Career goals examples and how to set your own

01

What makes a career goal useful?

The usual test is SMART. The University of California’s guide for managers and employees describes SMART goals as statements of the important results you are working to accomplish, and gives a question for each letter:

In practice, that means rewriting a wish as a result:

One caution. Outcomes such as a promotion are decided by other people. Pair every outcome with actions you control, so that you can make progress whatever the decision.

02

Short-term career goals examples

These cover the next three to twelve months.

• Skill: “Finish an intermediate Excel course by the end of the quarter and rebuild our team’s budget tracker with what I learn.”
• Experience: “Lead one client presentation from start to finish before June.”
• Credential: “Pass the certification exam for my field by October, studying five hours a week.”
• Performance: “Cut my average ticket resolution time from two days to one by September.”
• Visibility: “Present our team’s results at two department meetings this half.”
• Leadership: “Mentor the new hire through their first 90 days and hand the weekly report over to them.”
• Network: “Meet five people who work in user research by the end of the year.”
• Pay: “Request a compensation review in March with a one-page case.” The guide on how to ask for a raise shows how to build it.
• Job search: “Send ten well-matched applications a week for eight weeks, and review my response rate after four.”

03

Long-term career goals examples

These look three to five years ahead. They can be looser than short-term goals, but each still needs a marker you could check.

• Move into management: “Manage a team of at least four people within three years, after leading two projects and completing a supervisor training program.”
• Become the specialist: “Within four years, be the person my company sends to explain our pricing model to its largest customers.”
• Change fields: “Work as a registered nurse within four years, with the prerequisites finished in year one.” See how to change careers for the full plan.
• Reach a level: “Reach staff engineer in five years by owning one system end to end and mentoring two engineers to promotion.”
• Work for yourself: “Replace half my salary with freelance design income within three years, then decide whether to go full-time.”
• Change how you work: “Within three years, hold a role with no weekend shifts at no less than my current pay.”

Work backwards from the long-term goal to this quarter:

04

Career goals for interviews

Interviewers ask “What are your career goals?” or “Where do you see yourself in five years?” to learn whether the job fits your direction and whether you are likely to stay. Give your direction, say why this role is a step in it, and say what you want to contribute and learn. Thirty to sixty seconds is enough.

"In the next couple of years I want to become really strong at the core of this job: running campaigns end to end and reading the results properly. Longer term I'd like to lead a small marketing team. This role appeals to me because I'd own campaigns from the first month and learn from a team that measures everything."

"My goal is to move from managing single projects to running a program with several teams. I've led projects of up to twelve people, and the next step is the broader coordination this role involves. Over the next few years I'd like to be the person you trust with your largest client programs."

"I'm moving from teaching into instructional design, and my goal for the next three years is to become a designer who can take a course from needs analysis to launch. I've built and tested curriculum for six years. What I want now is the corporate context and the tools, which is exactly what this team works with."

Avoid goals that have nothing to do with the job, naming the interviewer’s own position, and “I haven’t really thought about it.”

05

Career goals for performance reviews

Review goals come in two kinds. MIT’s human resources guidance says goals should include performance goals and at least one development goal: performance goals relate to projects, initiatives, key metrics or behaviors in your work, and development goals are about acquiring or strengthening knowledge, skills or behaviors. It also says goals should be created jointly by the employee and the manager and revisited frequently.

Performance goal: Reduce month-end close from eight working days to six by Q3 by automating the three manual reconciliations.

Performance goal: Raise customer satisfaction on my accounts from [current score] to [target] by year end, measured by the quarterly survey.

Development goal: Complete the advanced SQL course by June and use it to build the retention dashboard without analyst support.

Development goal: Lead the weekly team meeting for one quarter and ask [manager] for feedback at the end of each month.

A set of development goals with actions and dates is the core of a career development plan.

06

How to set your own career goals

1. Choose the direction. If you do not have one yet, start with how to choose a career.
2. Find out what it requires. Read ten postings for the target role and ask someone who holds it.
3. Name the gaps between those requirements and you: skills, experience, credentials, relationships.
4. Write three to five goals, each with a result, a measure and a date.
5. Schedule the reviews. Put a quarterly check in your calendar.

By [date], I will [result someone else could observe] by [two or three actions I control]. I will know I've reached it when [measure]. It matters because [how it moves me toward my long-term goal].

The federal government’s individual development plans use the same shape: the Office of Personnel Management lists short-term and long-term career goals, each with an estimated completion date, among the things a plan should include.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions