By Subhojit Roy, Co Founder & Partner Connections PR

 

 

 

 

Getting into the right career takes a little bit of planning and a major part of the planning process involves establishing — and working to achieve the  career goals.

 

Career goals are one aspires to achieve in career — where and how to get there. Objectives can be broad or they can be specific. But whether specific or broad, certain or uncertain, identifying them is an important step in career planning.

 

The broad targets– the ones that deal with values, preferences, interests, and aptitudes — are called conceptual goals. Operational goals are the TO DO list one sets for self — the steps to achieve the conceptual goals.

 

Think of conceptual goals are destination and operational goals are the way forward to achieve the first.

 

In most cases, setting career goals is an exercise in reverse planning. Working out the ultimate destination and then planning reverse to achieve the target.

 

Long term goals

 

Setting goals as likes, wants and expertise is the starting point of long term plans.

Considering specifics about types of jobs or roles helps achieve conceptual targets.

 

Short-term Career Goals

Short-term conceptual goals include gaining more responsibility in a current position, furthering education to make increase qualification adequate for the aimed position Short-term targets should support long-term objectives.

The planning process involves developing short-term operational targets, which are the specific things that you can do in a short period of time that help you achieve not only your short term conceptual ambitions, but all of your long-term objectives as well.

 

Setting Realistic Career Goals

 

Setting realistic goals means targets which are achievable goals. We have limited resources of time, interest and aptitude for developing career paths, and setting realistic targets is crucial to keep career vision realistic and to do that we need to have the following in our vision

 

• Do you have the time to commit to the goals set?
• Do you have the resources?
• Do you have the needed education or skill sets?
• Does achieving one goal conflict with achieving another goal?
• Is chosen career limited in availability?
• Are your goals achievable within the time frame you’ve set?

 

 

Get real

Making measurable career goals and setting success metrics will go a long way towards ensuring that your career roadmap is realistic.

But not too real — Your career roadmap should be a challenge, not a cakewalk. If your goals do not make you at least a little bit uncomfortable, set your sights higher. Push yourself in your overall vision and in the tasks that will carry you there. You might just be surprised with what you can achieve.

Write it down

Research shows that people who write down their goals are significantly more likely to achieve those goals. There are several benefits. One is that it forces you to think through what you want to achieve in a concrete way — if you have a hard time finding the words to explain your goal in a sentence or two, you probably have not thought it through.

 

Share the plan

Another benefit of writing your goals down is that it makes it easier to share them. It might be a dirty trick to play on yourself, but once you have told your friends and colleagues about your goals, you will feel a sense of disappointment if you do not follow through. That is some good motivation!

 

Visualize success 

A common practice of high achievers is visualizing success. Sports psychologists teach elite athletes to picture themselves connecting with the fastball, kicking the field goal, sinking the putt. You can do the same with your long-term career goals and all the efforts that will get you there. Use positive visualization to motivate yourself to work harder.

Setting your goals is, of course, just the first step. After that, it is all about commitment. Monitoring your progress toward your goals will make you more likely to achieve them, research shows. Dedicate time to working on your career plan every day.

 

It Has to Challenge You—But With a Realistic Outcome. 

 

And remember — there is no magic for long-term success. Just planning and persistence.

 

You Need Clarity

 

Studies show you’re more likely to succeed when your career goals are specific. So, start by peering into the future and creating a vision for your ideal self and career. What would that look like in one, three, or five years?

 

Feedback Is Essential

You Must Create the Right Conditions for Success. Achieving any set goal requires just two conditions: time and practice.

 

You Must Be Committed

 

So finally it is question of committed towards your goal to be successful I’ve heard so many people say, “I hate my job and need to make a change.” But they take zero action to make that change happen. They’ll give you a hundred reasons why they don’t go after that change, but you can boil them down to one: They simply aren’t committed to that goal.