How To Set Career Goals For The New Year

New Year always sets the right tone to think of fresh beginnings. It is that one time of the year when people sit and reflect on their life choices. Especially for people looking for career development, the new year serves as the best opportunity to plan ahead by evaluating their professional journey so far.

If you are also about to set new career goals for the upcoming year, here are some expert insights from a career & executive coach who reveals the best and most effective ways to do this.

Reflect On The Past Year

Always start by analysing your career in the year that just ended. Think of the things you enjoyed and those that you didn't. And if you don't like your job, figure out why. This will help you get a picture of what you want to achieve in terms of your career. Is it because of organisational culture, poor growth opportunities, or a toxic work environment?

Knowing the exact reasons can help you understand what exactly you are looking for in your next job search or a new company. This can also narrow down your choices if you want to switch fields or even transition to a different role altogether.

Evaluate Existing Skills & Qualifications

If you like the job and company you're in right now but want to climb up the organisational hierarchy, then do a self-assessment. This will help you understand any skills gap, allow you to leverage your strengths, and give you an understanding of the weaknesses you need to work on managing.

Similarly, if you need any more qualifications or certifications to grow in the company, you can plan your year with suitable programs or courses. The same applies if you're looking to switch companies for a better role at the managerial or executive level.

Set SMART Goals

Once you have a clear picture of your career destination, then begin to set and define your goals. While we like to dream big and have exciting goals, they will not be achievable without being supported by a proper framework and an actionable plan.

The SMART goal-setting framework is a fantastic way to guide your goals. It is an acronym that means your goals should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, And Time-Bound.It gives you a roadmap that can help you stay on track, motivated, and accountable.

Once you have set your goals, create an actionable plan by breaking it into manageable steps, milestones, and targets. Nowadays, many goal-planning journals and digital apps come with a predefined template to track your goals monthly, weekly, quarterly and so on - feel free to use them to your advantage.

Embrace Feedback

Whenever you set goals and create a plan to reach them, try to do it through first-hand knowledge. This can come from friends, family members, colleagues, or even members from online career communities. They will be able to tell you places where they made the wrong decision, what to focus on more, and the best fail-proof ways to get to your goals.

In fact, this can save you from trying alternative approaches that people with similar job aspirations have failed at. It saves time, is efficient, and helps you reach your goals quicker with more clarity.

Get Professional Help

On average, 75% of people feel stuck in their careers at some point in life. If you are one of them with no proper career prospect or direction, then it's best to get professional expertise from a reliable career or executive coaching program, depending on your position.

Career or executive coaching provides a range of services, from helping you figure out what you want to do in terms of your career and what your goals are, exploring opportunities for professional growth, and supporting you through the ups and downs in reaching your career destination. A career coach is an investment of ongoing guidance to keep you on the right track professionally until you achieve your end goal.