16 January 2026
There is one incontrovertible truth in life. If you want to accomplish something -- big or small -- the best way to ensure success is to set goals
Life provides several opportunities for setting goals -- planning a wedding, buying a house, picking furniture, and going on vacation. One of the best times to set calculated and specific goals is when you're trying to find a job. By putting pen to paper, or fingers to keyboard, you can map out each step that needs to be taken in a calculated way.
The idea of getting a new job is a simple concept but the process can be demanding, daunting, and stressful. You can make it easier by having a plan.
Start by answering this question, “What are your career goals?”
A goal is quite simply something you want the future to hold. It can be a desire or a need. It can be big or small (i.e., long-term or short-term).
The most popular career goal is the decision about the type of profession you want to pursue throughout your career. Do you want to be a Chemist, Doctor, Fundraising Expert, Project Manager, a Sales Expert, or something else? If you're unsure of your career goals, give these exercises a try.
It isn't enough to say you want to be a Marine Biologist when you grow up. You have to know how to get there. Knowing your ultimate career goal will allow you to clarify your short-term career goals.
You have to set goals in a very specific way to help ensure that you'll achieve them. Here's an acronym to help: SMART.
If you set goals using the SMART methodology, you'll define a clear path for what you need to do to hit the mark.
If you decide to go into sales, here's what your SMART goal could look like:
Join a Fortune 500 company as an entry-level sales rep within 1 year.
It is critical to understand how to establish long term and short term career goals so you can craft an effective action plan. The goal of joining a Fortune 500 company within 1 year is an example of a long-term goal.
Your goals need to take into account where you are now, where you want to be, and what you need to do to get from Point A to Point B. Point A being unemployed and point B being gainfully employed, as an example. To accomplish this, you first set a long-term goal and then define all of the short-term goals you need to achieve to reach the long-term one.
Hiring managers look for a combination of education, practical experience, and cultural fit when hiring, so once you know your ultimate goal, you can do your homework on what it takes to be considered a prime candidate. From there, it's a matter of setting and meeting your SMART goals.
Long-term goals usually take a significant amount of time to achieve -- 1 year, 5 years, 10 years, or more. They include things like wanting to be in a new job within a year of graduating college or going to London on vacation next summer. No matter what your long-term goal is, it will require time and detailed planning.
Often, to accomplish long-term goals, you have to set several short-term goals.
A clearly defined set of short-term goals is akin to a how-to list. Deciding to join a Fortune 500 company as an entry sales representative within 1 year will require that you obtain the right education and a bit of experience. Depending on which company you apply to, you may even need certifications or licenses.
Here is a set of short-term goals that would help you achieve your long-term goal:
You can see how the short-term goals stack up to be a how-to guide for achieving your long-term goal. Even though there are already 4 goals listed, you're just beginning to get to a point to reach the long-term goal.
It is good to have overarching — even aggressive — personal and business career goals, provided you are diligent in putting together an action plan and following it through. Once you have clarified your short-term goals, you can begin to tailor your job-search efforts to land the right opportunity. If you are very clear on what you want, it makes it easier for you to find the right listings and for your network to help you.
Yes, setting the proper short- and long-term goals is essential to get your job search off to a great start. It's impossible to know what to search for if you haven't first defined it. Once you begin that seach, you'll need to demonstrate your successful achievement of goals through your resume.
Pro tip: Delete the phrase “Responsible for…” from your resume writing vocabulary.
Hiring managers want to see resumes that have achievements. Let's say that your last job required you to bring in 50 new clients each month. Many job seekers will put something like this on their esume:
“Responsible for bringing in 50 new clients each month.”
Fantastic! But, did you actually do it?
Technically speaking, bringing in 50 new clients each month is a long-term goal. You had to do something each day to accomplish this. Perhaps you broke up the job into small chunks. Setting a short-term goal to call 75 prospects daily to close 2 sales would take you one step closer to the achievement of the long-term goal of getting 50 clients by the end of the month.
Now, you've turned the phrase “Responsible for …” into an action. Here's what it could look like:
“Exceeded client quota by networking with 75 prospects daily to onboard 50+ new clients by the end of each month.”
Your career goals should be clear on your resume as well.
Source: Top Resume
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