Goal-setting is extremely important in any career path, no matter the stage. If you don’t set goals for yourself, you won’t feel as motivated to grow and better yourself. By having specific goals in mind and knowing what you want to achieve, you will be more likely to work towards them on a day-to-day basis. When setting professional goals or career goals, you should make sure that each goal is SMART: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound. Here’s how to do it:
Specific. The more specific your goals, the better. Knowing exactly what you want to achieve will help you to feel more motivated. For example, imagine that you are a human resources associate wanting to grow from your role. A specific goal would be, “I want to gain the necessary experience to become a Human Resources director within the next five years.”
Measurable. Make sure that you have a way to measure your goals to better understand your progress and when you will reach them. It will also help you to recognize milestones when getting closer to your goals. For example, a measure of a goal to become a Human Resources Director could be identifying the technical skills you want to have learned by then, and the five years of experience as an HR Associate.
Achievable. Although you always want to be challenging yourself, you also have to be realistic. Make sure your goals are practical goals that can be achieved with hard work and dedication. For example, an HR Associate having a goal of becoming an HR Director is completely achievable in terms of skills. However, if the company does not have an HR Director role, it may not be an achievable goal within that company.
Use these crucial tips to keep your motivation strong when goal-setting.
Relevant. Make sure that this goal is something that you actually want to achieve for yourself and is relevant to your aspirations. If you make goals for yourself that you don’t truly care about achieving, you will never feel motivated to achieve them, nor will you feel fulfilled if you do achieve them. For example, if your goal is to become an HR Director, consider if you truly see yourself succeeding in that position and if that is something you are passionate about.
Time Bound. Make sure that you have a timeline set for your goal and that this timeline makes sense. You should also consider how long it will take you to get the necessary skills or experience so that you can reach your goals. You can always adjust your timeline if you find that more or less time is needed. For example, if your goal is to become an HR Director, adjust the timeline accordingly so that it is likely achievable to obtain the experience within that time frame.
Stay productive while working from home using these tactics.
Make sure that each of your goals align with the five SMART characteristics, and you will be setting yourself up for success! For more tips on all things job search and professional development, check out our Employee Tips or contact us at mglenny@franklinprofessionals.com.
