Setting SMART Career Development Goals: A Step-by-Step Guide
Your career is a large part of your life, and it's important to have goals for your career development. But how do you set SMART goals?
What are SMART goals?
“SMART” is an acronym for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. Breaking this down further, this means:
Specific: Goals should be specific and clearly defined. What do you want to achieve? When do you want to achieve it? What are the specific steps that you need to take to achieve them?
Measurable: Your goals should be measurable so that you can track your progress and see how you're doing. How will you know when you've achieved your goal? What are the specific milestones that you need to reach along the way? It may sound like a cliché, but you can’t manage what you can’t measure.
Achievable: Your goals should be challenging, but also achievable. If your goals are too easy, you may get bored and, if they’re too difficult, you may get discouraged. In both instances, you could be tempted to give up.
Relevant: Your goals should be relevant to your overall career development plan. They should help you move closer to your desired destination.
Timely: Your goals should have a specific deadline. This will help you stay motivated and on track.
How to set SMART career development goals
Here are some guidelines for creating SMART career development goals:
Reflect on your current career situation. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? What are your long-term goals?
Use the SMART criteria to help you define your goals.
Create a plan to achieve your desired outcome. What steps do you need to take? What resources do you need?
Track your progress and make adjustments as needed. Don't be afraid to change your goals or your plan if things aren't working out.
Celebrate your successes! As you achieve your goals, take some time to acknowledge your accomplishments and celebrate them. This will help you stay motivated and on track.
Examples of SMART career development goals
Short-term goals:
Increase sales by 10% in the next quarter.
Complete a certification program in six months.
Start a blog about my industry within the next month.
Long-term goals:
Become a manager within the next two years.
Start my own business within the next five years.
Make a significant contribution to my field within the next ten years.
Conclusion
Setting SMART career development goals can help you achieve your professional aspirations. By following the steps outlined above, you can set yourself up for success.
Here are some additional tips for setting SMART career development goals:
Be specific. The more specific your goals are, the easier it will be to track your progress and stay motivated.
Be realistic. Don't set yourself up for failure by setting goals that are too difficult to achieve.
Be flexible. Things don't always go according to plan, so be prepared to adjust as needed.
Be persistent. Don't give up, even if it takes some time to achieve your goals.