Have You Established Your Career Goals?

Taking stock of where you are and what you have.

This is the most difficult and the most important part of beginning to set your career goals.

To begin, you need to do an inventory of your:

Interests: topics you have curiosity about; something you are drawn to; for example: cars, cooking, history.

Skills: activities that are usually very focused. They are task oriented items that you can learn; for example: sewing, painting, typing.

Values: those things that we most cherish; what guides us in our decision making; the things we feel are most important in life; for example: time with your family, money.

Style Qualities: a personal style of working and interacting with others. It refers to not what you do but how you do it; for example: working alone or working with a group; using the pressure of deadlines, or finishing tasks quickly.

This inventory can be done in a number of ways. One of the most effective is by using assessment instruments provided by a career counsellor. There are also personal inventory checklists that you can complete to help you discover your personal traits.

Please refer to the Self-directed Career Planning Tools section of this guide for more information on self assessment tools.

Once you know who you are, you can move on to what you want.

There are two types of goals in career planning: Long Term Goals and Short Term Goals.

The Long Term Goal is the end result of accomplishing a number of Short Term Goals. Think of the Short Term Goals as a series of objectives to get you closer to the Long Term Goal.

Make all your goals SMART goals!

All goals need to be:

Specific: The more detailed a goal is the better you are able to measure its success.

Measurable: You need to know if you are making progress. Setting up measurements either formal or informal will help you decide whether you have achieved that goal.

Attainable: Think about whether you have a realistic chance of achieving that goal; whether it is within your reach. Consider the things and people that can help you and the things and people that might slow you down.

Relevant: Ask yourself whether this particular goal fits into the big picture of your life/career transition; what will it do for you in the long run?

Timed: Set up a time frame for achieving this goal. Make it realistic with everything else that is going on in your life. Give yourself permission to change a deadline if you have to but take note if you continually change the deadline. Maybe one or two of the other SMART goal checks is not working as well.

The key things to remember in setting goals are:

• Start small and build from there.
• Set short term goals first.
• Research resources that can help you attain your goals.
• Ask for help. Very few goals are achievable on your own.
• Use the smart checklist on every goal you set.
• Ask yourself: Is this a realistic goal I can achieve within the time frame I have set?
• Reward yourself when you have achieved your goal.

Return to Top

Contents  |  Self-directed Career Planning Tools  |  Resumés  |  Effective Communication and People Skills  |  Marketing Yourself  |  Interviews  |  Mentoring  |  Balancing Work and Leisure  |  Leadership  |  Career Planning Websites  |  Sponsors