What Are Your Career Goals? How A Mentor Can Help You Achieve Them

What are your career goals? We can get so focused on the next payday or our next appraisal, and it can be easy to get lost in the daily grind and lose sight of the bigger picture. But our long-term career goals can be what keeps us going, what gives us purpose and what keeps us showing up at our best, day after day.

In a job interview, career goals are often asked about, and it can be hard to put our ultimate dreams into words. Whether you’re just starting out on your professional journey or you’ve recently changed direction and need to refresh your goals, we’ll talk you through how to determine your unique career aspirations, how to make them SMART and how to keep working towards them until they become your reality.

What Are Career Goals?

Career goals differ from person to person, but they’re a set of dreams or ambitions that you have for your professional life. Yours might be to get to the top of your field or simply to make a difference to people. Whatever your career aspirations are, these will define your path throughout your working life and provide you with a final destination for your continued journey of growth.

Your long-term career goals can keep you motivated when the going gets tough, so it’s important to think about these early on – but that doesn’t mean they can’t change and evolve as you progress in your career. If you’re not sure where to start, remember the wisdom of the Cheshire Cat in Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland:

“Cat: Where are you going?
Alice: Which way should I go?
Cat: That depends on where you are going.
Alice: I don’t know.
Cat: Then it doesn’t matter which way you go.”

In a way, we all have a bit of Alice in us. Without clear goals, any path will do. But with them, every step will have purpose, direction, and take us closer to our destination.

What Are Your Career Aspirations?

When you take a moment to think of your professional journey, where do you see yourself in the next 5, 10, 20 or even 40 years? Setting long-term career goals isn’t just about plotting a timeline, it’s about charting a structured course for your personal and professional growth.

Your career goals should be built around what drives you and what you really want to achieve. You might dream of becoming a tech tycoon like Mark Zuckerberg, getting the perfect work-life balance or owning a picturesque cottage by the sea. Everyone’s vision of success is different, but let’s take a look at some popular career goals examples…

Career Goals Examples

From getting promoted to successfully navigating a career change to starting your own business, below are some of the most common career aspirations examples:

1. Climb the Corporate Ladder

Do you dream of moving up the ranks within your company? Whether you’re aiming to become department head, director or even CEO, these are common long-term career goals that many people hold. Find out how leadership mentoring could benefit you.

2. Change Industries

After spending years in one sector, you may want to set yourself a new challenge and switch industry. Tech in particular is a booming sector right now – find out how to navigate a career change to IT.

3. Start Your Own Business

Becoming an entrepreneur is one of the most popular long-term career goals. Many people dream of becoming their own boss – particularly among the younger generation. According to a 2021 EY study, 53% of Gen Z professionals aspire to start their own company in the next decade.

4. Become a True Expert In Your Field

Specialising in a particular area through extra study or training is another of the top career goals people hold. For example, medical professionals might want to pursue a rare specialism, while IT experts might want to become the go-to spokesperson for their specific field.

5. Work-Life Balance

Not every career goal has to be linked to a big title or financial gain. Long-term career goals can also be about getting to a position where you can take a step back to achieve your ideal work-life balance. You might get there via a career break or by finding ways to work from home.

How to Set Long-Term Career Goals

Once you know what your career goals are, it’s important to make them SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-Bound). For your career goals to truly drive action and results, they must have both a direction and a deadline.

The SMART framework can be used whether you’re setting long-term career aspirations or short-term mentoring goals. Here’s how to apply it:

• Specific: Your long-term career goals should be clear and specific. For example: “I want to become a team leader in my department within the next two years.”
• Measurable: Work out how you’ll measure your progress. If your goal is to be the best salesperson in your department, know the specific number you need to aim for.
• Achievable: While it’s great to aim high, make sure your goals are realistic and attainable with the resources and opportunities available to you.
• Relevant: Your goals should align with your career path and personal strengths. There might be other things you want to do outside of your job, but keep your career goals focused on your professional life – feel free to set extra SMART goals for yourself outside of work!
• Time-Bound: Set a deadline to keep you motivated, and so you can keep checking in with your progress to make sure you’re on track.

How a Mentor Can Help You Achieve Your Career Goals

So, we’ve established that having clear career goals is crucial. But where do you start? This is where a career mentor can guide you. Think of how Sir Alex Ferguson transformed David Beckham into a footballing legend; similarly, a mentor can shape your career trajectory. They don’t just help you set the destination, they equip you with the tools and insights to get there.

Here’s how a mentor can help you achieve your long-term career goals:

• Clarity and Direction: Often, we have a broad idea of what we want. “I want to be successful in my field” or “I want to make a significant impact.” But what does that look like? A mentor can help you define what success means to you, providing you with clarity on your long-term career goals.
• Actionable Steps: Knowing what your career goals are is one thing, but understanding the steps required to achieve them is another. A mentor can guide you by helping you break down your long-term career goals into actionable tasks. For instance, if your goal is to transition into a leadership role, what skills do you need? What actions should you be taking first? A mentor can provide insights tailored to your industry and your specific career aspirations.
• Accountability: Setting career goals is one thing; sticking to them is another. Regular check-ins with a mentor will help you stay on track. They’ll ask about your progress and the challenges you’re facing, and offer guidance on how to overcome them. Knowing someone is there, rooting for you and expecting updates, can be a powerful motivator.
• Networking: Remember, it’s not only about what you know, but who you know. Your mentor will have their own network they can introduce you to. They’ll be a valuable contact who can recommend you for opportunities or simply offer insights into the workings of your industry that you wouldn’t get elsewhere.
• Feedback and Growth: One of the most important aspects of having a mentor is receiving honest feedback. They can point out strengths you might be unaware of and areas of improvement you haven’t considered. This feedback loop is crucial for personal and professional growth as you work towards your career aspirations.
• Emotional Support: The professional journey is filled with highs and lows. There’ll be moments of doubt, tough challenges and sometimes failures too. A mentor can provide emotional support during these times, reminding you of your capabilities and helping you navigate through the storms.
• Guidance with Difficult Choices: Life is full of crossroads. Do you take the new job offer or stick with your current company? Sometimes, these professional dilemmas are off limits for discussing with your peers – especially if your friends are also your colleagues. Mentoring sessions provide a safe space where you can weigh up your options. Your mentor acts as both an advisor and a sounding board.
• Learning and Skills Development: A mentor can also serve as a teacher. From providing support with leadership skills to helping you improve your interpersonal skills via soft skills mentoring, their teaching can help you get closer to your long-term career goals.

Find a Mentor and Reach Your Career Goals

Achieving your long-term career goals requires more than just determination and hard work. You’ll also need guidance, insights and support along the way, and a mentor can be the ideal person to provide you with that.

Find your Career Navig8r by browsing a range of diverse profiles to find a mentor who’s right for you. You can set up a free 20-minute discovery call to check you’re a good fit for each other, before you start scheduling in regular mentoring sessions to work towards your career aspirations.

Enjoy the journey and celebrate the successes along the way with a Career Navig8r. Sign up today.