You might not have thought about your career goals for some time – maybe since you were a bright eyed and bushy tailed graduate! When we don’t have career goals in mind, we can become easily disillusioned and dissatisfied with our jobs. If you’re feeling this way, it’s not too late! Take a look at our tips below for rediscovering your career goals and how to achieve them…
Look back at where you started & how far you’ve come.
You’ll feel emboldened when you look at the journey you’ve already been on. Even if you haven’t quite achieved what you thought you might have so far, it’s great to acknowledge your achievements.
This can help you to figure out what it is that you really want – giving you a clear idea of your career goals. Thinking about this can help you to identify your ‘why’. This is your purpose, what makes you get up and go. Having a ‘why’ keeps you focussed on setting career goals and achieving them!
Next steps
Once you’ve identified your career goals, you can start to put a plan into place to achieve them. It’s helpful here to start thinking about your long term goals and where you’d like your career to be in 2 – 5 years time. Talking with colleagues and friends can be useful as they might be able to offer advice.
You should begin to feel a renewed sense of positivity, productivity and motivation – which is great for fulfilling your day-to-day duties too!
Potential opportunities
Now that you’ve outlined your goals and set up a plan, you might start thinking about potential opportunities that will get you where you want to be.
That could be opportunities at your current firm, or you may be open to looking elsewhere. Whatever you decide, ensure that these opportunities align with your career goals.
Prioritise your job search accordingly
Knowing exactly what kind of role you’re looking for is important. Make sure that you’ve considered where geographically you’d like to work and have realistic salary expectations dependant on your experience.
Talking through your options with a recruiter is a great way to keep your job search prioritised. They will do a lot of the heavy lifting for you – they’ll make you aware of their current opportunities, reach out to their network of clients and seek out potential opportunities for you!
Having clear career goals as you search for a new job will stop any time wasting and keep you focussed on the best opportunities that are out there.
Making sure it’s the right fit
Once you have some interviews lined up, taking the time to prepare and research is important. You’ll need to delve a little deeper into whether these firms are right for you and career goals. A potential role might sound great, but is the firm right for you?
You could have ambitions that go beyond a role – like business development and progression. It’s wise to find out if a firm you’re considering has future plans for these opportunities.
Ultimately, you’re likely to be happier in a role for longer if you know that the firm is willing to facilitate or support you in achieving your goals!
