Setting and achieving professional goals (with examples)

As a job seeker at the start of your working life, you’ve likely spent some time thinking about what the future might hold. You might have definite career aspirations or you might be happy just taking things day by day – whatever the case, it’s never a bad idea to set some professional goals.

Professional goals, no matter how small, give you something to work towards and aim for. They give purpose to your work and can give you a motivational boost. They can inspire you to learn new things or expand your skill set, and drive you to career success. But how do you determine your work goals and objectives?

In this guide, we explore professional goals, list some career goal examples, and provide a step-by-step pathway to setting work goals and achieving them.

What are professional goals?

You might think professional goals have to be major milestones, like Earn 100k by age 25 or Own my own business within 10 years. While those are legitimate career goal examples, not all professional goals have to be so ambitious. 

Professional goals can be any objectives or targets you set yourself related to your work life. It’s a broad term that covers many different types of work goals, like expanding your networking circle, learning a new technical skill or getting a promotion. Bigger professional goals could include working for a FAANG company, breaking a salary barrier or completing a graduate degree or diploma.  

No matter what job you have, setting professional goals keeps you on track for the type of lifestyle you want for the future. They shape your career path and your life in general – without them you may eventually feel as if you have no clear direction. 

Given that work takes up a large proportion of the average person’s time, professional goals and personal goals tend to go hand in hand. Goals like moving to a new city, buying a house and starting a family are all interconnected with your professional life. 

Identifying your professional goals

If you’re not sure what your professional goals should be, start with self-reflection. Assess your strengths, weaknesses, interests and motivations. Ask yourself questions like What do I want out of my career? and Where do I want to be in 5, 10 or 20 years? Download a career development template and print it out if you prefer to write down your thoughts on paper.

Your career goals should align with your personal goals, and should reflect what you’re good at and what you’re interested in. You can always upskill and gain new knowledge, but if you play off your strengths, you’ll find success comes easier. 

Here are some common work goals to help get you started: 

• Improve communication
• Expand work network
• Get a promotion
• Find a new job
• Complete training in a new skill
• Get a mentor
• Do a leadership course
• Get a postgraduate diploma or degree
• Start a side hustle

Setting short-term and long-term career goals

If all your professional goals are major milestones, it can help to break them down into smaller parts. Big achievements that are years into the future are your long-term goals, while all the steps you plan to take to reach them are your short-term goals. 

To set short-term goals, use the SMART technique: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant and time-based. By setting SMART goals that are realistically attainable, you stay on track to meet your larger, long-term aspirations. You’ll also feel more motivated when you can see that you’re making progress.

For example, if your long-term goal is to own your own auto-repair business, your short-term goals may be to: 1) get auto mechanic certifications; 2) complete a mechanic apprenticeship; 3) work and save $20,000; and 4) get a small business loan. Each of these short-term goals can be broken down into even smaller ones that can help motivate you between milestones. 

Writing effective goals for work

If you’re wondering how to write goals for work, start with the SMART method. Make your work goals:

• Specific. Short-term goals especially should clearly outline what you’re hoping to achieve. If you want to type faster, put a specific number on it (Reach 100 wpm with 99% accuracy), if you want a promotion, state the exact position you’re aiming for (Become team leader).
• Measurable. Your progress should be trackable.
• Attainable. The goal should be realistic.
• Relevant. Your goals should be relevant to your larger aspirations. 
• Time-based. Set deadlines for your goals. 

Example goal statement for a graduate: 

In the next year, I aim to get my first full-time job in a human resources team in a medium-to-large company. To help me reach my goal I will: (1) review and update my resumé this week, (2) reach out to 20 people in my network this month, and (3) apply to at least 10 jobs per month for the rest of the year.

Example goal statement for someone in the middle of their career: 

I want to move to a leadership position in my department within the next six months. This week I will set up a meeting with the Careers team for advice. Next month I will take an online leadership course. In three months I will follow up with my department director on next steps.

Example goal statement for a senior executive: 

I want to start my own home baking business over the next three years. This year I’ll save enough to support launching my business. Next year, I’ll scale back to part-time work while I upskill with a course at TAFE. In two years’ time, I’ll resign and work full-time on creating my brand.

Prioritising and planning your goals

To prioritise multiple or competing goals, it helps to have a 5-year career plan in place. Once you have a long-term goal, look at which short-term goals are necessary to accomplish in order to get to your larger aspirations. A roadmap can clarify your priorities and help you organise multiple goals into an achievable timeline.

When it comes to recording your goals and progress, there’s a vast range of resources available to keep you on track. A journal can help you monitor and record your progress. Project management software can help you organise goals and stick to timelines. Books and online resources can fill in any gaps in knowledge. A vision board can keep you motivated. Use whatever works best for you.

Overcoming challenges in goal achievement

It’s not unusual for challenges to arise when you’re working towards your career goals. Life can take unexpected turns that make it harder to stick to your roadmap. For instance, you might not feel you have the motivation or energy to study or upskill in your free time. Or you might not get a promotion at work that you were counting on. 

To overcome challenges to work goals, first identify exactly what they are. Create a plan to help you navigate around them, like extending your timeline or reaching out to a mentor for support. Try to see obstacles as opportunities to learn and grow. 

Measuring and tracking progress

When setting professional goals using the SMART technique, it’s essential that your progress is measurable. If the path towards your goals isn’t measurable or trackable, there’s no way of knowing if you’re any closer to reaching your target. 

There are a few different ways you can measure your progress towards career goals:

• Track daily goals in a journal or project management program
• Take quizzes and other assessments
• Ask for feedback from colleagues, supervisors and mentors

If you’re finding it consistently hard to meet milestones or overcome challenges, it might be worth refining or reevaluating your goals. You may need more time or resources to reach a particular target – by measuring and tracking your progress you’ll find it easier to identify any hurdles and address them accordingly. 

The impact of goal setting on career development

Setting clear work goals is not essential to career development, but it does help steer your life in the direction you ultimately hope to take. Goals give you a sense of accomplishment and fulfilment, and can help you feel motivated to work. There may be times in your professional life where you feel you’re not making much progress or you’re wondering if you’re on the right track. Having work goals – and making them flexible – will help you handle these types of challenges. 

While they’re not essential to success, career goals impact your professional development positively by keeping you focused and working towards something important to you. Without them, you might feel your job has stagnated or that you’re lacking direction, which can affect your motivation and overall enjoyment of life. 

Aligning personal and professional goals

For the best chance of reaching your professional goals, they should align with your personal goals. Sometimes the two will neatly overlap, for instance, if your personal goal is to move to a major city and your career goal is to work at a corporate headquarters. Other times, your career aspirations may clash with your personal goals, like if you want to learn an instrument, but study for a qualification after work, leaving you no spare time.

To make sure you have time and energy to reach both your personal and professional goals, it’s important to have a good work-life balance. Focusing too much on professional goals may leave little motivation for interests outside of work. That might work for some people, but it’s also an effective way to experience burnout, which is counterproductive for any goals. 

If you’re working full time, you may have to come up with smart strategies for fitting in personal and professional goals. If your personal goal is to exercise for an hour every day, you might workout in your lunch break. If you plan to start a family, you might make it a professional goal to find a remote role or start freelancing, so you have more time at home. 

No matter your line of work, it’s worth setting professional goals. They’re a source of motivation and inspiration, and can help you get what you want out of life. At the very least, they can give you a sense of direction and help you make decisions as you establish yourself in the workforce.