and motivating, which is why it’s so fascinating to observe them.
5 examples of career goals statement
A solid sample helps provide some clarity like nothing else. Let’s take a look at a few different examples of career goals statements that you can use as a basis for writing your own with all of the aforementioned advice in mind.
Career goals statement example 1:
Within the next five years, I will be promoted to Project Lead at Company XYZ. I will work on improving my project management abilities, earning my PMP certification, and expressing to my current supervisor my desire for growth and advancement.
Career goals statement example 2:
By the end of the year, I will have secured employment as a Data Analyst at a large financial institution. In order to achieve this objective, I will enhance my Excel and PowerQuery abilities and connect with other Data Analysts in my network to learn more about their job search strategies.
Career goals statement example 3:
Within the next calendar year, I will cultivate a favorable reputation and secure a speaking engagement for a session with over 300 attendees. I will accomplish this by networking with conference planners in my sector and continuing to improve my public speaking skills.
Career goals statement example 4:
Within three years, I will pursue and complete a career shift from Graphic Designer to Web Developer. To achieve this, I will complete online courses covering all major programming languages and return to school to earn my Associate Degree in Web Development.
Career goals statement example 5:
Within a year, I will be licensed as a Certified Public Accountant. I will create a study plan and enroll in a CPA exam review course to accomplish this. In order to pass the CPA exam, I will study for two to three hours each day after work.
Hey, I am Sachin Ramdurg. I run and manage futuredecider.com website that helps students, graduates, and professionals, to find and decide on their future career with ultimate future career advices and future career guides. I have an overall 12+ years of career guidance experience in multiple domains which has helped multiple students, graduates, and professionals to find the best career path for their future.