Newsletter Archive

FEBRUARY 2009

Using SMART Goals for Career Success
    
No matter what your vocational objective is (find the right career, get a job, improve performance at your current place of employment) it is important to start with a clear goal. This may sound obvious, but many people get stuck trying to achieve goals that are vague and general such as "get a job;" "find a career I'll like better;" "think about going back to school;" etc. 
 
Vague goals make it difficult to create an effective action plan. SMART goals, on the other hand, will focus your efforts so that you get results. 
 
SMART is an acronym that stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Reasonable and Time-oriented. There are five steps to creating a SMART goal. To show you how the process works, we'll use the example of John, one of my coaching clients who is looking for work in the financial field. 
 
Step #1: Make the goal Specific. John's original goal was very general: get a job in finance. Together we made it specific by clarifying what exactly John wanted, when he wanted to have it, and where he would target his efforts. The new goal: Within 6 months, get hired as an entry-level tax accountant in a mid- to large-size accounting firm in the metro-Boston area. Notice how this new goal focuses John's job search efforts!
 
Step #2: Make success Measurable. In other words, define how you will know when you've achieved your goal. For John success is "a full-time staff position." For Nancy, who is researching a potential career change, it is "gather enough information to make a decision within 3 months."
 
Step #3: Select a goal that you can Achieve. Evaluate whether you have the skills, ability and resources needed to meet your objective. John's goal is achievable because he has the education required for a tax accounting position, an up-to-date resume, polished interviewing skills and excellent references.
 
Don't get discouraged if you discover that your goal is not achievable. You may simply need to accomplish an intermediate step or two first. Mike, for example, wants a job in Web development but his poor interviewing skills prevent employers from understanding what his capabilities are. His ultimate goal of a Web development job is not achievable until he learns how to interview well.
 
Identify any challenges related to Asperger's Syndrome and NLD that affect the achievability of your goal and make adjustments as necessary. Once Jane realized she would have a hard time with the amount of people contact required for front desk work at a public library, she changed her goal to finding work as an archivist. If necessary, get some help to figure out what personal limitations you can work around and which ones you can't.
           
Step #4: Check that your goal is Reasonable. Unrealistic goals create frustration and waste energy. Examples of unrealistic goals that some of my clients labored with include: seeking a management-level job with no prior work experience; pursuing a career in meeting planning when the individual couldn't keep track of her own appointments; applying for technology positions expecting that the employer would train on how to use basic applications.
 
John confirmed that his goal is reasonable because: he is qualified for the position; has a realistic salary range; knows that there are many potential employers in the area; spends time each day on his job search; set a realistic time frame for landing a job.
 
Step #5: Make the goal Time-oriented. Set a (reasonable!) date for when you want to achieve your goal. Then you can work backward from that date and create a timeline for various action steps. Paul's timeline includes a variety of job search activities for each week over the next 6 months.
 
 
Once you have determined your SMART goal you are ready to create a step-by-step action plan for achieving it. Next month in the Asperger's & NLD Career Letter you will learn how to make a plan that that will get results.

© 2009 by Barbara Bissonnette, Forward Motion Coaching