Career goals are important because they provide focus and motivate you to be active rather than passive in your career. Achievements in your professional life can benefit you in your personal life as well. For example, if you earn promotions, you may earn a higher salary, which enables you to live more comfortably.
Career goals can be short- or long-term, and successful goals often follow the SMART formula, which stands for:
Specific
Measurable
Achievable
Realistic
Timely
The SMART formula is a method for creating actionable goals that are possible to achieve. build career goals without any preparation Professionals use this and other methods to create goals for their careers and measure the success of those goals. For instance, you could use the SMART formula to work toward getting a promotion, wage bonus or leadership position within your company.
20 examples of career goals
Here are 20 examples of career goals to help you determine what you want to accomplish in your professional life:
1. Improve performance
Consider setting a goal to improve your job performance, including your productivity and efficiency. This may help you grow quickly as a professional. One way to work on this goal is by analyzing performance metrics, such as the quality of your work or the number of assignments you finish. Using metrics can help you track your goals and steadily increase key aspects of your performance.
2. Intern at a company you admire
An internship provides on-the-job experience and allows you to observe the work environment of the career you're pursuing. Since many careers may require internship experience, you can create a goal to intern at your favorite company. To achieve this, you can create an effective internship application and tailor it to the company you're interested in pursuing. Perform thorough research of the company and discover what they may look for when choosing interns to help you craft an effective application.
3. Earn promotions
Earning promotions may be on your career goal list because it contributes to career advancement and professional development. When you're ready for a promotion, it's helpful to talk to your manager and let them know you have an interest in additional responsibility. Your manager can help determine what steps you can take to show you deserve a promotion.
4. Find a rewarding career
Finding a job you love can increase job satisfaction and may increase your happiness. This is a goal you may achieve at any time and sometimes requires you to change careers and switch jobs. Working for different employers throughout your career can provide clarity on job aspects you find important in order for a career to be desirable.
5. Build your network
Building your network is a useful career goal because your contacts can help you achieve other goals, such as professional development. Meeting professionals and keeping in contact with them can help you learn more about the industry, including job opportunities. Individuals in your network may also mentor you and help you develop career skills. You can build your network by attending networking events and connecting with other professionals via social media.
6. Earn a certification
Earning certifications may help you earn a pay raise or promotion. Many careers have specific certifications you can pursue, but in some industries, you may seek a related credential because there aren't specific certificates available for your job. Pursuing certifications is also an easy goal to track and an objective you can set for various milestones in your career.
7. Get a professional degree
For professions such as engineering and teaching, you can get a professional degree to certify you in your field. This goal ensures that you work toward developing your skills and expanding your knowledge after graduating. People with professional degrees often receive job security and higher salaries.
8. Advance your education
Advancing your education is a great goal if there are job opportunities in your industry that require advanced degrees. If applicable, you can continue your education and pursue degrees while working in your field. Some companies even offer tuition reimbursement to help you cover the cost of continued education.
9. Save money
Opening a savings account when you start your career can help you save money for retirement and other future expenses. It may be useful to set aside a portion of your wages each week so you can make progress toward your savings goals. Understanding your financial goals can also help you search for jobs because you may have a better idea of your salary requirements.
10. Become an expert
Becoming an expert in your field has many benefits, including job offers, pay increases, exclusive opportunities and recognition. This is a long-term goal that you may achieve by furthering your knowledge and practicing your craft. Finding a mentor to guide you, especially if they have expert status, may help you reach this goal.
11. Start a business
Starting a business is a good goal for creative individuals and people with entrepreneurial skills. Owning a business can provide the satisfaction of creating products or offering services and give you flexibility in how and when you work. Starting a business requires extensive planning and research so that you can learn about the market, customers and competition. Be sure to understand the aspects of managing a business and connect with other professionals who may help you.
12. Develop your skill set
You can create goals to develop your skill set by identifying the skills most essential to your job and practicing performing tasks that involve these skills. When developing new skills, it's useful to request feedback about your strengths and weaknesses from colleagues. To accomplish this goal, you can also pursue training and educational opportunities, such as online courses, job shadowing and company training programs.
13. Win an award
Receiving recognition for your work may be very motivating, so setting a career goal to win awards may inspire you to work hard every day. Some professions have specific awards you can win in the industry. You may also set a goal to win company awards or national awards. To win an award, be innovative and take on additional responsibilities so that other professionals notice your abilities. If you're working toward national or industry awards, it's helpful to publish work. For some awards, you may apply for consideration or ask other professionals to submit you for consideration.
14. Become a leader
If you have natural leadership abilities or enjoy guiding others, becoming a leader is an excellent goal to set for yourself. Being a leader doesn't require you to change your position at work, though this can help. You can become a leader by being supportive and volunteering for additional responsibilities. When preparing to achieve this goal, consider leadership qualities and skills that you may need to develop. For example, leaders are great problem solvers and communicators.
15. Gain new experiences
There are many professional experiences to pursue in your career. For example, you may work abroad, travel to conferences, speak at events, create a product or lead a project. Having a goal to gain new experiences can help motivate you and provide milestones for long-term goals. For example, gaining experience in leading projects may help you earn promotions.
16. Improve work relationships
Your relationships at work can have a big impact on your attitude and work environment. Building meaningful relationships with your colleagues may contribute to better communication, collaboration and productivity. You can achieve this goal by practicing good communication with colleagues and offering to help them with projects. Try to have conversations regularly with colleagues to establish your relationships.
17. Innovate a process or product
Being innovative is a valuable quality that can help you advance in your career and accomplish your goals. In order to innovate a process or product, assess the item and determine areas for improvement. You can also be innovative by creating a new process or product.
18. Achieve better work-life balance
Work-life balance means that there's an equilibrium between your personal and work life. Ideally, you can devote your time to the priorities in your life and be successful professionally and personally. Work-life balance is unique to each individual, so finding and improving it depends on how you prioritize aspects of your life. Determine what's important and develop time-management techniques to ensure that you can give attention to all your priorities. Achieving this balance may also depend on your employer and the flexibility they can offer you.
19. Create a personal brand
A personal brand is how you present yourself to others. To create a personal brand, consider how you want others to perceive you. A personal brand may give you credibility, increase your visibility in the industry and show that you're a unique professional. Personal branding is especially important for freelancers, who may use their personal branding to promote their services.
To create a personal brand, identify the image and personality traits you want others to associate with you. You can make a personal logo, create a website and set up social media accounts to match your personal brand. Similar to a company brand, it's important to show consistency in how you act and communicate to develop your brand.
20. Retire
Retiring with enough savings to support you is a common end goal of having a career. Typically, people retire between the ages of 65 and 70 years old. In order to save money for retirement, it's helpful to set up a savings account early. Employers often provide retirement benefits as a pension or 401(k), which helps you set aside money throughout your career. You can also consider investing so that you can earn income from these assets.
