The new year is just two days away! As you prepare for 2017, have you thought about your goals or made a list of what you’d like to accomplish? So that we can better help you reach those goals, we want to know what you’re setting your career sights on in 2017. Share your thoughts by voting in our poll!
Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.
At the beginning of the year, businesses are working on their strategic plans and refining their goals. They are evaluating both short- and long-term goals and where they want to be in the future. In the spirit of leap year 2016, it might be a good time for you to develop a four-year plan.
A Look at the 2020 Workplace
A leap year occurs every four years because an extra day is added to the calendar in February to keep it aligned with Earth’s revolutions around the sun. By the time we experience the next leap year in 2020, the opportunities for advancing your career are endless.
There is no better time than the present to start planning what you want to accomplish by 2020. And to help you with career choices, here’s an overview of what the employment landscape will look like by the next leap year. The workplace will be more mobile and flexible, with more than 7.6 million people working in on-demand jobs, according to a study by Intuit Inc. and Emergent Research.
An article from U.S. News and World Report indicates that fields more likely to flourish in 2020 range from data crunching to computer engineering to management and finance. Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects an increase in employment by 14% during the 2010–2020 decade. By 2020, more than half a million new jobs are expected for registered nurses, retail salespersons, home health aides, and personal care aides. The BLS expects the fastest growth to be among healthcare, personal care, and community and social service occupations.
Although the World Economic Forum, through its report on “The Future of Jobs,” states that five million jobs will be replaced by robots in 2020, there is still great opportunity for honing one’s skills in technology and automation.
Questions to Get You Started on Goal Setting
Knowing where the jobs are is only part of developing a plan. You will need to establish goals to guide you if you want to be successful. However, if you don’t know where to start developing your goals, here are a few questions to consider asking yourself:
Developing S.M.A.R.T. Goals for Your 4-Year Plan
Now that you have an idea of where you want to be in four years, it’s time to develop specific goals to get you there. Numerous businesses use the concept of SMART Goals and encourage their employees to use them for personal development. These are goals that are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and possess a time-frame.
Now that you are ready to start developing a four-year plan in honor of the leap year, we’d like to hear from you as to where you see yourself in the next four years in the comments section below.
Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.
As the year comes to a close and New Year’s Day approaches, resolutions and goal-setting start to become a priority. For those searching for a job, goal-setting can be an empowering and valuable tool in finding a new career. After all, numerous studies prove that setting achievable and measurable goals leads to success.
Setting distinct goals allows you to identify what you want, how you can accomplish what you want, and what it takes to get there. Incorporating goal-setting into your job search process has a lot of benefits, so check out these tips below:
Be clear on what kind of job you want.
If you can describe the specific kind of job you want, then you know exactly what kind of job openings to pursue. If you apply for every job you see, you may get bogged down and frustrated. By creating a list of target companies and positions, you save time by not applying for the jobs that aren’t the right for you.
Make a list of long term goals, short term goals, and immediate goals.
Take time to consider what you want in the next five to 10 years. After that, set up goals for the next month that will help you reach your long term goals. Lastly, figure out what you need now to reach your monthly goals and how you can meet those needs. Think of it as a business plan for your career.
Customize resumes and cover letters.
Set a goal to target your resume and cover letter in a way that shows off your relevant skills, but also targets each specific job for which you’re applying. Learn to identify key words in job postings and include those words to help you stand out to recruiters.
Use your goals to schedule your daily activities.
Having a plan for each day as a job seeker helps you stay on track and feel productive. For instance, you may schedule online job searching on Monday, applications on Tuesday, interview practice and networking on Wednesday, etc. Having a plan in place helps keep you focused on your goals.
Each week, create at least three goals for your job search.
Focus on actions that help you with your job search. Some activities could include attending at least one networking event, reaching out to a recruiter on LinkedIn, or applying for two positions a day in the field you want.
Keep your mind busy.
Your goals could also include ways to better educate yourself on job searching or the job you want. Read articles or updates, find new information about the positions you want, read job interview tips, and keep your mind busy on the business of finding a career.
Use technology to help your goal setting.
Today’s world offers software and apps to help you with goal setting and tracking your success. If you need a little guidance on setting up goals and tracking them, consider apps like Smart Goals, Any.Do, or Evernote. These apps help you identify what you want to accomplish and help you get there.
When it comes to your career and job search, goal setting will allow you to stay focused on what comes next. Defining your career goals will help you take powerful steps toward creating a satisfying and rewarding work life.
Do you set goals? Share your goal-setting process with us in the comments section below.
Movin’ On Up is brought to you by Express Employment Professionals.
Entering the career world is an exciting yet scary time. Numerous unknowns, like job success, meeting deadlines, and understanding your role, can cause new job seekers and new employees to experience doubt, concern, and stress. The better prepared you can be during the on boarding process, the better your end results will be.
Network.
Networking is an invaluable skill that comes with time and produces countless benefits. While seeking employment and even after landing your new job, take time to get to know other professionals in your area. Utilize local networking groups, social media, and people you’ve met along the way to make the most of your time. Networking is a fabulous way to learn from others in your desired field, establish contacts that you may work with in the future, and develop confidence in a professional setting.
Set Goals.
The goal setting process allows you to consider all that you want and need in life and requires thought on how to achieve it all. Set goals for your immediate, near, and distant future that can be realistically achieved and maintained. Setting goals will better help you learn how to plan and organize your accomplishments.
Follow the Leaders.
Each industry has established leaders who have paved the way. Look to those leaders in your chosen field and follow their example. These leaders can vary from the CEO of your company to an established co-worker you’ve befriended. Study their work ethic, relationships with co-workers and clients, and business habits. By adapting similar characteristics you can begin establishing a career path that resembles theirs.
