Intern Series: How to Set Career Goals That Actually Help You Grow

How to Set Career Goals That Actually Help You Grow

Setting the right goals is essential for making progress as you embark upon your new career(s).? Here’s how you can create career goals that will truly benefit your personal and professional growth.

1. Make Your Goals SMART

Using the SMART framework (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound) will help you define goals that are both actionable and realistic. Being concrete will make your goals achievable rather than amorphous; for example instead of “I want to improve my communication skills,” you might say, “I will attend one public speaking workshop each month for the next six months to enhance my presentation abilities.” This gives you a clear path to improvement.

2. Align Goals with Your Values and Long-Term Vision

Think about what matters most to you in your career. Do you want to help others, innovate, lead, or become an expert in a specific field? You want your goals to line up with your vision of who you want to be -- if you want to help others, think about specific things you can do (e.g., go to business school to learn how to start a nonprofit organization; learn how to drive so you can transport people to their doctor’s visits)? If leadership is a long-term goal, look for ways to practice leading, such as taking on small team responsibilities.

3. Focus on Skill-Building Goals, Not Just Outcomes

While aiming for promotions or raises is motivating, focusing on the skills you need to get there is often more productive. Rather than just say your goal is to “get a promotion in the next year,” aim to “develop stronger project management skills by taking on additional projects.” By building skills that move you towards your goal, you are giving yourself ‘step by step’ instructions to achieve!

4. Set Short-Term Milestones

Break down larger goals into smaller, short-term milestones. If your goal is to develop leadership skills, start with smaller, achievable steps, such as attending a leadership workshop or volunteering to lead a team meeting. Baby steps can keep you motivated because they are infinitely achievable, making the larger goal feel within reach.

5. Review and Adjust Regularly

Check in with yourself periodically to assess your progress. Sometimes goals need to be adjusted as circumstances change, or new opportunities arise. Regularly reviewing your goals helps you stay on track and adapt to any changes along the way.

TLDR: Setting career goals with smaller, concrete steps in mind will give you a clear path to personal and professional growth. As cliche as it may sound, the journey is just as important as the destination, so embrace the process, stay flexible, and keep learning along the way.? As you seek roles with more leadership, networking and income potential, continue to search for open positions by downloading the F1Hire extension for your job hunt. With the personal dashboard you can not only organize your search but you will be able to revise/tailor your resume alongside each job post, while also looking for employers that are nondomestic worker friendly (if you seek work visa sponsorship).