The Best Way to Set a Career Goal
Goal-setting is one of the best ways to map out aspects of your personal and professional life. Establishing goals provides many benefits as they can help you gain clarity, address triggers, and increase productivity levels. In addition, many professionals utilize goal-setting in their careers to improve their skills, give them direction, and track their progress.
The problem with weak goal-setting is that while they certainly point to a real desire, they don’t sufficiently help you envision your roadmap to getting there. The SMART goal framework gives you a method for thinking more specifically about what you really want.
To establish tangible career goals for a new direction or to improve your work performance, use the following SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Timely) framework method below:
Specific
Reach for specific, detailed areas in your career goals you want to work achieve.
Use the following questions to design this aspect of your goal:
What am I trying to accomplish?
What part of my career will this goal address?
Why is this goal important?
Measurable
What evidence will show your progress towards your goal? It’ll be challenging to know if you’re making progress without proof. So as you narrow down your career goal, ensure that it is measurable.
Ask yourself questions like:
How often?
How many?
How will I know my goal has been achieved?
What will be my indicator of progress?
Attainable
It’s essential to set a career goal that you’ll be able to achieve within a certain period to keep you on track to success. Set a realistic timeline that gives you enough time to develop the skills and obtain the tools and resources needed to achieve your goal. Keep in mind - this part isn’t about reigning in your dreams, but it is here to help you define the several steps it may take to get you to where you want to go.
Use these questions to determine if your career goal is attainable:
Does this relate to an experience or skillset that you have already?
Do I believe I have what it takes to commit to growing the skills I need to execute this?
Will this be too overwhelming alongside my current essential responsibilities?
Relevant
As mentioned in the previous step, you’ll want to set a realistic goal that you can achieve over time. Then, consider how important this goal is and how it can help your career in the long term.
Use the following questions to determine if your career goal is relevant:
Is my goal realistic and within reach?
Do I have enough time and resources to reach my goal?
Can I commit to my plan?
Timely
Without a set deadline, getting off track and losing progress in achieving your goal is easy. However, creating a timeline can motivate you and give you a sense of urgency to complete your goal.
Ask yourself these questions:
Will my goal have a deadline?
What is my timeframe for achieving my goal?
Now that you’ve considered these elements of a strong SMART goals take a look at this article for examples.