It’s difficult to set career goals when you don’t know what you really want. Many people have a career dream, but what exactly is a career goal?

A career goal is a statement that defines an action you will take to get the job you aspire to have. This might change at different times throughout the course of your career. Whether you’d like to be a doctor, a professional dancer, or anything in between, we all need help to set our goals. Follow these steps to complete your career goals for the year!

1. Consider your future career goals

To start, ask yourself “what do I want?” and “what does the future hold for me?” Thinking about the future can be scary, but take a moment to remember your ultimate end goal when it comes to your career.

2. Start with the end in mind
It makes sense to determine your end goal first and work backwards. Once you’ve identified where you want to be, create long-term goals (five years or more) that will help you achieve the end goal. Make your long-term goals ambitious, but also achievable.

3. Break your long-term goals into smaller steps and set deadlines

If we only set goals that we want to attain in five years, it’s difficult to stay on track and stay focused. Continue working backwards to create short-term goals for specific times like one year, one month, or even one week. Your short-term goals should lead up to your long-term goals by making them easier to achieve. This will help you feel like you’re on the right track.

4. Reward yourself for each accomplishment

With short-term goals, it will be easier to feel your small victories and to keep track of your end goal! Once you achieve those short-term goals by their deadlines, it’s good to reward yourself for all your hard work. Rewards can be motivated to continue working hard on your next goal. If your goal is to apply to at least three jobs in one week and you achieve it, you might buy that shirt that you’ve been eyeing.

5. Keep yourself accountable

It can be hard to stay on track, so you should create some type of accountability process. You can write your goals down and refer to them often or share your goals with someone who supports you. Another way is to create reminders on your calendar, (whether it’s digital or paper), which can help you visualize your timeline more clearly.

With hard work and dedication, you can achieve your main career goals and have fun along the way!

Full Source: https://blog.eeihr.com/expert/5-steps-to-determine-and-achieve-your-career-goals