Get advice from people in your profession if you need questions answered.
To outline your career goals and objectives, it is important to consider the types of skills and experience you already have and the necessary experience you need to move up the ladder in your profession. It may be helpful to create a time line of your career objectives and refer to it often, especially when you have met your goals or you have achieved progress. Ask for input from people in your industry if you need help clarifying how long it will take to reach certain milestones or obtain certain skills for your job.
Instructions
1. Assess your current job situation. If you are not in the industry or field you would like to be working in, write down action steps for how you can break into that industry. Research possible internships or volunteer work. Create a plan for gaining enough experience to get an entry-level position in your field of choice. Include detailed information about how long this will take and what schooling or expenses might be required to get there.
2. Write down your goals for the next 5 to 10 years. Decide what place in your career you would like to be in a year from now, 2 years from now and so on. Be specific. For example, if you work at a public relations agency as an intern, your 1-year goal is to be an account coordinator, your 2-year goal is to be an account executive and your 5-year goal is to be an account manager.
3. Determine what steps are necessary to achieve your yearly milestones. If there are certifications, credentials, job accomplishments or years of experience you need to reach goals, outline them step-by-step in the order they need to be achieved. Include how much time will be required and what potential finances you will need.
4. Use preset check-in dates to assess your progress. For example, mark dates on your calendar that are 3 or 6 months apart. On each date, look at your career plan and see if you are still on track and if you are meeting goals. If you have changed your goals or objectives, revise your plan and the action steps required.
5. Brainstorm different resources for help or write down the names of people who may be able to answer questions you have about your career goals or objectives. Run your plan by others in the field or compare it to the industry trends or normal rates of progress for your profession.
Tags: your career, goal account, your goals, your profession, action steps