5 examples of good career goals to set for yourself

You are not the first employee in history who has no idea how to set career goals for yourself. We have all been there at one point in our lives. There were many others before you and there will be lots more to come after you. Setting career goals is one thing that will help your career advancement.

Your career goals do not have to be complex and seemingly impossible things such as “I want to have my own company in two years,” or “I want to learn five coding languages during summer.” Often times, career goals that actually work are simple things.

You should always have an idea of where you want to go in your career when you start setting career goals for yourself. It will also help if you figure out the things that you are passionate about and what drives you. Many professionals recommend that you should use the SMART method when you set career goals. We will discuss the SMART method soon through another article.

Career goals are an important aspect of your success in the long term. However, all the career goals you set for yourself do not have to be long-term goals. You can set short-term career goals as well. No matter the time each goal takes you to achieve, they should all be aimed at helping your professional advancement.

Here are some great examples of career goals that you can set for yourself:

I will improve my communication skills

The ability to communicate effectively will help you become more successful in your career. Excellent communications skills enable you to explain extremely complex ideas in simpler terms in a way that your team and stakeholders can grasp the full meaning. Communication skills will help you give clear instructions, summarize long reports, and speak to large audiences.

I will become a good team leader

Before you become a good leader, you have to focus first on leading yourself. Do you push yourself to always be on time and be efficient? Or do you run a very loose ship, with you waking up five minutes before you must start working from home? Once you have yourself under control, you can develop leadership traits that will help you lead your teams to success. There are many courses online that can help you hone your leadership skills.

I will earn a reputation

You can put any adjective you like in front of the word ‘reputation.’ You should first decide the kind of reputation you want to build. Do you want to be known as the best surgeon in the ER? Or do you want to become the most reliable accountant at your company? You will have to make a few changes to your work ethic, attitudes, and behavior depending on the kind of reputation you want to have.

I will surround myself with good company

The people you surround yourself with will affect many things in your professional life. Your professional network has a huge power over your career. Adding the right people to your network will strengthen you when it comes to a job search or a promotion. When you are working as a part of a team, having diverse individuals with different talents will help you. If you are weak at one task, a member who is strong on the subject can take it over, enabling your team to keep its momentum. Surround yourself with positive people who genuinely want you to succeed in life.

I will become a good follower

You don’t have to do the leading all the time. Sometimes, you will have to be a good follower under someone else’s lead. Your ability to be a good team member who facilitates someone else to lead successfully is a great asset to your career advancement. This isn’t a professional goal that will directly help you become a manager or a supervisor. But it is a goal that will help you become an excellent team member.