What are your short and long-term career goals? It’s a question you might have encountered during a job interview. While expressing ambitious career aspirations and career goals may help you get hired, it’s important to have follow-through as well. A good employer will support your efforts to work toward those goals, but there’s also a psychological, emotional, and (of course), financial benefit to achieving those goals, as well.
Whether you’re currently applying for new roles or you’re exploring how to move up within your current organization, there’s significant value in setting and working toward short- and long-term goals. That said, knowing what goals to target is not always clear. The following post should help you with your next career goal visioning exercise. You can do this either alone or with your workplace mentor.
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What Are Career Goals?
Career goals are specific milestones you can aim to achieve in your career journey to aid in your professional development. The milestones that you set should be aligned with your chosen profession.
There are several aspects to establishing a career goal. You’ll learn a bit more about that later, but to summarize it, establishing career goals involves:
- Identifying what skills or experiences you have now that are requisite to your current role.
- Researching where you want to be in the future.
- Identifying any additional skills or experiences that may be required to get there.
- Developing a roadmap that allows you to reach those goals in a timely and calculated way.
Bonus tip: Find insight and guidance from a career mentor. Ideally, this will be an individual who is either at a higher level than you within your organization (or another organization) or who is working within the career field you want to shift to
Someone who’s at the same tenure level as you is also fine, as long as they have more years of experience in that field and are equipped to guide you toward the skills that make the most sense for making that lateral move.
How do I choose my career goals?
There is no right or wrong way to approach how you set your career or job goals. However, there is one basic rule that experts recommend: to use the REAL development goals approach.
REAL is an acronym that stands for:
- Relevant: indicates why it is important and worthwhile
- Experimental: implies development activity that will lead to greater insight
- Aspirational: identifies an area of desired development
- Learning-based: expresses outcomes that are focused on gaining capability
When you want to make a career change or move up the ladder in your current field, use the above framework for effective long- and short-term goals.
20+ Examples of Career Goals
Not sure where to begin with your career goals? These examples will give you a fresh vision for ways you can develop professionally and/or move closer towards your desired career. It is important to think of these goals as guides only and make sure your goals align with your own career path.
Did you know: 91% of workers who have a mentor report being happy at work? Yet only 37% of workers report having a workplace mentor. Mentors are often one of the missing links to effective employee engagement and development. Learn more about how to launch mentoring programs in this video featuring expert advice from Fortune 500 HR leaders. 
These best career goals examples will help you structure the steps that you must take in order to attain your desired career.
1. Shift into a new career path
The need to change career paths is one of the most important examples of a career goal. Many professionals find themselves unhappy with their current position due to a desire for increased flexibility, higher pay, and greater job satisfaction. As such, it’s not uncommon for career changes to be among people’s long-term career goals.
Professionals may also want to find potential employers and positions with job descriptions that better fit the skills they possess.
2. Experience career stability
Stability is one of the top career goals anyone could have. The job market is highly competitive, and many more skilled or more experienced individuals might be vying for your current position. Developing new skills and making connections should be a top-of-mind career goal.
To succeed at achieving your career goal of stability, you need to focus on gaining more experience, time management skills, and developing your personal brand. Aiming for stability can overlap with other career goal examples that are listed here.
3. Advance to a leadership position
Advancing to leadership positions is another common career goal. To achieve this, you need to possess leadership skills or train to develop them. A key way of developing these skills is to seek out leadership mentoring, which will equip you with everything you need to excel in your current position or assume a new leadership role.
4. Work towards personal development
Your personal health (emotional, physical, and relational) is like a factory room. If things aren’t running smoothly behind the scenes, the products will turn out faulty—in other words, your professional life will suffer. So, when you feel stuck in your professional development, take a step back to focus on personal development.
Make an effort to improve your personal organisation, work on your interpersonal skills, and do what you can to improve your health. When you become better as a person, you are in a better position to excel professionally.
5. Earn a certification
Gaining a professional certification is a typical example for those who set career goals for themselves. The purpose of earning a certification is to showcase to a future or potential employer your skills and capabilities. It shows your expertise in your chosen career path and may qualify you for a salary increase.
That begs the question, of course: “Where do I get certifications?” A few good starting points include online learning services like Coursera, which provide a wide range of courses and certificates from well-recognized certificate-granting institutions. If your employer offers stipends for personal learning and growth, you can likely put your bucks toward such courses.
