what are your career goals essay examples

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Career Goals Essay For Scholarships (With Examples)

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Scholarship programs often want you to write a career goals essay to see that you have a clear plan for how you’ll apply your education to a specific career path. This helps show a scholarship committee why you’re seeking funds for the next step on the path toward your success.

Answering “what are your career goals” effectively can help increase your odds of impressing landing a scholarship opportunity. If you’re a prospective student applying for scholarships, this article will provide tips on how to write a career goals essay, along with essays on career goals examples to help you get an idea of what scholarship committees are looking for.

Key Takeaways:

When you’re writing a career goals essay, make sure to write about the goals that are relevant to the scholarship.

Be honest and use your own voice to stand out in your scholarship essay.

Go into detail about how the scholarship will help you achieve your goals.

What is a career goals essay?

Why scholarship essays ask about career goals, example career goals essay prompts, career goals essay examples, tips for writing a scholarship essay about career goals, what to write in a career goals essay if your goals have changed, career goals essay for a scholarship faq.

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A career goals essay is a personal written explanation that discusses your background, why you’re interested in participating in the program, and what career you’d like this degree to lead into. A scholarship essay functions to explain why you want to achieve your professional goals and how you intend to get there.

In almost every application process, a portion asks the candidate to answer an essay question. When applying to an educational program, like an MBA, the essay prompt usually relates to your career goals .

Scholarship essays ask about career goals to assess your enthusiasm for the program, learn more about how the scholarship will help you, and ensure that you’ve considered how the program will help you achieve your goals for the future:

Assess your enthusiasm. Passion is important for scholarship administrators, and if you’re able to articulate your enthusiasm for a specific career path , it will show that you’re determined to meet the requirements to reach that goal. The most specific and well-thought-out your essay is, the easier it will be for a reader to understand your devotion and commitment to the program and the field it will allow you to enter.

Learn how the scholarship will help you. Having a firm grasp of your career goals is great, but it’s equally important that you express exactly how the specific program relates to those goals. This shows that you’ve researched the merits of the program and understand exactly how it fits into your professional goals.

Show you’ve considered your future. This goes along with the first two points — show that you know how to set goals and consider the path toward achieving those goals, and you’ll have an easier time convincing the reader that you’ll know how to set goals while participating in the program. They’ll see that you know how to prioritize education because you have a clear vision for navigating your career path.

While some scholarships might come right out and simply ask, “What are your career goals?” most will rework the question into something different that still accomplishes the same goal.

Below are some examples of career goals essay prompts that a scholarship program could pose to its applicants:

Discuss your career goals. Many scholarships prefer the most direct approach when giving an essay prompt to their applicants. This type of question gives the candidate a lot of wiggle room to discuss their passions, motivations, and career goals.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years ? This question is often used as a prompt for a career goals essay because it gives the applicant a timeline to describe their aspirations. It forces them to be realistic about where their career will be and how they will accomplish this within the next ten years.

How will this scholarship contribute to your professional success? A scholarship committee wants to be sure that the money they’re giving will contribute to a student’s overall professional success. This question asks about the applicant’s game plan in the long-term and evaluates how this program is going to assist in their future.

What is your dream job ? Since a dream job is often categorized as a person’s career goals, this is a common question phrasing in scholarship essays. Asking about a candidate’s dream job answers whether this program aligns with the student’s long-term career goals.

What matters most to you and why? Sometimes, a scholarship essay prompt won’t ask about your career or future at all. Instead, they’ll ask a question like this that assesses your motivations , values, and character.

Use these examples of career goals essays for scholarships to help write your own. Pay special attention to how they’re organized, rather than the content, to inspire your own career goals essay:

Career goals essay example 1 – Discuss your career goals

When I was six years old, I was riding bikes with my older sister around our neighborhood. She had just taught me how to ride, and I was excited to have to freedom to explore with her. When she was rounding a particularly difficult bend to see around, a car happened to be coming along at the same time. It struck her. That bike ride changed our lives forever. Over the next year, I went with my sister every Tuesday and Thursday to her physical therapist ’s appointments to help her regain walking strength. Watching her physical therapist patiently assist my sister back to becoming herself awoken something in me. A passion for helping others in the same way eventually turned into a career goal of becoming a physical therapist myself. I decided to get my bachelor’s degree in exercise science. After graduating in 2019, I knew that the next step for me was to attend a graduate program in physical therapy. I was accepted to Lassell University Master of Science in Rehabilitation Services. This presented me with my latest goal along my career path, and I’m eagerly waiting to start. This scholarship would help me afford the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Lassell University class of 2023, allowing me to continue working towards my ultimate career goal of becoming a physical therapist and helping others to become themselves again.

Career goals essay example 2 – Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years, I will have been successfully running my own construction business for about five years. I’m currently a second-year student at the University of Texas, pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. I decided to get my MBA because I knew it would be a positive asset toward my long-term career goal of owning a construction business. In my high school years, I worked as a construction apprentice for a local business. I loved many aspects of the business, such as building something from nothing. I knew that I wanted to incorporate this work into my long-term career, but I didn’t want to work as an apprentice . This led me to pursue business. In ten years and with the help of this scholarship, I will have graduated with my MBA almost a decade prior . After graduation, I plan to take a business administration internship with a carpentry business to help myself get a footing in the field. After about two years of this, I will have started my own construction business.

Career goals essay example 3 – What matters most to you and why?

The people I surround myself with matter most to me. Whether it be my relatives, friends, or professional acquaintances, I always care the most about the happiness of the people around me. Making the people around me happy matters the most to me because I truly because we find our happiness through others. I believe that this drive to make a positive impression on the people around me is what drove me towards a career as a nurse . I always thought of hospitals as places where people need someone to support them and make their day a little happier. I wanted to be one of those who spend their careers positively impacting people in need. This scholarship will enable me to finally afford nursing school and go after my dream job full force.

Career goals essay example 4 – What are your short- and long-term career goals, and how will earning this degree contribute to achieving those goals? Please provide a minimum of 200 words.

My short-term career goals involve working directly with underprivileged young people to increase the literacy rate in my community. As a student of an underfunded and understaffed school, I’ve seen firsthand how much of an impact early literacy education makes on long-term achievement. It broke my heart to see my peers embarrassed at their struggle with reading at an advanced age, and this shame added another dimension to their lack of opportunity. Being a literacy educator for young people would allow me to serve this community directly to show them not only the necessity of strong written communication skills, but the joy of reading for pleasure. This program focuses specifically on early literacy, and would provide me a direct route to a career in serving the community I hope to serve. As for long-term career goals, I hope to one day create a program where socioeconomically parents can bring their children for literacy education, not only to increase their ability to navigate the world of language, but also to instill confidence and joy in the written word. What drew me to this program was that it also has administrative, legal, and business dimensions that would set me on the path toward achieving this goal.

Here are some tips to keep in mind for writing a career goals scholarship essay:

Write about goals relevant to the scholarship. Although you may have many different kinds of goals for your personal and professional future, a scholarship essay only discusses objectives that are relevant to the program you’re applying for.

Be honest. Applying for a scholarship is stressful because the applicant’s education is usually reliant on receiving these funds in one way or another. Even though it’s tempting to exaggerate your skills or pretend you’re more passionate about something than you are to make yourself a more competitive applicant, it’s a bad move.

Use your own, unique voice. The essay portion of a scholarship application is your chance to stand out by using your voice. Nobody else, regardless of their academic or professional achievements, is you. Make this clear in your career goals scholarship essay by keeping your unique written voice engrained in the words you produce.

Be specific. A big reason that scholarship committees ask applicants to write a career goals essay is to determine how prepared they are in planning their long-term professional goals. They aren’t interested in providing a scholarship to students who aren’t going to follow through with their career plans.

Explain long and short-term goals . Even if the essay prompt asks you to describe where you see yourself in ten years, you still need to tell them the steps leading towards this picture of success.

Include the short-term goals that add up to your larger career objectives in your essay response. Explain how accomplishing the smaller goals gives you an advantage when tackling long-term ones.

Explain how the program and scholarship will help you. Before writing your career goals essay, consider how this program and scholarship will help you in your career. The answer to this question is essential.

Follow the essay formatting guidelines. This may sound obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget this step when your essay is finally flowing and when you’re scrambling to get it submitted on time.

Check, double-check , and triple-check the essay guidelines for content, word count, and formatting requirements. If you miss any of these steps, your essay may be immediately disqualified no matter how good it or the rest of your application is.

Many times career goals essays are written by students who have already completed at least some college or are applying to a post-graduate program and need more money to continue.

There’s a good chance that your career goals have changed since you started or graduated college. For example, say you wanted to be an engineer , so you got your undergraduate degree in engineering but realized you didn’t like it after working in the industry for a few years.

You decided that nursing would be more up your alley, and now you’re applying for a scholarship for a nursing program. While this isn’t unusual, it can make it more difficult to write a career goals essay since your past work doesn’t necessarily match your future goals.

