Setting Your Own Personal SMART Goals to Elevate Your Career in 2019
Are you ready to make 2019 your year? You’re not alone. Most people start off a new year with the best intentions, with their sights set on getting a promotion, a raise, learning a new skill or even finding a new job. However, the majority of people who set new year’s goals never make it. The truth is, without intentional, mindful actions, goals are really just wishful thoughts. If you want to elevate your career in 2019, it pays to set SMART goals.
What Are SMART Goals?
SMART goals give you direction so you know exactly what actions to take to achieve your desired result. SMART goals are:
- Specific
- Measurable
- Achievable
- Relevant
- Time-Sensitive
Specific
To keep your goals from becoming wishes, you must make them very specific. That means instead of saying, “I want to learn a new programming language to make myself more marketable,” You say, by August 1, I will be fluent in Swift.”
Measurable
Set monthly goals, weekly goals, and identify daily action you need to take to get there. If your goal is to learn a new language, determine how far you need to get each month, and then work out the amount of time you need to spend learning and practicing each day of the week.
Achievable
Lofty goals are great, but they can actually be demoralizing. Goals can be big, but they must be realistically achievable given your current situation. If you don’t have the time, skill base or money to achieve a goal, change it something more realistic.
Relevant
SMART goals fit in with your professional plans. It helps to think about why you’re setting the goal. If you know why you want to do something, it becomes easier to find the time and resources to see it through.
Time-Sensitive
Give yourself a deadline so you know what to shoot for. A deadline also allows you to break your goal down into smaller goals and milestones so you can track your progress. Use a calendar or a planner to write everything down and keep track of how things are going.
Keep Pushing
It’s easy to give up on goals – after all, it’s difficult to find extra time in your busy day. But writing your goals down and working on a little bit each day will move you towards your end result. If you skip a day or if you find yourself off track, don’t abandon your goal. Just keep moving forward, and eventually, things will begin to fall into place.
If you are an experienced IT professional looking with a goal of growing your career or finding a new tech job, partner with the tech recruiting experts at Talon today. Contact us to learn more about our track record and our commitment to your success.
