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How to Set and Achieve Your Career Goals

Thinking about and setting career goals is something you should consider year-round, and not just as a New Year’s Resolution. It can be an insightful exercise to help you clarify what is important to you and what you want to accomplish in your career. In today’s blog, we’ll look at the different types of goals you can set and ways you can achieve them.

 

Short-Term Goals

Short-term goals are usually those you want to achieve anywhere from that day to within the next several months. This might be attending a networking event, updating your resume, or working with a recruiter to help you land a new job. These more attainable goals can be viewed also as micro-goals that lead you towards your long-term goals. In an article on Indeed they say about short-term goals: “When you create these goals, you might often intend for them to help you make the steps toward your ideal self. Short-term goals are important because they provide you with quick feedback.”

 

Long-Term Goals

Long-term goals are usually those that can take at least a year to achieve. Examples of this might look like getting a new job, landing a large promotion, getting a certification to help your career, or furthering your education such as a Master’s Degree. The same article on Indeed says about long-term goals: “Think about your long-term goals as your dreams, giving you direction and purpose in life. When you’re outlining these goals, you may notice they reflect your values and ethics because they help you direct your life.”

 

How To Achieve Any Goal

Whether you’re setting a short or long-term goal, it’s helpful to make sure it’s a SMART goal. SMART goals stand for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based. Being strategic with how you plan to achieve your goal can take it from an idea to becoming a reality. Another helpful tip comes from Harvard Business Review where they recommend tying your goal to your “why” meaning your reasoning behind the goal. They write, “To figure out the ‘why’ behind a goal you’ve set, use this simple statement: “I want to _________ so that I can _______.” Your statement could look like this: I want to read more nonfiction books so that I can increase my knowledge and be able to talk to others about various topics. (The “why” is increasing knowledge, not simply reading more.)”

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