In this case, you’ll simply need to explain why you changed your career path and why this next one is the best choice for you. Share your decision-making process to show that you haven’t taken the switch lightly, and talk about what you’ve already done to try to pursue this path.

How do you write a career goal for a scholarship essay?

You write a career goal for a scholarship essay by sharing your passion, explaining both your long- and short-term goals, and relating your goals to the scholarship.

Explain why you want to pursue the career you’re pursuing, where you hope to be in the future and how you plan to get there, and how the scholarship will help you do this.

How do you describe your career goals in an essay?

You describe your career goals in an essay by explaining what you want to do in your career, why you decided on this career path, and what you’ve done so far to make that a reality.

You can usually work these factors into any prompt you receive, so think through them before you start writing so that you can use them as an outline of sorts.

What are career goals examples?

Examples of career goals include:

Working as a grant writer for a nonprofit organization.

Becoming a department manager and eventually an executive in your field.

Owning your own plumbing company.

Caring for underserved communities as a nurse practitioner .

What are some goals for success?

Some goals for success include growing in your role, building your network, and finding joy in the job. Most careers don’t just happen overnight and require you to set the right milestones that work best for you. Not everyone will have the same goals for success.

How do you start a career goals essay for a scholarship?

You can start a career goals essay for a scholarship by directly answering the prompt. Most scholarship prompts include a word count of between 200 and 500 words, so it’s essential that you immediately respond to the prompt. Attention-grabbing sentences and narratives can be helpful for setting the scene, but an efficient and direct answer will show a clarity of mind that helps enhance the quality of your answer.

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Professions & Career — Career Goals

Career Goals Essay Examples

Career goals essay topic examples, argumentative essays.

Argumentative career goals essays require you to present and defend a viewpoint or strategy related to your professional aspirations. Consider these topic examples:

• 1. Argue why pursuing higher education, such as a master's degree, is essential for achieving your long-term career goals.
• 2. Defend your perspective on whether adaptability or specialization is more important in today's ever-changing job market.

Example Introduction Paragraph for an Argumentative Career Goals Essay: The journey toward achieving our career goals often involves important decisions. In this essay, I will argue that pursuing a master's degree is not only personally fulfilling but also a strategic step toward realizing my long-term career aspirations in [your chosen field].

Example Conclusion Paragraph for an Argumentative Career Goals Essay: In conclusion, the argument for pursuing a master's degree underscores the significance of advanced education in shaping our professional futures. As we contemplate our career paths, we are challenged to make choices that align with our ultimate goals.

Compare and Contrast Essays

Compare and contrast career goals essays involve analyzing the differences and similarities between various career paths, industries, or strategies for achieving your goals. Consider these topics:

• 1. Compare and contrast the career trajectories of professionals in two different fields, highlighting the unique challenges and opportunities each path offers.
• 2. Analyze the differences and similarities between pursuing entrepreneurship and working in a corporate environment to achieve your career goals.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Compare and Contrast Career Goals Essay: The pursuit of career goals often involves making informed choices about our professional paths. In this essay, we will compare and contrast the career trajectories of professionals in [Field A] and [Field B], shedding light on the challenges and opportunities each path presents.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Compare and Contrast Career Goals Essay: In conclusion, the comparison and contrast of career trajectories in [Field A] and [Field B] reveal the diverse avenues available for achieving our goals. As we navigate our career choices, we are encouraged to explore the unique advantages each path offers.

Descriptive Essays

Descriptive career goals essays enable you to vividly depict your envisioned career, highlighting the responsibilities, impact, and personal fulfillment it offers. Here are some topic ideas:

• 1. Describe your ideal job in detail, emphasizing the specific role, responsibilities, and the positive contributions you aim to make.
• 2. Paint a detailed portrait of the work culture and environment you aspire to be a part of in your future career.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Descriptive Career Goals Essay: Our career goals are often shaped by our dreams and aspirations. In this essay, I will immerse you in the vivid details of my ideal job, showcasing the role, responsibilities, and the sense of purpose it offers on my journey toward professional fulfillment.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Descriptive Career Goals Essay: In conclusion, the descriptive exploration of my ideal job underscores the importance of aligning our career goals with our aspirations. As we envision our professional futures, we are inspired to pursue opportunities that resonate with our passions and values.

Persuasive Essays

Persuasive career goals essays involve convincing your audience of the importance of a specific career path or the value of setting ambitious goals. Consider these persuasive topics:

• 1. Persuade your readers that pursuing a career in [your chosen field] will contribute significantly to societal progress and innovation.
• 2. Argue for the inclusion of career development programs in educational institutions to empower students in defining and pursuing their career goals.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Persuasive Career Goals Essay: Our career choices have the potential to impact not only our lives but also society as a whole. In this persuasive essay, I will present a compelling case for the societal importance of pursuing a career in [your chosen field] and the need for educational institutions to support students in their career aspirations.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Persuasive Career Goals Essay: In conclusion, the persuasive argument for the societal value of careers in [your chosen field] emphasizes the transformative impact individuals can have on society. As we contemplate our career journeys, we are urged to consider the broader implications of our choices.

Narrative Essays

Narrative career goals essays allow you to share personal stories or experiences related to your career aspirations and the journey toward achieving them. Explore these narrative essay topics:

• 1. Narrate a personal experience that shaped your career goals and ignited your passion for [your chosen field].
• 2. Share a story of overcoming obstacles and setbacks on your path to realizing your long-term career aspirations.

Example Introduction Paragraph for a Narrative Career Goals Essay: Our career goals are often inspired by personal experiences and pivotal moments. In this narrative essay, I will take you on a journey through a defining experience that ignited my passion for [your chosen field], shaping my career aspirations and determination to succeed.

Example Conclusion Paragraph for a Narrative Career Goals Essay: In conclusion, the narrative of my journey toward realizing my career goals underscores the resilience and determination required to overcome obstacles. As we reflect on our own experiences, we are reminded that our career aspirations are within reach with dedication and perseverance.

10 Most Popular Career Goals Essay Topics in 2024

• Adapting Career Aspirations in the Age of Automation and AI
• The Role of Personal Branding in Achieving Career Success
• Navigating Career Changes: Strategies for Lifelong Learning
• Empowering Career Goals: The Impact and Importance of Scholarships
• The Impact of Globalization on Career Opportunities and Choices
• Mentorship's Role in Shaping Future Leaders and Professionals
• Success: The Importance of Setting Career Goals
• The Impact of Cultural Influences on Career Goals and Aspirations
• The Importance of Work-Life Balance in Career Planning
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How to Write an Awesome Essay About Your Career Goals

• Before you begin, ask yourself a few key questions like:
• What are my short-term and long-term career goals?
• Where do I see myself in ten years?
• What events in my life have led me to have these goals?
• What major will help me reach my goals?
• What skills do I need to reach my goals?
• What impact do I want to have on society?

Career Goals Essay Template

Need more inspiration.

After you brainstorm the responses to these questions, look for common themes, or pick out the most interesting stories. You can build your main essay “thesis” or idea around this.

Once you’ve got the main idea, create an outline to put your ideas into essay format. This will give you a general idea of structure.

You can use the career essays template below to give you some ideas. But remember that some rules are meant to be broken, so don’t be afraid to be innovative and think outside the box!

Also, when you’re done, head over to Going Merry to apply for the Career Goals scholarship essay bundle (one essay, one application, multiple scholarships!). You might as well make that essay count. Sign up for Going Merry to apply for scholarships more efficiently.

Here’s a paragraph-by-paragraph breakdown:

Paragraph 1 : Establish the main theme of what you’re going to talk about. It should also grab the reader’s attention. For example, instead of starting your essay with something generic (e.g. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a zoologist), get creative with it! Try something like My greatest memory as a young girl was going to the zoo for the first time or While most kids play house or school, I always wanted to play zookeeper.

Paragraph 2 : Elaborate on what inspired your career goals. Perhaps it was a relative, a TV show, or simply an experience that you had. Remember that old writing adage, “Show, don’t tell.” In other words, try to demonstrate your interest with story or description. 

Paragraph 3 : Discuss your short-term career goals and your intended major. How will your intended major help you reach these goals? What skills do you need to learn to reach them? At the end of the paragraph, try discussing how your short-term goals can help you achieve your long-term goals.

Paragraph 4 : Focus on your long-term goals and the impact that you hope to have on society. If you’re not sure what your long-term goals are, don’t sweat it; they’ll probably change anyways. You can instead focus on the difference you’d like to make overall. And don’t worry too much about the size of the impact…remember that just doing what you’re truly passionate about has a massive impact on those around you.

The last paragraph is your conclusion. You can use this paragraph to summarize what you discussed in the previous few paragraphs. If you want to be even more creative, try ending your essay with a question for your readers or a new insight. Good luck!

