Setting Career Goals with Intention
With the New Year here, it’s the perfect time to reflect and refocus on your career goals. Whether you’re aiming for a new role, a promotion, a career change, or even starting something new, this is your chance to rethink what you want for the future.
If you’re like me and just starting to map out your goals, this article will help you create an actionable plan for 2025—especially if kicking off a job search is on your list.
Reflect on the Past Year
Before looking forward, take a moment to reflect on the wins, accomplishments, and lessons from 2024. What areas did you grow in? What accomplishments are you the most proud of? Where did you have setbacks and challenges?
Reflecting on where you’ve been helps as a positive reinforcer of your capabilities and also helps to clarify where you might want to grow in the future.
→ Try this: Write down 3 accomplishments that you had last year and 3 areas that you want to grow in 2025.
Set SMART Goals
The more well defined and clear your goals are the easier it will be to focus and stay motivated. Use the SMART framework to make sure your goals are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Time-bound.
SMART goals also make it possible to break down vague ideas like “find a new job” and make them more achievable. Micro goals like “network with 3 former colleagues”, “update my resume” and “apply to 3 jobs a week” can help you make progress that adds up.
→ Try this: When writing your SMART goals ask yourself why these goals are important to you.
Understand Potential Roadblocks
Get ahead of potential challenges that you might have in achieving your goals. This will help in setting realistic expectations and actions that you need to take in order to achieve them.
For example: If your goal is to get a new job but you’ve been putting off updating your resume, consider how to get this task done. Maybe it’s hiring a resume writer or getting feedback from a friend.
→ Try this: Consider: What roadblocks might you hit while pursuing these goals? What resources do you need to achieve these goals?
Refresh Your Personal Brand
This is also a great time to refresh your resume, LinkedIn profile and/or portfolio. Think of the most exciting projects you worked on and recent product launches in order to update your resume. Also, take a few minutes to remove dated information. Make sure your LinkedIn, including your headline, reflects the opportunities and industries you’re looking for.
→ Try this: Use these tips for leveraging social media to land your next role.
Build and Nurture Your Network
The New Year is the perfect time to reconnect with former colleagues or set intentions for connecting with new people in professional groups or industry events. January is an optimistic and reflective time of the year and your network will also be more open to connecting.
Networking is an ongoing process to build authentic relationships that last. Think of it as a two-way street, you’re building relationships that are mutually beneficial.
One of my favorite tips for networking is to Offer Help. Did your new connection mention they are struggling to build a website? Follow up with tips or articles that you’ve seen on the subject. Showing generosity will make more people receptive to you and they will carry that goodwill into future introductions they make.
→ Try this: Make a list of 5-10 people in your network that you want to reconnect with and reach out to them for a 20 min chat. Send a Calendly booking link to make it easy to book with you.
Careers in 2025 can be unpredictable. Stay ahead of the game by setting goals, developing your personal brand, and nurturing your network. Keep an open mind and stay adaptable—who knows where and when your next opportunity will come from!
