Very few people find their perfect job right out of the gate. Establishing the right career path that gets you to the best possible job takes more than luck and crossed fingers. It takes a little bit of planning and a little bit of strategy.
It takes career goals.
Career goals are the things that you want to achieve in your career. In other words, they are where you want to end up and the path you want to take to get there.
It has been said that career goals are like a map…a map to your dream job. The good news is that designing a “career map” does not require extensive experience in cartography. Anyone, anywhere, can design a career map using these four simple steps.
- Envision the outcome. Know the difference between a goal and a dream. A goal is something attainable. A dream is usually …well…a dream. It is something that helps you through tough times. For example, we may dream of being all-star forward on the Denver Nuggets but if you are 5’5” that may not be an achievable goal for you. So ask yourself, as far as your career is concerned, where do you want to realistically be in 1 year? In 5 years? In 10 years?
- Write out all steps involved. Now define all the steps you need to take in order to achieve your short-term and long-term goals. As you define each step, write it down! Doing so will make your goal more tangible, more attainable. In addition, writing down your steps will prompt you to take action and highlight any aspect of your goal that is not clear.
- Identify obstacles and plan how to overcome. Every goals has obstacles. Otherwise, they would not be a goal. It would be a checklist. Knowing that you will encounter obstacles helps you plan for them, and when you plan for them, they do not appear so threatening after all.
- Track and analyze. You will never know how well you are doing, if you do not track your progress. A logbook is a great place to start. Here you can add notes, tweak your strategy and see what you have accomplished. Knowing how far you have come and the direction you are headed can give you a boost to keep going till the end.
Your career is a huge part of your life…you spend most of your day there….it is defines you….it is usually the first thing you talk about at a social gathering. So take the time to develop a career map. Get yourself that job that you look forward to every day.
At Job Store Staffing®, we have the resources to help. Get the personalized attention you need as you search for your next, best job in the Denver area. If you are looking for employment agencies in Aurora CO, contact our team today.