And now that you’re ready with that essay, put it to good use! You can recycle that same essay, when applying for the Career Goals Scholarship Bundle. We’ve joined together multiple scholarships (all requesting essays on career goals), into just ONE simple application! See more info here , or just sign up to get going.

Check out examples from other students just like you. Here are links to some great career goal essay examples:

• Example 1  
• Example 2  
• Example 3  

Or maybe you’re looking for help with an academic goals essay — we’ve got you covered there too.

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics !

Sign up for Going Merry today, and upload your career goal essay right to your profile. It’s that easy!

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• Writing Your Career Goals Essay

Check out all the blog posts in this series:

• Identifying the Ingredients of a Winning Essay
• Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose
• Revise and Polish Your Application Essays

Your career goals essay demands a laser-like focus. A personal statement, by contrast, allows for some flexibility in its content, though you can – and often should – discuss your career goals. But a career goals essay has a particular and packed agenda. In fact, the prompt for a career goals essay could actually include multiple questions, and in such cases, you want to make sure you address each of them.

For example, in 2022, Kellogg asked applicants to its one-year program to respond to the following prompt: “Please discuss your post-MBA career goal, the current experience you will leverage to support the transition, and the Kellogg 1Y opportunities that will help you reach this goal.” 

This prompt has three parts: (1) What do you want to do post-MBA ? (2) Why is the 1Y program appropriate for you? And (3) what experience has so far prepared you to succeed in your target role? 

So, always pay close attention to your target school’s prompt to ensure that you answer all the questions within its “single” question. 

Three elements of a successful career goals essay

In addition to having a distinct theme , your career goals essay should achieve the following:

• Highlight specific career achievements. Choose from your most notable or defining experiences. These could be related to your work, community involvement, or extracurricular activities. The experiences you select should showcase your leadership skills , creative thinking, collaborative abilities, and personal reflections about what you learned or gained.
• Explain why your experiences and influences make your career goal a logical and wise choice.
• Demonstrate why you are suited to a particular field as a result of your education, experience, abilities, and enthusiasm. Ideally, the material you choose to include will also allow you to prove your knowledge about industry trends and suggest how your abilities and strengths can help you contribute to that field.

It’s a very tall order to achieve all this.

Putting these elements together to create your goals essay

Let’s take a look at a sample MBA Goals Essay and see how these three key elements are incorporated.  

You should be able to easily recognize why the writer’s opening is attention-getting for all the right reasons. The writer introduces herself as the supremely busy executive she visualizes becoming in the future. She trades large amounts of stock, rushes off to a Zoom conference, hurries downstairs, flags down a taxi, then hops on a plane. As she describes this whirlwind of activity, we can practically feel her heart pumping.

After establishing her voice and personality in this opening, she offers context for her MBA goal. Notice that in writing about her work as an accountant for a major firm, she provides relevant details, including how many years she has been in the field, her bilingualism, and her specialty area as an auditor. This information is her springboard to explain why she is pursuing an MBA: she’s bursting out of her limited role as an accountant. Her eyes and ambition are set on a larger playing field as an international investment manager.

Write an essay, not a list or CV

Outstanding career goals essays are not lists of an applicant’s roles and achievements. Instead, they have a narrative flow and arc that convey the candidate’s palpable excitement about their career choice. This writer’s enthusiastic, dreamy first paragraph achieves this, and she returns to that image at the end, where she paints her idealized (if frantically busy) future. She also proves her seriousness by noting that she registered for the CFA exam.

Connect your career goals to your reasons for choosing a particular program

Many essay questions, especially those for MBA programs , will ask why you have chosen the school you’re applying to. Be prepared to respond knowledgeably and enthusiastically. And the only way to become knowledgeable – and enthusiastic – is by visiting campus in-person or virtually, attending student recruitment meetings, participating in forums, reading student blogs, watching videos of students speaking about their experiences, communicating directly with students and/or recent alumni, and otherwise doing your homework. As part of your research, make sure you have familiarized yourself with the courses and specializations that are relevant to your goals.

Summary Tips

• Focus on answering each and every question asked in a career goals essay prompt. Often, there is more than one.
• Highlight specific achievements vividly and in a way that shows that your career choice is logical for you.
• Do the research so you can write about why the school is a good fit for you and do so with genuine enthusiasm.

In the next post in this series , we’ll explain how to take all this advice and apply it to create an exemplary first draft.

Work one-on-one with an expert who will walk you through the process of creating a slam-dunk application. Check out our full catalog of application services . Our admissions consultants have read thousands of essays and know the exact ingredients of an outstanding essay.

By Judy Gruen, former Accepted admissions consultant. Judy holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. She is also the co-author of Accepted’s first full-length book, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools . Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related resources:

• The Winning Ingredients of a Dynamic MBA Goals Essay , a free guide
• Grad School Personal Statement Examples
• Focus on Fit , podcast Episode 162

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What Is a Career Goals Essay?

An opportunity to expand, what to avoid in a career goals essay, final thoughts, how to write a career goals essay.

Updated January 15, 2024

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As the name suggests, a career goals essay is a personal document that outlines your professional plans.

It describes your educational and work history, and your ambitions for the future.

A career goals essay is generally used in three situations:

• When applying to a school or college
• When applying for a scholarship to fund education
• When applying for a new job

It allows the reader to better understand your personality and fully appreciate why you are making the application.

Career goals essays help admissions staff and hiring managers to select the ideal candidates for a position.

What Should a Career Goals Essay Contain?

A little backstory.

This essay is an opportunity for you to allow your personality and experiences to shine, so avoid generic statements.

The document should be personal and concisely describe your life experiences.

You should explain why you have chosen this career path.

If there was a pivotal moment in your life that led you to this application, be sure to highlight it.

Outline Your Goals

The main focus of the essay should be your goals for the future.

Readers want to see that you are ambitious and driven, with a genuine passion for the role or course you are applying for.

These career goals should be split into your short-term goals (looking over the next one to three years) and your long-term goals (which might look as far as 10 years into the future).

Show How This Application Will Help You Reach Your Goals

Critically, your career goals essay must show how this degree or job will help you achieve your goals .

If your long-term goal is to become a veterinary surgeon, studying a veterinary medicine program will obviously be essential.

However, your goal may be more nuanced than that. For example, you might want to become an expert in a particular piece of technology or software. Your application must show how your success in this role will enable you to become an industry leader.

This will also emphasize to the reader that you have done your research and understand the skills required for that particular sector.

You will have likely submitted a CV and covering letter at other points throughout the application process.

Remember, your career goals essay should complement these documents rather than repeat them.

This letter allows you to expand on the points mentioned in the earlier documents, aligning your previous experience with your goals for the future.

If you are writing a career goals essay as part of an application for a new job, be sure to refer back to the job description and person specification.

These documents highlight the exact type of individual the employer is searching for, so be sure your career goals essay matches the content in them.

Most career goals essays will be submitted via email, so an appropriate title is essential.

‘The Career Goals of [Name]’ isn’t a title that will make you stand out from the crowd.

Don’t forget, whether you are applying to a school or an employer, the reader will have the job of sifting through hundreds, if not thousands, of applications .

Where candidates have very similar experiences and education, their creativity and personality will be used to make the final decision.

Example titles:

How a Digital Marketing Degree Will Allow Me to Support Sustainable Businesses

How My Next Role in Nursing Will Help Me Help Others

An Introduction

Your introduction should set the theme for the essay, and crucially, outline your why .

Many candidates find the introduction the most challenging part of the essay to write. Therefore, it often makes the most sense to write it last.

Your introduction should be an honest and personable account of why you have chosen this field of study.

Starting with a generic opening paragraph will not inspire or motivate your reader. Stay away from phrases such as “I have wanted to be a lawyer ever since I was a little girl.”

This sentence tells the reader very little about your current aspirations.

It can also damage your integrity, as we all know most small children dream of being a movie star or astronaut before the job of lawyer ever springs to mind.

Example introduction:

Most individuals in the US are lucky enough to never need the law to protect them. However, many fail to see how the intricate details of the constitution support their life every day. I have a particular fascination with criminal law after being introduced to the field by a family friend. The monumental impact a lawyer can have on the life and welfare of an individual truly astounded me, and I have spent the years since investigating the effects of the American legal system. This is why I have tailored my education so far to prepare me for a legal career. I work every day on developing my research and analytical ability, and now feel ready to dedicate myself fully to the legal field.

School-Specific Content

Admissions staff, tutors and hiring managers want to know that their applicants have done their research.

You can show them that you have done yours by adding a small paragraph straight after your introduction showing why you chose this school to study at or this company to work for.

First example of school-specific content:

[Insert company name] has an incredible global reputation, with clients in every continent. I can see that staff retention rates are incredibly high, indicating strong career opportunities and the prospect of continuous development. The company values show that diversity and integrity are of the utmost importance, and I would love the opportunity to work for an organization whose principles align with my own.