6. Earn a new degree
Another example of valuable goal setting is to go beyond just certifications and instead, achieve for yourself an entirely new degree. You could be looking to expand in a fresh area with a new undergraduate degree, or expand your existing knowledge with a Master’s or PhD program.
The acquisition of additional knowledge and education can aid in achieving your own goals for the short and long term. Just make sure that the degree you’re trying to obtain makes sense for the jobs you want to hold. In some career fields, having a PhD might actually be a detriment to getting hired, as some employers may see you as overqualified.
7. Earn a promotion
Earning a promotion is a great short-term goal to set for your career, as a promotion to a leadership position or a project management status will help you take the next step in your career ladder. Remember that a promotion isn’t the end of your career journey. It should also be a stepping stone toward accomplishing other career goals.
8. Become an expert in your field
Becoming an expert in your field is another common example of a career goal worthy of striving for that has both long- and short-term milestones. This goal will motivate you to continue learning and to pursue learning opportunities. This mindset is also beneficial in achieving your professional goals because, as a thought leader, people are more likely to want to work with or collaborate with you.
9. Gain a new skill
Among the many career goal examples on our list, gaining a new skill might feel repetitive and unnecessary to add. However, we’ll extend this idea by saying that you shouldn’t focus solely on hard skills.
Instead, make sure that you identify and work on both hard and soft skills that might be essential for your future career path. According to a 2024 LinkedIn survey, soft skills are some of the most sought after by employers. So don’t ignore things like communication, teamwork, problem solving, and time management. Employers (both current and future) are looking at these as part of their hiring and promotion decisions.
10. Publish a book
Looking for an ambitious career goal that will set you apart? Why not write and publish a book that is relevant to your industry? It’s a great way to showcase your expertise in the field, cement your position as a thought leader, and develop your written communication skills.
11. Increase your performance metrics
Key performance indicators (KPIs) are a valuable tool that you can use to measure and assess your career advancement. Focusing on these numbers allows you to achieve your REAL goals because you have something to aim for.
Examples of this abound, but let’s zero in on sales professionals. For sales professionals, common sales performance metrics include Net Promotor Score (NPS), Win Rate, Quota Attainment, and Conversion Rate. Strategizing how to boost these kinds of personal metrics can go a long way toward helping you achieve your career goals. If you’re unsure how to achieve them, it might be time to request a mentor who has more experience and can help you get to where you need to be.
12. Learn a new technology
Another career goal example is to learn a new technology to boost your resume. Advancements in technology have produced many innovative tools (looking at you, artificial intelligence!) that organizations now rely on to deliver higher efficiency and productivity at work.
Your ability to gain mastery of these tools will put you in a better position than others and create a positive impact on your work productivity. Simply put, it gives you a competitive edge over your peers, and will cause you to be seen as an asset to your organization.
The most in-demand tech tool categories right now include:
- Artificial intelligence
- Cloud computing
- Cybersecurity
- Data science
- Software development (specifically DevOps)
Take time to engage in training for new tools and technologies, either through company resources or self study.
13. Be a mentor for someone else
A few tips ago, we mentioned the importance of soft skills. Being a mentor will let you double-dip on other career goals, as it provides a hands-on opportunity to develop many of the most in-demand soft skills.
The critical soft skills needed to advance to leadership positions are just one example of what you get from being a mentor. Mentoring helps you build strong connections to others as well, which may come in handy if you find their talent, skills, or networks can benefit you.
Almost anyone can be a mentor. Even if you’re new to the organization, reverse mentoring is increasingly popular and a great way for junior-level workers to get connected to leadership channels and potential career sponsors.
14. Cross-train in another functional area
Cross-training is a proven technique that may help you expand your skill set and become a more valuable asset to your company. While it is important to expand on the essential skills for your current role, you should not limit your scope. Think of other ways that you can learn new skills that may not be relevant to your current role. That way, you will be ready if new opportunities come your way.
15. Expand your professional network
Expanding your professional network will help accelerate a large number of your personal and career goals. It’s also a goal unto itself. Obtaining professional associations with experts in your field will enable you to get the support you need as you work towards your career goals and professional growth.
