ALT-1 How to Stay Focused on your Career Goals
Goal setting can help you get an interesting career in your field, but also take your career to the next level. In some companies, especially the larger ones, career objectives are typically related to organizational objectives, thus enabling both management and employees to set shorter or longer goals for the company and work together to achieve them. In smaller companies, career objectives may apply to your individual need to advance your career, thus adding value to the company. In both cases, goal setting can prove a powerful tool for your career, but you need to follow certain steps that can help you first figure out your career objectives and then stay focused on them.
The following are tips on how to stay focused on your career goals.
1. Identify your career goals
What do you like doing at work? Do you like specialization? Do you like to undertake more projects? Do you like responsibility? Are you flexible? Do you effectively apply time management? Would you be interested in a managerial position? Do you like working with people? Do you possess leadership skills? All these questions should help you identify your career goals and determine exactly what you want from you career, why and how you can achieve it. For instance, becoming a manager is a long-term goal and most likely you will need to achieve smaller, short-term goals first.
2. Consider work-life balance
When identifying your career goals make sure to consider work-life balance. Balancing work and personal life is important because nowadays you are required to play several roles, including being an employee, a parent, a son or a daughter and so on. Most organizations today recognize the importance of work-life balance and cultivate employees who are able to maintain such balanced life.
3. Identify your skills and competencies
Once you have identified your career goals, you need to identify your skills and competencies to see if they match your goals. For example, if your career goal is to join a sales and marketing team, but you are afraid to talk to people, obviously you cannot be a successful salesperson. You need to list your talents, skills and competencies by including all the things you are good at, but also all the things that you feel afraid of doing at workplace. In doing so, you will have a clear picture of your working profile and you will be able to assess if your career goals match your working profile. In addition, think of any specialized knowledge you may possess. If you are an expert in personal finance, take advantage of this knowledge and seek for a career as a personal banker or a financial advisor.
4. Make your career fascinating
Sometimes, even if you work in your field of interest, you need to make your career exciting. This can motivate you more to complete more tasks during the day effectively and to take more initiatives that provide you with the most satisfaction. Of course, for each person, motivation and satisfaction are related to different factors that may include more income, more power, more influence, more variety, more autonomy, more recognition or just the happiness of working with others, being intellectually challenged, achieving career growth and being free to choose what they want, when they want it. No matter what your career goal is, make sure to create a career style that makes your career fascinating, rather than boring.
5. Decide on an action plan
A very important step to achieve your career goals is to decide on an action plan. To take your career to the next level you have to follow certain steps that can get you where you want to be. Make sure to craft an action plan and to stick to it by implementing your strategies as accurately as possible. Yet, be also flexible enough to adjust your plan to potential changes at workplace.
In conclusion, before setting your career goals make sure to visualize where you want to be in the future and to have strong motivation to continue pursuing your goals. Whether you are interested in finding a new job or advancing in your current position, make sure to have clear career goals that match your career profile and can affirm your success at workplace.