Second example of school-specific content:

[Insert school name] is well known for producing the highest caliber of graduates, with an excellent global reputation. The school leaderboards show that the grades from [insert school name] ranked within the top five in the country for the past 10 years. I would be proud to associate myself with an establishment that holds itself in such high regard and am thrilled at the prospect of learning alongside the best.

Your Long-term Vision

Remember, it is crucial you show why and how you are actively working towards these goals. For example, merely stating, 'My long-term goal is to become a lawyer with my own practice’ is worthless.

The reader wants to see how this goal aligns with your personality and why you have chosen this route.

The goals set out in this essay should be precise and meaningful .

Example of long-term vision:

Law is an area of study that affects us all. The law protects us, and I am fascinated by its impact on both an individual and global scale. Of course, I want to graduate with a top-class degree, but I am also passionate about the connections and network I will build along the way. My goal is to open my own practice one day, specializing in family law. At the moment, I volunteer in my local practice, gaining experience and building a network that will help me later in my career. I believe the combination of world-class education and hands-on legal experience will help me to achieve this ambitious long-term goal.

Your Short-term Vision

Next, it is crucial to discuss your short-term goals .

If you're applying to school, your short-term goals will explain what you aim to achieve throughout the degree or program.

For a job application, these goals will outline your targets for your first year in the role.

Example of short-term vision:

In the short term, my goal is to build a network in the legal sector. I have already begun doing this through my weekly volunteering role. However, this degree will undoubtedly allow me to meet a much broader spectrum of people. I am excited to curate this network with a range of legal specialists, from students at the start of their careers to tutors with many years of experience in the industry.

The Conclusion

As with any essay, your conclusion should summarize what you have discussed throughout.

You should not throw in any new ideas, subjects or theories at this point. Otherwise, it indicates to the reader that you have not cohesively written the essay.

Your conclusion should be about the same length as the introduction, mentioning your final goals and the name of the establishment you are applying to.

You must outline again why you want to work for this company or study at this school. Using a statistic or fact will show that you have conducted thorough research.

Example conclusion:

I am immensely excited to begin my experience with [insert school name]. Ultimately, this education will allow me to fulfill my dreams of becoming a lawyer and one day opening my own practice. I will bring hard work, determination and enthusiasm to the law school, never forgetting why I began this journey.

Vague or Weak Statements

Every sentence in your essay should be specific to you.

For example, statements such as ‘I want to study medicine because it will allow me to get a good job’ does not show the reader that you are passionate or enthusiastic about this position.

Discussing Financial Remuneration

Whether the essay is aimed at a prospective employer or a college admissions office, they want to see why you want the position personally.

Someone solely focused on the financial rewards will likely not have longevity in the career.

Controversial Topics

Of course, there will be times where politics and current affairs are relevant to the discussion.

However, showing a one-sided argument that doesn’t align with the readers can alienate your application before you even begin.

A career goals essay is an opportunity for your personality to shine through. It isn’t a test of who has the best grades or the most experience , but a chance to show how this job or degree can change your life.

Although the reader is excited to hear about your goals, they are more interested in how this role links to your ambitions.

Be sure to constantly reflect upon how obtaining a place on this course, or securing the job role, is intrinsically linked to your goals.

A word limit is often applied to career goal essays. Where there is no limit, be sure to write no more than 1,000 words.

This piece should be concise and to the point, showing the reader you can effectively convey your thoughts and ideas.

You might also be interested in these other Wikijob articles:

Or explore the Jobs & Careers / Career Planning sections.

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Examples of Scholarship Essays for “Career Goals” Question

Emily Wong is a writer at Scholarships360. She’s worked as a social media manager and a content writer at several different startups, where she covered various topics including business, tech, job recruitment, and education. Emily grew up and went to school in the Chicago suburbs, where she studied economics and journalism at Northwestern University.

Learn about our editorial policies

Writing an essay is often the trickiest part of the scholarship application, not to mention the most time-consuming. However, the essay section also allows room for creativity and individuality. If you can communicate effectively, you can use the essay portion to stand out from the crowd. Let’s go over some tips for writing, as well as a couple of scholarship essay examples about career goals.

How to write a scholarship essay 

At this point, you’ve probably gained plenty of experience writing papers for school. However, it may still take a couple of tries to nail the scholarship essay. Since scholarship teams often have to get through a lot of applications, it’s important to stand out while staying concise. Here are some simple guidelines for writing scholarship essays.

Take five minutes to brainstorm

Before you even start your essay, take some time to gather your thoughts. Think about what you’ll want the paper to focus on. Why did you choose to pursue your career path in the first place? Where do you want to be in five years? How would this scholarship help you further your studies and work toward your goals?

Once you’ve jotted down a few ideas, choose one or two to center your essay on. Identifying the focus of your paper, it’ll make it easier to keep your thoughts organized. In turn, it’ll make it easier for the reader to follow.

Stay within the word limit

Unlike the four-page essays that you may have written in English class, scholarship essays are often only a paragraph or two. In order to respect the selection committee’s time, be wary of going too far about the specified word count. A general rule of thumb is to stay within 20 words above or below the limit. That may entail a few rounds of edits to get the wording just right.

Stay positive

Feel free to use part of your essay to talk about your life’s challenges. After all, the selection committee often wants to give the award to a candidate who needs it. However, make sure your anecdote doesn’t devolve into a sob story. If you’re going to bring up hardships you’ve endured, try to balance it by talking about how you’ve overcome them. By demonstrating resilience, you can show readers how you would use the scholarship to succeed in your current situation.

Leave time to proofread

Especially for a short scholarship essay, proofreading can take as little as 5-10 minutes. Still, it can be tempting to just hit “submit” after your first draft. However, being too impulsive can leave your essay riddled with typos and grammatical errors.

Try to avoid unnecessary mistakes by finishing your draft at least 24 hours before the scholarship deadline. That way, you can proofread it with fresh eyes before you submit it.

If you’re struggling to close out your essay, read How to end a scholarship essay in five steps .

How to write a 100-word “career goals” essay

When writing a 100-word essay, you’ll have to choose your content carefully. Since space is limited, you’ll want to identify the most important details to include beforehand.

First and foremost, make sure to clearly communicate your current pursuits. Talk about your academic and extracurricular activities related to your career goals. Additionally, it’s important to be specific about what you plan to do in the future. Then, if you have extra room, you can talk about how the scholarship will help you reach your goals.

My name is Alison MacBride, and I’m a sophomore at the University of Illinois. I’m currently pursuing a major in Journalism with a minor in Natural Resource Conservation. After completing my program, I plan to combine my areas of interest to become an environmental journalist.

During high school, I volunteered at an eco-conscious farm, where I learned about how our actions affect the earth. Since then, I’ve been set on raising awareness for the environment. This scholarship would go a long way in helping me finish my degree with the skills I need to investigate and report about critical issues.

Word count: 100

How to write a 250-word “career goals” essay

For the 250-word essay, you can go into more detail. Give the readers some context by talking about how you first got interested in your chosen career. Storytelling can be especially effective in engaging your audience. Try to capture their attention by choosing one or two concrete examples and relaying them vividly.

Additionally, you can spend more time talking about the scholarship and how it’ll make a difference in your studies. Go into more detail about how and why you need the award, but remember to keep it positive!

For more help, check out How to write a 250 word essay .

I first decided that I wanted to pursue a career in environmentalism in early high school. The summer after my freshman year, I joined a volunteer program at an eco-conscious farm in my community. In addition to helping out with the operations, I learned about current environmental issues related to farming and other consumer industries.

After learning about the agricultural industry’s impact on the planet, I was inspired to make a difference. The next year, I started a monthly earth magazine at my high school in which we broke down environmental issues and offered tips on how to be more eco-friendly. When I started college, I founded an on-campus publication with the same mission.

In recent years, I’ve been troubled to see how some media outlets downplay the gravity of issues like climate change and deforestation. I’ve admired reporters who publish trustworthy and comprehensible information about environmental issues, and I aim to follow in their footsteps.

When I entered college, I was initially concerned that I wouldn’t have enough money to finish my degree. Fortunately, I’ve been able to cover most of my tuition using merit scholarships and paychecks from my part-time job on campus. Receiving this scholarship would allow me more time to focus on acing my classes and pursuing environmental advocacy work on campus.

Word count: 261

Final thoughts

Planning is essential in making your “career goals” essay clear and concise. Hopefully, these scholarship essay examples about career goals can be your guide to writing a scholarship-winning essay. Good luck!

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Essay About Career Goals: Top 5 Examples and 3 Prompts

Career goals are milestones that demonstrate your development. Read some examples for inspiration to write a thought-provoking essay about career goals. 

Why might you need to write an essay about your career goals? When applying for universities, internships, and full-time jobs, you may be asked about your plans for the future. This helps the company or individual decide whether you are a good fit for the position.