Expanding professional networks is difficult without mentoring programs. If you’re serious about creating real career development opportunities for yourself or your either, get involved in mentoring, or launch a mentoring program using mentoring software.
You can gain new professional contacts by joining conferences, attending training sessions or workshops, and participating in industry-related forums. Take advantage of your professional contacts to utilize new learning opportunities or get references for potential work.
Quite obviously, if you’re not already on LinkedIn, that’s a great starting point. There are industry-specific forums you can join, but LinkedIn effectively corners the market on professional networking.
16. Gain experience through an internship
If you are a fresh graduate or on your path to making a career switch, consider applying to an internship program at a major company. The secret to achieving your long-term career goals is to learn how to start from the bottom and obtain enough hands-on experience performing essential tasks and duties associated with your desired position.
For example, you can take an internship role focused on project management so you become equipped with the skills essential to becoming a successful project manager.
We understand the current hesitation toward internships. Companies in the past have used unpaid internships as a way to effectively get free labor from young and impressionable workers. That labor did not always result in a job offer at the end of the internship. But times are changing. Unpaid internships are dying a slow and welcome death.
17. Quit your 9-to-5 job
You’ve probably heard the phrase “don’t quit your day job” as a way to indicate that someone’s personal passions aren’t quite good enough to make a living out of. Nevertheless, if you’re sure you have the talent and the drive to make your goals into a reality, and your day job is standing in the way, well… that risk might be worth it.
Just make sure you don’t quit your 9-to-5 job without some backup plans. Have enough savings to ride out the launch phase of your next move. And make sure you have the right connections within your network who could help you find another role in case your plans don’t exactly pan out the way you hope.
18. Get a pay raise
We get it. Just telling someone to “get a raise” is far easier said than done. But it can be done, even in today’s job market and chaotic economic conditions.
Do your research on the peak salaries for your chosen career field. Make it one of your short-term career goals to reach that level. Be thoughtful about your approach, but using that information can go a long way toward getting a yes when you ask for a raise.
Aiming for a pay raise is not a superficial goal. Instead, look at it as a motivation that you have reached the pinnacle of your job or career.
19. Develop a more efficient work process
Coming up with new and more efficient ways to perform your work can benefit your career in the long term. It shows your initiative and willingness to help your organization succeed. Innovating and pursuing more efficient ways of getting a job done is crucial in impressing your current employer and placing you at the front of their minds for career opportunities.
20. Start your own business
Starting your own business is one of the best career goals that you can aspire to achieve. Having your own business gives you control over how much you can earn and provides room for professional growth.
Find something that you are passionate about and use that as an inspiration to create your own business. For those looking to change careers as a career goal, well, starting your own business could hardly be more of a direct route.
21. Gain global experience
The work landscape is rapidly becoming globalized. If possible, don’t limit your work experience to your home country. Seek opportunities to work with international companies and professionals in your field from various parts of the world. Use it as an opportunity to learn from them and share your knowledge, as well.
22. Become a good communicator
We mentioned earlier that communication is a critical soft skill, and one you can develop by mentoring others. This is because good communication skills are essential for a successful career—you can’t expect to excel in a leadership role if you constantly struggle with or fail to develop your communication skills.
23. Improve time management skills
Time is the only resource you can’t recover, so your ability to optimize your time management skills is invaluable for your quest to advance your career. Make good use of your time by acquiring new skills and maximizing productivity. This will put you on the right path toward achieving your professional development goals.
24. Build your personal brand
Creating your personal brand is a valid career goal to aim for. It’s how you can distinguish yourself from other professionals in your field. Once you have developed your brand, focus on nurturing it and conducting yourself accordingly.
It could take a few years to build your personal brand, so be diligent enough to build your professional career as you work on your brand.
Don’t Work On Your Career Goals Alone
We’ll lean into a point we’ve touched on several times because it’s just that important: find a mentor.
Most CEOs believe mentoring makes their organizations more effective and more profitable. That easily translates into how much successful companies value mentoring, with 98% of Fortune 500 organizations offering mentoring programs.
Mentoring happens organically in many companies. But when it happens intentionally and is designed from the top down, it becomes measurable. Structure makes goals achievable. So grab yourself a mentor. And if your company doesn’t offer mentoring, request it here, and then ask to be part of the team involved in building out the program.
