Posted in Career Best Practices

Do You Have 2020 Vision – for Your Career?

Does achieving career success seem effortless for other people, yet extremely difficult for you?

Maybe you just need to clarify your career vision.

The truth is, attaining career goals is challenging for everyone. Some people, however, have a clearer vision of what success looks like – and have charted a path for getting there.

Whether you want to make more money, enter a new field or earn a promotion, formally defining annual career goals dramatically increases the chances you’ll hit them. Use these steps to clarify your career vision – and make 2020 an amazing year.

Start by defining your goal.

What do you want to achieve? What are you naturally good at? What interests you most? What is your dream job? Clarify what you want and value most in your work life, considering your personality, priorities and job skills. Define where you are now and where you want to be.

Consider your options.

Once you’ve clarified your vision for your career, evaluate your situation:

What do you need to do to close the gap between your current job and career vision?
What are the biggest opportunities and barriers to your success? Consider the employment market where you live (or want to move to), your industry’s long-term outlook and the education or certifications you may need.
Who can help you along the way? Friends, neighbors, fellow alumni, career counselors, staffing agencies and more can be valuable sources for information, networking and career guidance.

Use the results of this analysis to refine your goal, if needed. Then get ready to take the plunge.

Write your annual goal down.

Jot it on a Post-It note and stick it to the corner of your computer screen. Print it on a small sign and hang it in your workstation. Write it in marker on your bathroom mirror. Place your goal in a location you’ll see it (and repeat it to yourself) several times a day. Why? Reading your career goal over and over again implants it in your subconscious mind – and dramatically improves the likelihood you will achieve it.

Detail a plan for achieving it.

You’re busy. You have fires to fight, deadlines to hit and all kinds of distractions to manage. Unless you create a realistic plan for achieving your overarching career goal for the year, you’ll get caught up in the “busyness” of your daily work and life routine. Three, six or even nine months from now, you’ll look back and realize you haven’t made any real progress.

Create a no-excuses environment by breaking your big goal into smaller, short-term goals that will keep you moving forward. Make each of these interim goals “SMART”: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-bound. SMART goals will help keep you motivated and ensure that you stay focused on realizing your vision.

Gauge your progress.

Each month, take stock of your progress. What small goals did you hit? Where do you need to course-correct? Adjust when necessary, and be patient with yourself if you falter. And don’t forget to reward yourself for achieving milestones along the way!

PrideStaff is here to help you realize your career vision.

If you want to explore a different career, gain valuable work experience, broaden your job skills or increase your earning potential, temporary work with PrideStaff can help you achieve your goal. While you’re on assignment, we can search for direct job opportunities that match your skills, experience and interests.