Career Ambition: Develop A Clear Vision
Friday, May 6, 2016
Career orientated goals come in all shapes and sizes. So, before you write down your career goals, be crystal clear in your mind about what you're trying to achieve.
What are you looking for in your career? Is it to become a manager or would you like to start your own business? As a rule of thumb, you should certainly aim to progress in your academic field.
Whatever it is, if you are aiming to successfully use your ambition to attain your ultimate goal, you need to have a strong sense of where you're heading before you begin. Otherwise, you will naturally get lost before you get there. Make sure your ambition has these important 5 ingredients:
1. Have big ambitions
Although it may sound counter-intuitive, having bigger ambitions actually improves your chances of attaining success. If your ultimate goal is too small, it can be easy to feel that you don't need to put much effort in to attain it. Subsequently, you may not make much effort at all and nothing changes - your goals never get realised.
2.Keep your ambitions measurable
You are more likely to hit your goals if they are measurable, simply because you can keep them in sight and set realistic guidelines to hitting them. If you are at the beginning of your chosen career, it's natural to work your way up to more senior positions. If you are not making any advancements, it's time to go back to the drawing board.
3. Ambitions should be achievable
One of the key reasons people fail to hit their targets is because their ambitions are unrealistic. If your goals are set too high, you will ultimately waste your time. If you are reaching 35 and still hoping of becoming a world class rugby player, for example, it is time to set a new goal.
4. Do something you're passionate about
Take a moment to think about what you really want from life. What is it? The whole point about having ambition and indeed life is that it's your choice. It's personal to you. Do not ever fall into the common trap of trying to achieve someone else's goal. If you can tailor your career and do something you're passionate about, the ride will be a lot smoother.
5. Write down your goals and set dates
If you've never sat down and evaluated your career direction, you can end up becoming stuck and frustrated in your current role. If you write down a clear career road map and set realistic targets, you can constantly evaluate the progress and concentrate on making improvements. Along with this, aim to write down the sorts of positions you see yourself in over the next few years.
After analysing your current strengths and weaknesses, write down your ultimate goal and put a date next to it. Now study it carefully and see whether it sounds realistic. Is it large enough to get you excited? Most importantly, is it realistic? Now list a few ways in which achieving your goal would impact your day to day to life or the lives of family/friends.
Hari Singh, Recruitment Consultant