Setting career goals can start with making a vision board, jotting down your aspirations, or even telling loved ones about them. There is no need to start big; it can be as simple as learning a new language or skill. It’s the process that counts, and the process can be ongoing and will likely lead you to identify further goals. 

If you want or need to write an essay about career goals, here are some examples to give you inspiration and some prompts to help you choose your own approach to the essay.

1. My career goals changed after uni, and that’s okay by Hazel M.

2. how my career goals & self-perception have changed now that i’m in my 30s by audrey gonzalez, 3. how to keep your career goals on track by clare whitmell, 4. my dad scorns my career goals. how do i keep us from falling out by annalisa barbieri, 5. why career plans are not always the answer by melody wilding, top 5 writing prompts on essay about career goals, 1. what are the benefits of having a solid set of career goals, 2. should you disregard others’ input when setting career goals, 3. when it comes to career goals, is there a blueprint to success, 4. guidance on setting career goals in the education sector, 5. does the socioeconomic status of an area affect the career goals of a population.

“If life has taught me anything, it’s that planning too far in advance can be more troublesome than it’s worth. I still have 30 years left before retirement and I’m open to anything – who knows? Maybe that editor job will happen after all. The most important thing, however, is not to be disappointed if it doesn’t; to appreciate the here and now, and pause long enough to look at how far you’ve already come. So, if your plan doesn’t pan out (or several years in you realise it might not be for you), that’s okay. You haven’t failed or disappointed anyone, you’ve just taken a different path. Chances are, you’re exactly where you need to be.”

Here the author describes how different her life is compared to how she envisioned it in her youth. When establishing her career goals, she planned to work as the editor of a national newspaper; however, she is not dissatisfied with the path her life has taken. 

Hazel M. initially pursued her goals by moving to London but soon realized she preferred a different location and a line of work she could manage independently. Setting goals for the future is always sensible, but never be afraid to choose a different path if you feel your current route is not working. The author demonstrates that choosing goals is a fluid and ongoing process. For more inspiration, see these articles about achievements .

“When I think back over the last decade, it’s a little weird to recognize just how much I’ve changed, both in my attitude toward my career and my perception of myself. I’ve gone from coasting along with whatever job pays the bills to actively broadening my marketable skills, and from constantly second-guessing my adulthood to being adult enough to say I don’t know, but I will soon .”

Similar to the previous essay, Gonzalez details how her life has deviated from her original plans. She realizes she was only doing jobs to stay financially stable and that her career goals were not as well-thought-out as she had believed. She also began to see herself as an adult rather than a mere student or an intern. 

Finally, Gonzalez realized that by taking a more proactive approach, bolstering her existing skills, and learning new ones, she could access broader and more rewarding opportunities. Gonzalez’s essay perfectly shows how career goals should not only be about money.

Looking for more? Check out these essays about work .

“Persistent effort and the willpower to stay the course are the fundamentals for achieving any sort of change. But you’ll also need a strategy for staying motivated when you experience setbacks and obstacles. Learn from these and use them as a spur to change what isn’t working rather than allowing them to chip away at your self-confidence.”

Whitmell gives readers tips on how to formulate career goals that are targeted, measurable, realistic, and achievable in a given timeframe. An essential piece of advice she gives is to have a positive mindset and be confident in yourself. 

Being determined, confident, and optimistic will help you bounce back from whatever setbacks you may encounter at any point in your career. And we all experience setbacks; however, they must be viewed as an opportunity for growth and part of the learning curve. You might also be wondering, why write goals down?

“Your dad may never understand you in the way you want, but that shouldn’t result in a broken relationship. He should respect your choices, because they will be the building blocks of your life, not his. You are a whole different person from him, with your own fears and hopes. These are worthy of discussion.”

Barbieri responds to a reader at odds with her father over her career goals in this article. The author recommends finding the right time for the reader to talk to her father and finding common ground regarding the reader’s career goals. These goals reflect her passions, and even if her father disagrees with them, he should at least respect them. 

“The idea of a five-year plan is so popular because it promises certainty –– that if we follow a linear path to success, happiness will follow. But trying to predict the future is a losing battle. It’s impossible to know what your priorities will be a few years from now, let alone the opportunities you’ll be presented with.”

In her article, Wilding writes about how strict career goals are not always beneficial. She discusses how they can leave you obsessed and “stuck” trying to fulfill these goals. She also provides insight on how to plan your career, including pursuing your passions, using failure for improvement, and not looking too far into the future. 

Having career goals can help you feel prepared for the future. But what good does it do? Discuss the benefits of setting career goals. Include the drawbacks of having a fixed plan too early and the importance of revisiting it incrementally. Remember, your dreams and aspirations will change as you progress through life, and your goals should accommodate this.

We have heard about basing career goals on “what you want.” However, should you still listen to the opinions of others, such as your parents, as is the dilemma in Barbieri’s essay? Or should you follow your gut? The people closest to us know us well and sometimes better than we know ourselves. How do we choose when to take advice and when to follow our instincts. You can include career advice services offered to teenagers and school leavers. This advice is sometimes based on a snapshot of a person by an unfamiliar advisor. Is this advice valid?

Explore the process of developing career goals. Look at the examples of recognizable entrepreneurs and compare the steps they took to develop and achieve their goals. Are there similarities between their methods? Is it possible for someone to take a blueprint to success and apply it to their own career path?

Analyze the current system for helping students develop career goals within your country or state and compare it with other countries. Look at the most effective strategies and back them up with statistical data. How are we teaching young people to plan for their future, and is there scope for improvement? You can include your personal experiences of career support for comparison.

Pick a locality, region, or country and assess the socioeconomic status. Then discuss how this may affect the aspirations of the population, particularly those leaving education. You might consider populations dominated by industries such as mining or manufacturing. Does the nature of the environment hamper potential or does it fuel determination to achieve alternative career options. Include some examples of your findings.

Check out our guide packed full of transition words for essays .

If you are interested in learning more, check out our essay writing tips !

Martin is an avid writer specializing in editing and proofreading. He also enjoys literary analysis and writing about food and travel.

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Guide on Career Goals Essay: Tips and Templates

What's the Purpose of Your Career Goals Essay

There are many contributing factors that lead you to your career path. Those include the education you receive in high school, your interests, and relevant past experience. As we approach the verge of graduation, we tend to establish distinct career aspirations based on these factors. So, you need to gather all the information mentioned above concisely and clearly in your career goals essay.

Writing winning career goals essays is one of the major parts of your college application. The main purpose is to project why you follow certain educational programs. This is your chance to show off your career ambitions and state why your candidature should be invested.

Proceed with the article for detailed tips on how to write a scholarship essay about career goals, and read specific career goals essay examples for more inspiration.

Feel welcome to use our essay writing service whether you are looking for an education goals essay or 300 word essay on career goals examples.

How to Write a 'What Are Your Career Goals Essay'

There are some essential components and writing tips for crafting a top-notch career goal essay. Primarily, the admissions committee should be able to see individualism and honesty in your personal cover letter. Your future goals should be based on your pure interests. The next important step is organizing your essay following a classical structure consisting of an introduction, body, and conclusion. Last but not least, aligning your ambitions and relevant experience to your future career and stating why this particular educational program will help you through your career growth is crucial.

For specific educational and career goals essay examples, check the prompts given below.

Keep Your Personal Style in Your Career Goals Essay

Looking forward to the stage of application to write your personal statement? Your career goals essay serves that purpose for many reasons.

The admissions committee should be able to see your personality between the lines of your career goal essay, whether you are applying for an MBA program or specific financial aid. List down all the relevant experiences that provided you with valuable knowledge and try to combine them in your essay. Describe what exactly drew you to participate in those workshops, conferences, or internships, and state how they align with your career goals.

Writing career goals scholarship essays is your chance to highlight your unique character and personality. You are welcome to write about your ambitions, goals, and aspirations. However, the most important thing is to list them per the chosen educational field. That will be a projection of your thoughtful decision regarding your career path.

The career essay example below might motivate you to construct an essay that will grant you admission to the desired institution. For further educational goals essay tips, proceed with the article.

Structure Your Career Goals Essay

Your career goals essay shows your career plan. It is your chance to strategically call the attention of the scholarship committee to your interests, passions, and aspirations. For that reason, you need to write a winning essay in a very clear and direct manner. Try to organize the essay in adjustment to the classical structure:

• Introduction - Start writing with attention-grabbing phrases that will immediately hook the reader. Briefly overview the main objectives you intend to discuss in the rest of the essay.
• Body - Feel confident in jotting down the professional or academic experience that you had in the past. Associate the latter with your future career goals.
• Conclusion - Sum up discussed points and firmly restate your enthusiasm for choosing that specific undergraduate or graduate program.

Check out the provided career essay example for more writing tips.

Maintain Relevance in Your Career Goals Essay

Begin to describe your academic and career goals from a long-term perspective. Give why it is worth investing in your education over all the other candidates. In other words, do not be shy to highlight the value that your candidature holds based on gained experience and professional goals. Align what you want to achieve with what you are applying for.