Starting out in your career can be a little scary and intimidating. But, by surrounding yourself with positive leaders and goals, you will be able to focus on what is most important rather than what is most frightening.
“The longest journey starts with a single step.” - Lao Tzu
Gearing up for the new year
It’s that time of year again: new calendars, party plans, and “Auld Lang Syne.”
Counting down to the new year just isn’t complete without also making at least one resolution. Chances are there are a few issues you’d like to work on in 2011, broad personal or professional objectives that might top your official resolution list this year.
Turning those broad items into attainable goals is, of course, the real challenge.
Planning for success: how to set short-term goals with long-term objectives
Big picture vs. small steps
Setting a goal often starts with an idea of the “big picture,” the end result you want to achieve. A sense of accomplishment, sometimes at a key moment, usually lets you know you’ve met the objective. Students, for example, daydream about graduation, while job seekers likely imagine signing on the dotted line to accept their ideal position. That big promotion and what it might mean for your career might also be easy to envision.
While the mental image of achieving what you set out to accomplish might seem clear, exactly how to arrive at that specific end result can be less obvious.
Reaching goals is a process that requires time, self-evaluation, and sustained effort. Taking the right approach and maintaining motivation along the way can be major challenges. Knowing how to stay on track can help make any goal a reality.
Tips for managing your goals
Define them: Write down exactly what you want to do and what success looks like to you. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and timely. Don’t forget to identify how you’ll define goal completion. Be realistic about what’s possible and when. Learn more about SMART goals.
Identify first steps: Outline a series of short-term goals that lead to long-term objectives. Assess what you need to do and be specific about details. For example, if you want to enhance your communication skills, penciling in “Communicate better at work” probably isn’t specific enough. Instead, try researching local public speaking clubs, finding university classes at a nearby campus, or scheduling a first presentation so that a target date is established from the beginning.
Find support: Let others know what you’re working to achieve. Talk regularly with people who can encourage you and will keep you accountable. If you can find another person with the same goal, try to tackle it together. Friends, family, or a support group can help keep you motivated.
Try small but significant changes: A small change can make a big difference. Trade one behavior for another that aligns with the goal, rather than trying to eliminate a big issue all at once. Know that what you’re doing is going to take time. Develop your skills and take gradual steps.
Revamp goals as needed: Take a step back and look at the progress you’re making. By assessing your progress, you can decide if you need to restructure your goals to better accomplish them.
Reward mini-milestones: Celebrate reaching short-term goals in a meaningful way. Make the reward something you can look forward to. Changing your habits is often the real key to achieving your goals, so choose positive incentives that reinforce what you’ve already done.
Give yourself a break: Recognize that the goal process may not always go as planned and give yourself permission to try something else. Keep an open mind and look into different options if your original plan doesn’t work in the way you thought it would.
New year, new you
Get your new year off to a great start by making your resolution list today. Take the time to determine what steps will help get 2011 off to a running start by following the tips above. Do you have others to share? Post in the comments section.
Creating goals is a great way to keep yourself motivated, focused, and progressing throughout the year. As we approach the close of the year, goal-setting is a hot topic, especially in business. But you can set goals for yourself any time of year, for any reason. To get started, determine the areas you want to set goals in.
Personal – As the most common type of goals, these may focus on personal enrichment activities, health and fitness objectives, hobbies, spiritual enrichment, etc. Though the new year is a popular time to set these goals, creating short-to-mid-term , measurable personal goals may be more realistic and help you get the results you want.
Job Search – Looking for a job? The job search can be a long and daunting process, so create weekly and monthly goals to keep yourself on track.
Work – Want to really enjoy your work? Create goals for yourself so you can enjoy the feeling of continual success as you accomplish your daily tasks.
Career – Want to move up in your career or even switch fields? Career goals can be mid-to long- term and help you advance in your profession.
Networking – Whether in social media or in person, creating networking goals can help you expand your network and deepening relationships with important contacts.
Education – Want to pursue a degree, vocational training, or apprenticeship? Educational goals are critical because they can help you make important decisions on coursework, programs, conferences and even career choices.
Once you’ve selected the areas you want to create goals for, use the SMART goals formula to set goals that will help you progress. This formula is a time-tested way to create goals that are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-based.
Specific – Make sure your goals are clear and well-defined. For example, instead of creating a health goal such as “work out more,” create a goal: “to exercise twice a week.”
Measurable – How will you know if you’re accomplishing your goals? Make them measurable from the get-go! The goal “ to exercise twice a week” is something you can measure, as long as you can count to two! Let’s try a more complex goal, like an educational process. Instead of “to obtain a college diploma,” which is very vague, “complete 20 hours of coursework towards my bachelor’s degree this year, is something you can check to ensure progress as time goes by.
Achievable – You don’t want to set your goals so high you can’t reach them. On the other hand, you don’t want to set them so low they don’t mean much. So, make sure you are taking into account personal, financial, and other factors. Make your goals something you can accomplish through diligent effort.
Relevant – This may seem like an odd component of a good goal, but especially when it comes to your work life, it’s important to have relevant goals. For example, if you want to become a manager, setting a goal to get a degree in philosophy might not be the best idea. So, make sure your goals are something relevant to you.
Time-based – Goals that have no deadline are little more than talk. That’s because without deadlines, you’ll find yourself procrastinating on your progress. Timelines are one of the most important parts of goal-setting, but it’s the thing most people leave out of the process. So, give your goals deadlines and stick to them!
The final step in the goal-setting process is to write your goals down, share them with someone who can hold you accountable, and measure your progress. Also share your goal deadlines with a friend, colleague, family-member, or other trusted person. Have them follow up with you on your timeline to help keep you on track!
Are you setting goals for this month? Are you already planning goals for next year? Share your thoughts on goals in the comments section, and feel free to share a goal with us there, too!
