When you think about your career, where do you see yourself in five years? Do you see yourself in a leadership position, launching a start-up, or exactly where you are now? Most of us don’t imagine ourselves staying where we are right now, but the truth is that if we don’t set career goals, that could be what happens.
Maybe you are thinking, I’m on vacation after a few years of being confined and I don’t want to deal with my career right now. If that’s the case, we are happy for you! That is a well-deserved vacation and we hope it’s wonderful. However, be careful not to continuously push off thinking about your career goals and long-term direction. Without goals, we can’t move forward. And becoming stagnant in our careers can lead to frustration and an overall sense of discontent.
We recommend that you take time, even during summer, to continue to work on your goals. Here are some simple, attainable summertime goals:
Grow your network. Don’t totally forget about your network during summer. Schedule some time each week, even if it’s only 5-10 minutes, to send and accept connection requests, share articles, and participate in one of your LinkedIn groups.
Update your resume. We recommend always keeping a master copy of your resume. Scheduling some time in your calendar to update your resume during summertime will put you ahead of the game for your job search or applying for a promotion when September comes around.
Add to your portfolio. This is another great goal for summer because adding to your portfolio isn’t too time-consuming. And again, keeping your portfolio up to date will help you be ready for your next career move. Hiring managers and supervisors always appreciate seeing a current portfolio.
Avoid this mistake. Many professionals make the mistake of setting goals that are too general. “I want to be a leader” or “I want to make a difference in my industry” are great but really too general. General goals are hard to attain because they aren’t clearly defined. The best career goals are specific: “In three years I want to be managing the team in X department at my organization” or “This year I want to develop a sustainable system for my department to help reduce waste.” With specific goals, you have a clear direction and then can create a plan to reach that goal.
Need more help with your long-term career goals? We are here for you. Schedule a free consult today!
