Career Goal Setting

Components of Career Goals

Inability to Set Career Goals:Career Indecision

Individuals are considered career undecided if they have either not established a career goal or if they have set a career goal over which they experience significant uncertainty or discomfort.

What are some causes and sources of Career Indecision?

Inability to Set Career Goals:Career Indecision

Types of Career Indecision “Being undecided” was viewed as stemming from limited

experience and knowledge. Later termed developmental indecision.

“Being indecisive” was seen as reflecting a more permanent inability to make a career decision. Later termed chronic indecision.

Types of Career Decidedness Hypervigilant type had selected career goal, but their profiles

indicated that the decision might have been made with insufficient information and/or was hastily contrived due to pressure and anxiety.

Vigilant type had selected a career goal, but their profiles showed that the decision was made in a well informed manner with low levels of stress and anxiety.

Career Goal Setting

Overcoming Obstacles to Goal Setting: A Set of Guidelines Goals that belong to someone else. Goals that exclude total lifestyle concerns. Goals that fail to take into account one’s current job. Goals that are overly vague. Preoccupation with instrumental elements of an

operational goal. Goals that are too easy or too difficult. Inflexible career goals.

Career Goal Setting Development of Long Term and Short Term Conceptual Goals

A long term conceptual goal is, in effect, a projection of one’s preferred work environment into a specific five to seven year time frame.

The short term conceptual goal should support the long term one and it should display the qualities one hopes to express in work.

Development of Long Term and Short Term Operational Goals An operational goal is the translation of a conceptual goal

into a specific job or position.

Are long term career goals necessary? A person should attempt to formulate at least a partial

conceptual goal.

Inability to Set Career Goals:Career Indecision

Possible Steps to Becoming Career Decided The important lesson to be learned from the discussion

on career indecision is that the selection of a career goal is not positive or negative per se, but is dependent on the circumstances surrounding the selection.

In an ideal sense, all career decision making should be performed in a “vigilant” fashion, wherein the career goal is selected with substantial knowledge and awareness.

Developing Career Strategies

A career strategy is any behavior, activity, or experience designed to help a person meet career goals.

Types of Career Strategies Attaining competence in the current job Putting in extended hours Developing new skills (knowing how) Developing new opportunities at work (knowing whom) Attaining a mentor Building one’s image and reputation

Impression management Development of social capital

Engaging in organizational politics

Developing Career Strategies

Guidelines for the Development of Career Strategies There is no one best strategy that is equally effective in

all situations. The effectiveness of a particular strategy depends on the

nature of the career goal. The effectiveness of a particular strategy depends on the

organization’s norms and values. Individuals should not limit themselves to one

single strategy but should engage in a variety of strategic behaviors.

Strategies should be used not only to reach a career goal but also to test one’s interest and commitment to a goal.

Career strategies should reflect steps to be taken, as well as areas to be avoided.

Developing Career Strategies Guidelines for the Development of Career Strategies

Consider the five step process for developing a set of career strategies. Reexamine your long term goals. Identify behaviors, activities, and experiences

that will help you reach long term goals. Examine short term goals. Identify behaviors, activities, and experiences

that will help you attain short term goals. Combine the lists of strategies for short term and

long term goals.

Career Appraisal

Career Appraisal is the process by which career related feedback is gathered and used.

The feedback obtained can test the appropriateness of a particular career strategy and test the appropriateness of a goal itself.

With an effective appraisal process, career management becomes a learning experience in which one looks for signs that either confirm or disconfirm prior decisions.

These signs are pieces of information that close the career management cycle by re-instigating career exploration.

Career Appraisal

Guidelines for Effective Career Appraisal Requires the individual to be vigilant in detecting as

early as possible when a strategy is or is not working as expected.

See the world clearly and make revisions in goals and strategies when appropriate.

Use your career strategies to provide benchmarks of accomplishments.

Strategies are as much learning opportunities as they are vehicles for accomplishment.

If you are employed, structure your interactions with your supervisor to acquire desired information.

Share experiences and feelings with trustworthy people.

Seek feedback from nonwork sources.