For more insights on 'what are your career goals essay' check out the service of our essay writer online .

Your Career Goals Essay Example

You are welcome to glance through the career goals scholarship essay we have prepared to make your writing process easier.

'Why do I Want to Be a Special Education Teacher?'

Childhood is the time of our lives when most of our genuine interests originate. Ever since I was a small kid, my mom often found me sitting quietly at the desk, pretending to be a teacher. I distinctly remember that I found it thrilling and satisfying to correct the works of fellow classmates and write small remarks as side notes for them. As I grew older, I directed my main career goal toward becoming a teacher. I believe that teachers inspire future generations to be the best versions of themselves, which only brings about positive outcomes.

My pure intentions orbit around helping those not perceived as equally smart or intelligent from the modern perspective. No wonder I always knew that I wanted to offer a helping hand to children with disabilities. They need to gain valuable knowledge as much as we all do, and we should be encouraged to create equal opportunities for them. I firmly believe that contributing to the development of those underprivileged children will make their lives brighter and slightly easier. Everybody deserves to acquire a college knowledge base if one has the desire. Hence, no wonder I aspire to become a special education teacher.

I have spent years gaining experience in the field of education. With the help of traineeships and workshops, I allowed myself to dive deep into the psychological aspects of teaching. Therefore, I mastered the ways which should be implemented in the field of education to create an unstressful and welcoming environment for children with disabilities to become proficient in any desired subject. I firmly believe that pursuing the Special Education undergraduate program will help me get to my life-long goal of becoming a helpful, competent, and reliable teacher who can positively impact the lives of myriads of underprivileged children.

From my subjective point of view, there is no better career choice than becoming a special education teacher. I want to touch upon the lives of those vulnerable children deprived of the same possibilities and opportunities that others are granted naturally. The appropriate educational program will be the best possible means of achieving my dream.

For more scholarship essay examples, you can check out the one below. Meanwhile, look at the list of fully accredited online universities that can help you fulfill your scholarship goals.

Professional Career Goals Essay Examples

Here you can read one of the professional career goals essay examples. We would be delighted to pave the way for you to perfectly describe your academic and career goals based on it, whether you are applying for a specific job position or trying to win the trust of the scholarship committee.

'My Aspiration of Going into Business'

Deciding on a career choice can be very stressful for youngsters. However, I always knew I wanted to connect my experience and hold a bachelor's degree in a field related to Business Management. The choice is not accidental. I have deliberately found a passion for owning a business, specifically in the film industry. The cinematography of various Western or Eastern movies in Hollywood, Eastern Europe, or Asia would always grab my attention because I found them aesthetically pleasing. I discovered that I wanted to dig deeper into the mechanisms behind creating such kinds of artworks, and I aspired to finance their production through my own means. Hence, connecting my professional career goals directly to the business industry was a prominent means of achieving my goal.

My leisure almost always included watching movies of adventure, romance, history, and other genres. As I got older, I gradually concluded that I learned much more from the movie industry than I ever learned in school. That became one of my major motivations to invest in my career in the business industry to be able to financially and structurally manage the crew who work blood, sweat, and tears behind the scenes to contribute valuable pieces of work to the film industry. I always imagined myself being in charge of marketing, financing, and dealing with the staff that is the core force behind creating masterpieces. That way, I would help youngsters like me to enjoy a quality product that would not only be aesthetically pleasing but informative as well.

I have invested a lot of my time and energy volunteering for workshops and conferences that helped me gain deeper insight into the film industry. These opportunities revealed my time management, communication, and team player skills. I believe these qualities are essential to succeed in any field in the modern world. At the same time, I found my intellectual strength in math and the relevant technical subjects. I wanted to combine my inspirations and interests. Hence the final decision to go into the business field was the product of aligning these two factors perfectly.

I have a clear vision for my future, and I'm willing to continue working hard to end up where I envision myself, which is exactly in the business field in association with the movie industry.

Need further assistance? Do not hesitate to use our MBA essay writing service for your benefit. We are here to help you make the best out of your future business career!

Use Our Academic Assistance

We hope you enjoyed the education and career goals essay examples. Our expert writers would be delighted to contribute to your future success.

And if the college admissions exams are on the way, feel free to check out best study tips for exams . Try implementing them in practice and ace all your upcoming challenges.

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Interview Questions

Comprehensive Interview Guide: 60+ Professions Explored in Detail

Example Answers to “What Are Your Career Goals?”

By Biron Clark

Published: December 5, 2023

“What are your career goals?” is a common question you’ll hear in many interviews. And you need to prepare an answer because employers ALWAYS prefer to hire someone who can show they’re goal-oriented and have long-term objectives in their career.

There are also a couple of big mistakes you need to avoid when you describe your career goals in an interview, so we’ll cover how to avoid those mistakes, too.

Let’s get started…

What are Career Goals?

Career goals describe where you’d like to be, what you’d like to experience, and what you’d like to achieve in your professional life over the upcoming one to five years – or more. 

Long-term career goals are made up of a series of short and mid-term goals that act as steps or building blocks toward that greater professional goal. The role you’re applying for should act as a relevant step toward the career goal described in your interview.

Solid (and relevant) career goals are considered a big plus to interviewers and hiring managers, because they keep you organized, active, motivated and focused on the task at hand – all qualities a savvy employer looks for in a new recruit.

Make Sure You Have SMART Goals

Career goals are only useful when they’re SMART . That is Specific , Measurable , Achievable , Relevant and Time-bound . Unless your career goals are SMART , the chances are they’re only dreams. 

Imagine your Specific long-term career goal is to advance to a leadership position in your new product design job. The goal is Time-bound by the company’s yearly promotion cycle and, to Achieve it, you’ll need to plot Measurable short and mid-term goals that are 100% Relevant to the overall goal. 

These sub-goals might include upskilling, leading a small team to gain experience, innovating a new product, and getting noticed as a candidate for promotion.

Watch: How to Answer “What Are Your Career Goals?”

Why employers ask this interview question.

When the company asks an interview question like, “What are your career goals?” they want to know if this job will hold your interest in the short term and potentially long term! (Companies love to hire people who will stay with the company for years and grow/advance).

Companies don’t want to hire you for a role that isn’t bringing you toward your professional aspirations because you’ll be less motivated and more likely to leave the job quickly.

It’s okay if a job doesn’t meet everything you’re looking for in your career. For example, you can say that you eventually aspire to take a leadership position, even if you’re not being considered for a leadership role in this interview.

But then, in your interview answer, you’d want to show how this job is bringing you closer to those future plans/goals. You can do this by ending your answer by saying something like:

…So I was excited to apply for this role because on the job description, I saw a few responsibilities and skills related to leadership, such as training new team members. That’s something I’ve been eager to start doing.

I’ll share some full word-for-word sample answers coming up soon.

How to Answer “What Are Your Career Goals?”

You always want to seem goal oriented, so it’s not a good idea to say, “I’m not sure” or “I haven’t thought about that.” That’s NOT going to impress hiring managers. But you also need to make sure the career goals you mention fit into the job you’ve applied for.

Here’s how this can hurt you if not:

Imagine you’re interviewing for a customer service position. And the hiring manager asks about your long-term career goals. If you say, “My goal is to move out of customer service and find a role that doesn’t involve working with customers as much. I prefer to work behind the scenes,” then the hiring manager is NOT going to hire you for their job. Employers want to hire someone who really wants this specific job, because then you’re more likely to be motivated , have a great attitude, etc.  So prepare a few goals and aspirations you can talk about, but make sure your goals fit with the job you’re interviewing for. Otherwise, adjust the goals you plan on talking about for the interview. Be strategic and think about what’s going to get you hired for the job you want, and don’t say anything that suggests you’ll be bored, frustrated, or want to leave this job quickly.

One more note: Just like with the question “where do you see yourself in 5 years?” you’re not expected to be able to predict the future accurately. Nobody’s going to check on you in two years and see if you’re following what you said in a few years.

Hiring managers just want to see what your interests are and whether you’ve thought about this at all.  And they want to make sure they’re not hiring someone who’s going to be bored in their job. That’s why employers ask questions about your long-term career goals and ambitions in an interview, and how to answer.

“What Are Your Career Goals?” Example Answers

Now that you know how to answer questions about your career goals in the interview, let’s look at some word-for-word example answers.  First is an example of an entry-level job seeker. After that, we’ll go through an example for job seekers with more experience.

Entry-Level Example Answer to “What Are Your Career Goals?”

I just graduated with my degree in Finance , and I’m excited to get my first position in the industry, now. My longer-term goals are to learn a variety of areas within the field of finance and work toward deciding what area of specialization I want to take. I’d love to become an expert in one specific field of finance in the long term, but I know the first step is to build a solid foundation and learn the basics in an entry-level role. I saw this job offers exposure to a variety of areas, which is something I liked.

