Remember Goal Setting Basics to Keep Your Career on Track

By Alexis Stiebe

Have you evaluated your goals lately? Setting a goal and achieving it is an important part of keeping your career on track. Learning new skills, completing important projects, and deciding when it’s time to move into a new role all require careful planning. We’ve all set and achieved goals before, but sometimes when your plan feels off track, it can help to remember the basics. What do you want to achieve? When taking steps to improve your career and build your skills, the following goal setting basics can help.

Keep your future in mind.

What do you want your future to look like? This main goal will help you determine what milestones you need to reach along the way. Your immediate plans and goals should support this future.

Break your task into milestones.

Most goals can be broken down into even smaller steps. If you are struggling to make progress in a current endeavor take a step back. Are there even smaller steps you can take towards completing your main goal? If you are struggling with a big project for work, break that down into simpler steps. If you are trying to learn a new skill, break that skill down into daily tasks that will help you learn and grow.

Your goals should be clear and measurable.

I like to use the SMART goal setting method. When a goal is vague and poorly defined, it is hard to say “yes, I have achieved this.” This acronym means your goals should be:

  • S – Specific
  • M – Measurable
  • A – Attainable
  • R – Rewarding
  • T – Trackable

Write your goals on paper.

Just the act of setting goals down on paper and acknowledging what you’ll need to do to achieve them can jump start your motivation. Building your skill set and taking on new opportunities is vital to progressing in your career. Are you able to meet your immediate goals in your current organization?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

Consulting with a recruiter can be a great way to start meeting career goals that stretch beyond your current workplace. The right career consultant can give you advice on how to build a value proposition that will take you further down the path to your ultimate goal. Contact us to learn more about how the recruiters at Career 1 Source can help you reach your career goals.