Goal Setting and the Career Planning Process

What Are Goals and How Do They Fit Into the Career Planning Process

One of the most important things you will do during the career planning process is set goals. A goal is something you want to achieve; the end to the means, so to speak. In order to achieve a goal, you will need to exert some energy — generally a lot of it.

You should set both long-term and short-term goals:

• Long-term goals: these are goals that you should be able to achieve in about three to five years.

• Short term goals: these are goals that you should be able to reach in one to three years.

In order for your goals to be achievable, they must meet certain criteria.

Your goals must be:

• Conceivable: you must be able to put your goal into words;

• Achievable: you must have the attributes, energy, and time to accomplish your goal;

• Believable: you must believe you can reach your goal;

• Achievable Within a Certain Time Frame: you must be able to state how long it will take you to reach your goal;

• Clearly Defined: you must know exactly what your goal is;

• Flexible: you must be willing to modify your goal as necessary;

Once you have defined both your long-term and short-term goals, you can go on to develop a career action plan. The career action plan will list all your goals and the steps you must take to reach them. If your goals meet the criteria listed above, you are more likely to be successful in achieving them.