Notice that the end of this example answer includes a line about why their particular job interests you . This is a great tactic you can use with a variety of your interview answers . Answer their question, but then conclude by putting the focus back on their job and why you want this position! Most job seekers don’t do this. You’ll really stand out with this tactic and put their mind at ease that you’ll love their job. (Employers are REALLY scared of hiring someone who won’t love the job, even if you have the necessary experience. Because it costs a lot of time/money/energy to hire and train someone, and that’s all lost if you leave in the first year).

Mid-Level Example Answer to “What Are Your Career Goals?”

My goal for many years was to become a Manager. I achieved that last year. Now as I look forward in my career, I’d like to build and manage larger teams and continue advancing as a leader. I’ve found I really enjoy mentoring and leading a team, even more than I enjoyed working as an individual contributor earlier in my career. When I saw your job description mentions a chance to hire and lead a team of five, I knew I should apply.

Again, this sample answer for “what are your career goals?” does a lot more than just answering the basic question. You start by mentioning a past achievement, then you answer the question, and then you mention what you saw in their specific job that excited you. This is a great formula to follow when answering this question as a mid-level or senior-level job seeker.

Senior/Executive-Level Answer Example

My career goal right now is to take the leadership and management experience I’ve obtained over the past 12 years and transition into a Fortune-500 company. I feel this would provide a new challenge and bring out the best in my abilities at the same time. I’ve excelled most in roles where I was involved in cross-functional team leadership involving multiple departments, and I feel this is something I’ll gain more exposure to in a Fortune-500 firm. I saw on your job description that this is mentioned as a part of the role here. Can you tell me more about that?

Ending your job interview answer with a question directed back at the hiring manager is a great way to make the interview more conversational. Try to do this at least a few times, instead of just answering a question and then waiting for the next question. This can be a real game-changer in your interviews in terms of the flow and how confident you feel and appear.

Short Term vs. Long Term Career Goals

When you’re asked interview questions about your professional goals, you’ll need to decide how far in the future to discuss. Should you share a career goal that’s ten years in the future? One year? Or something in between. I recommend discussing your career goals in a two to five year timeframe. That shows ambition and shows that you’ve thought about your long-term career, but at the same time, those goals aren’t so far out that you can’t discuss exactly how you’ll achieve them.

You want to be able to talk about how you’ll reach your goals, through personal development and professional improvement. And that becomes hard to do if you’re talking about your goals a decade from now. You don’t want to name a goal like becoming a CEO , when you’ve never held any leadership positions. It’ll just seem like you’re hoping rather than aiming. So as you share your own goals, I recommend picking a career goal that’s a few years out. Not too short-term, but not too far away.

Let’s take a look at some career goals ranging from short – long term:

• Short-term career goals: 
• developing professionally with design, leadership and skills certifications
• gaining experience by leading a small team on quarterly assignments. 
• innovating great new products with your team each quarter
• establishing  more efficient work processes as you go 
• being commended as an effective team leader at the end of every quarter
• becoming the prime candidate for that sought-after leadership role by the end of the year.
• Long-term career goals: 
• getting hired as department leader managing four small teams.

Mistakes to Avoid When Answering

There are a couple of costly mistakes you should avoid when you describe your career goals in a job interview.

• First, I recommend not sharing anything that will seem like a threat to the company or make them worry that you won’t stay for long in their job. For example, if you’re interviewing at a company in the healthcare industry, don’t say your goal involves switching careers and joining the tech industry. That’s just going to leave the hiring manager wondering why you even took the interview for their position. For this same reason, I don’t recommend saying, “my career goal is to have my own business in the near future.”
• Keep personal goals like that private. I think it’s a great goal. I quit the corporate world to do that myself. But if your future career goals involve quitting and leaving this potential employer, don’t say so when answering this interview question.
•  And one more mistake as you answer interview questions about your goals: Don’t use humor or make a joke . For example, don’t tell the hiring manager, “My goal is to have your job.” This is a serious interview question and you’re going to do better in your job search if you respond with a thoughtful, serious answer that shows you’re goal-focused and motivated.

Answering “What Are Your Career Goals?” – Quick Review

• Never say you don’t have any goals or haven’t thought about it
• Always share a goal that’s at least somewhat related to the job you’ve applied for
• Start your answer by explaining your current situation and what you accomplished previously in your career
• Next, explain your future career goals and how you plan to achieve them
• Conclude by telling the interviewer what interested you in their particular job (based on the job description) – make sure they can see how their job fits into your bigger career goals

If you follow the advice above, you’ll give a great answer when interviewers ask about your long term career goals and objectives. You’ll show them that you’re someone who has long-term aspirations and plans and they’ll love to see this.

You’ll also show them why their job interests you, which tells them you’ll be motivated and work hard. This makes them FAR more likely to offer you the position than someone who can’t clearly explain their career goals and how those goals fit into this job they’re discussing.

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

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Thanks for a great article, really learnt a lot.

Quick question though;

1.To what extent should i keep talking about my goal?

2. Should i bring personal issues if the case arises?

Comments are closed.

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What are career goals?

How to choose your career goals: 5 tips, 15 career goals examples, how to achieve your career goals, never stop growing.

Among the daily hustle of deadlines and meetings, you might forget to pause and ask yourself how your career is really going. 

Professional growth looks beyond the here and now to consider what the future holds and if you’re going the right way. Whether you want to apply for a leadership role, land an industry seminar, or transition into an entirely new field, setting clear career goals establishes direction and defines the path ahead.

Recognizing where you wish to be and building actionable steps empowers you to transform career aspirations into clear benchmarks. Soon, even the daily grind will take on a larger purpose, and every email you send and every project you complete will contribute to new meaning. Here’s how to turn your day-to-day into a brighter future.

A career goal is a target or milestone that guides your professional trajectory and fits into your overarching career plan. It can connect to your current position, future aspirations, or the broader framework of your work life. Each one could be a short-term career goal (like hitting a performance metric) or a more strategic long-term goal (like becoming an expert at a new skill). 

Clear career development goals help you step away from the daily bustle and keep your sights on the bigger picture, giving you something to work toward and bringing greater purpose to your job. Here are a few more ways that defining what your career goals are can propel your work forward: 

• Setting goals creates a roadmap, offering guidance and direction to your career path
• They foster intrinsic motivation , enthusiasm, and dedication, helping you face professional obstacles
• With a clear vision in place, your decision-making becomes more aligned and intentional
• They catalyze continuous learning, ensuring you keep pace with your colleagues and industry
• Reflecting on goals or setting new ones lets you identify whether your current position is the right fit for your overarching aspirations
• Reaching your goals fills you with a sense of achievement, empowering your self-worth and belief in your abilities

While setting career goals is meant to put you on a straight and narrow path, deciding what to work toward isn’t always clear. It requires introspection, research, and forward thinking — and sometimes, it’s a long process. 

Here’s how to pinpoint goals that align your skills and passions: 

• Perform a self-assessment: Take the time to evaluate your skill set, interests, and personal values . Understanding where you currently stand will help you plot where you want to go and create more impactful and realistic goals . 
• Do your research: The nature of work is constantly changing, and your career goals can help you keep up, like sharpening a skill or learning a new technology. Anticipating future needs and trends ensures you’re always one step ahead, ready to seize opportunities, or proactively address upcoming challenges.
• Visualize your future: Through journaling or writing a career statement , imagine where you want to be in the next three, five, or 10 years . Although long-term objectives may change with time, visualizing your future can help you anchor your present with more clarity. The more vivid the mental image, the easier it’ll be to pave the way with actionable steps. And writing down different examples of career interests for a hypothetical career change can uncover patterns in your overarching goals.
• Evaluate your community: The need to belong can be a significant motivator in life , so consider your sense of belonging in your goals. Examine how you usually participate and discover how you could invest in your professional community or workplace. Mentorships , closer connections with colleagues, or industry groups can boost your sense of community and even bring new opportunities.
• Consider your personal goals: Your personal and professional life don’t exist in separate bubbles. Whether you yearn for a stronger work-life balance , want to start a family, or aim to relocate one day, your personal goals influence your career decisions. Setting work goals that align your career with personal milestones helps you build an action plan that seeks harmony, enriching both dimensions of your life.

While dreaming up potential career goals, seeing examples can inspire and motivate you. Here are some short-term, long-term, and continuous goals to set for your career. 

