Setting career goals can be difficult without a guideline. Asking someone where they want to be this time next year generally gains vague, nonspecific answers for the simple reason life isn’t predictable and people don’t like to fail. It’s similar to why many don’t set new year’s resolutions – failing is uncomfortable. But failing in these goals is often due to the lack of specifics and not planning how you’re going to get to that point. Aiming to get a promotion is great, but unless you work towards it step by step, maybe by taking on extra responsibility, it’s not going to just magically happen. However, this fear of failure tends to stop people setting career goals in the first place. In our survey, over a third of people admitted they did not set career goals. Some of these individuals did still experience the career development they expected over the last 10 years, but this is a near on 50-50 split, so isn’t the most reliable of methods of career development. Almost 70% of those who felt their career had developed as expected over the last 10 years did set career goals of between a year and 3 years, suggesting this can help with developing your career. Goals, when set right, can hold people accountable and give guidance on how to get to where you want to be. It does suggest that giving yourself timescales for your goals can help. However, of those whose career had not developed as expected, 60% also set career goals, so there must be more factors involved than just setting the goal.

If you could go back in time and start your career over again, what things would you want to know and do to help yourself succeed? We asked a group of people a similar question and analysed their responses, finding a lot of overlap in their answers. When asked what they wish they knew at the beginning of their career, four key areas were raised. The most common by far was confidence, whether in self-advocacy around asking for pay raises and for recognition, or to ask questions and for support in skills development. Many stated they wished they had been comfortable asking for help or advice, with others wishing they had been more confident in their own abilities and contribution. Similarly, when asked what they wished they did at the start of their career, many mentioned seeking out a mentor – someone who could help them develop skills to progress their career or confidence to advocate for themselves.  Another common point was in planning, especially related to workload and stress, with some wishing they had sought out advice in managing work related stress. With the fast pace of life today, prioritising and planning has become increasingly important to help reduce the initial dose of stress. Training in decompressing and compartmentalising from work could be appropriate too, allowing individuals to destress and reduce the impact of stress on their mental and physical wellbeing.