Many professionals seek to innovate their industry with new industry standards. For example, a factory worker might seek to innovate the manufacturing sector by creating a new quality assurance testing method that’s safe and more affordable. Innovation can help you establish your credentials and make you a more suitable candidate for future employment. Try researching new methods of performing your job that can increase productivity, employee safety or the quality of products and services.

Examples of Professional Goals You Can Set To Improve Your Career

Setting goals to help you progress in your career can be important to finding fulfillment in your job and increasing your skills and salary. There are many examples of professional goals that apply to any industry, ranging from smaller, day-to-day improvements in your current role, to long-term plans where you aim to make major career changes. Understanding these examples can be the key to setting smarter goals and reaching them within your timeframe. In this article, we explain the meaning of professional goals and discuss 24 examples of professional goals.

Professional goals are anything you hope to achieve during your professional career. These can be skills, milestones, career changes or salaries. They also can be goals you wish to accomplish personally or ones you want to help your company or industry achieve. For example, you can set a goal to learn a new programming language in the next six months, or you can aim to have your company break its monthly sales record.

Setting goals can help provide a more clear path for your career and allows you to track your progress. One of the more common methods for setting attainable goals is SMART, an acronym that stands for specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and timely. Setting goals using these criteria can help you make ones you can easily achieve by clarifying your ideas and helping you use your time and resources efficiently.

Examples of professional goals

1. Gain an internship

Gaining an internship with a large company in your industry can be a great opportunity. With an internship, you can learn important industry skills, practices and methods and increase your professional network. You can also gain valuable experience to add to your resume, which can make you a more appealing candidate when you begin your job search. Try looking for local internships through laborer’s unions, job programs or local universities.

2. Increase your core skills

Consider what your core skills are in your job, as well as the soft and hard skills you can’t perform your job without. You can increase and enhance those skills through classes, mentors or internships. You can also use personal time to pursue new core skills to increase your employability. For example, an attorney might read books on law to increase their understanding of why certain laws are in place and how they work.

3. Grow your professional network

Growing your professional network can help you form important connections in your industry. Consider focusing on attending industry or work-related events, such as seminars, training sessions and casual gatherings. Try to make connections online through professional networking sites or email lists.

4. Advance in your company

Advancing in your company can mean moving to a position you feel is better suited to your skills, but it’s not necessarily a leadership position. You might want to move to a parallel position within the company in a different department or to a position that allows more creative freedom. You can think about when and why you want to advance and what skills or steps you need to reach that goal.

5. Obtain higher credentials

One of the most common professional goals is obtaining higher credentials in your industry, which can create new employment and salary opportunities. For example, if you already have a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, you can pursue a master’s degree to become a professor at the local university. Higher credentials also can help establish industry credibility.

6. Earn a higher salary

Many professionals work toward obtaining a higher salary. Earning more money can help you become more financially secure and confident in your position. Consider what your ideal salary is, what your current salary is and how you can work towards achieving your ideal salary, whether at your current job or in a new position.

7. Pursue a different career

You might want to pursue an entirely different career as your main professional goal. You could find greater satisfaction and happiness in a new career, as well as a higher salary and more opportunities. Consider what your ideal career is and how you can reach it from your current job. Consider reaching out to professional connections you have in other industries to see whether they might be a good fit for you.

8. Become an expert in your field

Becoming an expert in your field can provide many opportunities for employment and additional opportunities as a consultant or freelancer. Consider what credentials or experience current industry experts hold and how you can obtain those credentials. You can consider a mentorship from industry professionals to learn more about what industry leaders do daily.

9. Obtain a leadership position

Obtaining a leadership position can help you enhance your teamwork, collaboration and leadership skills and establish your credibility in the industry. Consider what type of leadership position you want and how you might reach that position. It’s important to determine whether the company you work for offers such opportunities or if you might need to pursue a career change.

10. Win an award in your industry

Winning an industry award can bring you notoriety with industry experts, increase your employability and establish your credentials as an industry expert. For example, winning an award as an interior designer can make you more recognizable and lead to more job opportunities. Awards differ by industry, but obtaining an award can require patience, skill and innovation. Consider where your industry might need innovation and apply your skills to that need.

11. Learn a new industry tool

Advancing technology often provides new and innovative tools for industries. Learning one of these new tools can give you a competitive advantage over other job candidates and may allow you to earn a higher salary. Consider the latest industry technology and pursue opportunities to learn more about it or how to use these tools.

12. Use your skills to start a business

Some professionals include starting a business in their primary career goals. If you think you have strong leadership skills, you can apply them and other industry skills to starting your own business. Owning your own business can give you more creative freedom over your career path, help you earn a higher salary and provide a more flexible work schedule.

Why are goals so important?

1. They’re measurable

Setting goals can quantify or evaluate your growth. The SMART goal method, discussed in detail below, is one of many ways to track how you’re doing and where you might need to improve. Without measuring, you won’t know if you’re meeting goals or falling short. Measurable goals allow you to see when you need to reduce them into steps to make them more attainable.

2. They provide vision

3. They provide clarity

Most people have a list of daily, weekly, monthly goals. But life is messy, and your goals can be easily forgotten or pushed aside. To stay focused on what you want to achieve, try using a whiteboard or online platform to outline your goals.

4. They help you stand out

Sources:

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/examples-of-professional-goals
https://www.betterup.com/blog/work-goal-examples
https://instagantt.com/gantt-chart-experts/10-examples-of-professional-goals-for-work