Short-term goals

Short-term professional goals offer immediate behavioral changes , allowing you to see tangible progress within a few weeks or a year. These objectives are often stepping stones to long-term ambitions that require more planning and strategy. Here are six examples:

• Level up your education: Studying a certification, taking online courses, or attending industry seminars can fill in knowledge gaps and enhance your resume. Analyze the skills most valuable to your current role or future dream position and work on the most relevant ones. In some cases, you can learn something new in less than a day.
• Take on a challenging project: If you’re a full-time employee, contact your manager to demonstrate interest in contributing to a project that expands your job scope. And if you’re a freelancer, you can aim to pursue a project outside your comfort zone . This will broaden your skills and improve your industry knowledge as you navigate new opportunities. 
• Learn a new tool : Familiarize yourself with a new software or tool relevant to your field, even if it’s not currently a part of your role. Your proactive approach encourages adaptability and demonstrates your initiative to stay up-to-date in a constantly evolving digital landscape.
• Embrace public speaking: Commit to giving a presentation or leading a seminar in your workplace or professional community. This will elevate your profile and sharpen valuable soft skills , like self-confidence and public speaking .
• Update your personal brand: All of the materials you share with your peers contribute to your personal brand , including social media profiles, professional websites, and even your resume’s career objective . Take the time to learn how you represent yourself and update your professional messaging to ensure consistency online and offline. 
• Cultivate one new professional relationship: Seek out a mentor or establish a deeper connection with a colleague. To do this, you could set up an informational interview , check in with HR about mentoring programs , or offer help to a trusted colleague. Such bonds can provide perspective and lend support throughout your career.

Long-term goals

These long-term professional career goals examples project several years into the future, sculpting your overall trajectory. They require patience and sustained effort, but they’re worth it to reach new heights and become your ideal professional self. Here are four examples of long-term goals:

• Achieve career stability: Job stability may look like a specific annual income, the ability to say “No” to projects that don’t interest you, or switching to an industry with consistent career growth. Determine what it means to you and develop professional development goals to continuously strengthen your foundation. 
• Attain a leadership role: Rising to a leadership position is more than just a title change. It’s about influence and impact, and it’s a great goal to set if you plan on climbing the ladder at your current company. Work on your management skills , learn about organizational dynamics , and consistently demonstrate reliability. And don’t forget to let your manager know you’re interested in developing your leadership skills. 
• Diversify your skill set: Exploring skills that complement your existing knowledge can safeguard your employability and open doors to new opportunities. Identify areas that are adjacent to your field and could benefit your career, and find long-term courses or go to grad school to help you learn. Diversifying yourself positions you as a valuable asset and shows your commitment to your industry. 

Continuous goals

Continuous goals are ongoing pursuits that don’t have a definitive timeframe. Instead, they aim to continuously refine your professional well-being, ensuring you’re always growing and adapting. Here are five examples:

• Maintain work-life balance: Striving to leave work on time, take regular breaks, and enjoy free time activities are small, daily goals that prioritize your wellness. A strong work-life balance safeguards you from fatigue and improves your mood, and you can improve it throughout your career. 
• Seek regular feedback: Constructive feedback will always be useful. Establish a routine of asking for monthly, quarterly, or biannual feedback from higher-ups and peers. This feedback is a constant source of direction, letting you know what areas of self-improvement to focus on. 
• Advocate for mental well-being: Build routines that aid your mental wellness, like meditation, digital detoxes , or better sleep hygiene . Good emotional well-being makes you more resilient to challenges , improves self-esteem , and reduces stress, contributing to a healthy professional life. 
• Explore productivity skills: Your workflow could always use an update, and a new time management hack or productivity app can help. Exploring productivity techniques, like the Pomodoro Technique , or task prioritization methods, like the Eisenhower Matrix , helps you maximize efficiency. 
• Give back: Whether it’s becoming a mentor, doing pro bono work, or agreeing to an informational interview, find ways to use your skills for the greater good. Giving back supports your holistic development and fills you with purpose.

While achieving your goals is hard work, the right approach, dedication, and resources will bring you closer to your milestones. Here are a few ways to turn your dreams into real objectives:

• Set milestones: Begin by breaking down your larger goals into smaller, manageable tasks and milestones. This makes big processes less daunting and gives you the tools to progress one step at a time. 
• Determine your metrics: Knowing what success looks like paints a clear picture of your goal post. If you aim to build a bigger LinkedIn following , specific engagement metrics or a weekly post can break things down and help you measure progress. For less tangible goals, like better work-life balance, try using a stress tracker to see if you’re able to manage your stress and feel more at ease each day. 
• Stay consistent: Perseverance and consistency push you closer to your goals. Even if progress feels like it has hit a plateau, build resilience to drive progress forward.
• Celebrate small wins: Every milestone you achieve is progress, no matter how small. Patting yourself on the back or sharing your success with others can help you maintain your enthusiasm and motivation. 
• Document your journey: Keeping a journal or logging your progress will track your advancement and give you space for valuable reflections. Regular check-ins help you recognize how far you’ve come and analyze what parts of your plan need updating. And a study in Sports Psychologist found that the more you look at your goals, the more likely you are to pursue them .
• Make them SMART: Break your objectives into SMART goals — specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. This will clarify your intentions and help build a roadmap to help you achieve them.

Now that you have examples of career goals to inspire your own, it’s time for self-reflection and strategic planning. Whether you want to start your own business or practice for a job interview , focus on skills and experiences that support personal and professional growth. Regularly checking in and adjusting when necessary will bring you one step closer to leveling up your career. 

Elizabeth Perry, ACC

Elizabeth Perry is a Coach Community Manager at BetterUp. She uses strategic engagement strategies to cultivate a learning community across a global network of Coaches through in-person and virtual experiences, technology-enabled platforms, and strategic coaching industry partnerships. With over 3 years of coaching experience and a certification in transformative leadership and life coaching from Sofia University, Elizabeth leverages transpersonal psychology expertise to help coaches and clients gain awareness of their behavioral and thought patterns, discover their purpose and passions, and elevate their potential. She is a lifelong student of psychology, personal growth, and human potential as well as an ICF-certified ACC transpersonal life and leadership Coach.

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50 Inspiring Examples of Career Goal Statements

By Status.net Editorial Team on February 7, 2024 — 12 minutes to read

A career goal statement is a clear and concise description of your professional aspirations: it outlines what you aim to achieve in your career path, providing direction and serving as a guide for your professional decisions. Crafting this statement requires self-reflection to identify what truly matters to you in your career.

Think of your career goal statement as a compass. It helps you navigate through opportunities and choices, aligning them with your long-term objectives. A well-defined goal statement includes specific job titles or roles, industry preferences, skills you want to acquire or use, and the values that matter to you in a work environment.

For example, your statement might be, “I aim to become a Senior Software Developer at a tech company that values innovation, in the next five years.” This statement is direct, time-bound, and reflects personal and professional values.

When writing your own career goal statement, start by asking yourself some questions:

• What am I passionate about?
• Where do I see myself in five, ten, or fifteen years?
• What skills do I need to develop to reach my goals?

Your statement can evolve as your career advances and your goals change. Remember, it’s a living document meant to grow along with you. Keep it precise, make it inspiring for yourself, and let it reflect who you are and who you want to become professionally. By doing so, you’ll create a powerful tool to steer your career decisions and help achieve your ambitions.

Components of a Strong Career Goal Statement

A strong career goal statement effectively communicates where you see yourself in the future and how you plan to get there. The keys to crafting this include clarity in your aspirations and how your current path aligns with your long-term objectives.

Clarity and Specificity

Your career goal statement should clearly articulate the position you’re aiming for and the steps you plan to take to achieve it. For example, instead of saying “I want to grow in the tech industry,” specify “My goal is to become a Senior Software Engineer at a renowned tech firm within the next five years by honing my skills in mobile applications development and leadership.”

Alignment with Career Objectives

Ensure that your statement aligns with your broader career objectives. For instance, if you’re determined to enter the field of environmental sustainability, your goal statement could specify, “I will secure a role as a Sustainability Project Manager by gaining expertise in renewable energy solutions and contributing to conservation projects.”

Brevity and Conciseness

Keep your statement concise; it shouldn’t be longer than a short paragraph. A crisp, well-worded statement would look like, “Within three years, I aim to advance to a Lead Graphic Designer position by consistently delivering innovative designs and taking on more strategic projects.”

Personal Motivation

Include a sentence about what drives you towards this goal, which gives a personal touch to your career goal statement. You might say, “I am committed to becoming an industry-recognized financial analyst by developing cutting-edge quantitative models, fueled by my passion for data-driven decision making.”

The Purpose of Career Goal Statements

A career goal statement helps you and others understand where you’re aiming in your professional life. It serves as both a guide and a benchmark for your career progression.

Professional Development

Your career goal statement is a powerful tool for professional development. It’s a declaration of your ambitions, which often falls into specific categories like acquiring new skills, achieving certifications, or reaching a new position. For example, you might aim to become a certified project manager within the next two years, highlighting the steps and skills you’ll need to get there.

Job Search Focus

When you’re on the job hunt, having a career goal statement gives you a lens to evaluate potential job opportunities. Imagine you’re an engineer seeking roles in renewable energy projects; your career goal statement would specify this preference, allowing you to target your job search and tailor your applications to match your aspirations.

Performance Management

During performance evaluations, your career goal statement offers a clear outline of what success looks like for you. It can act as a communication tool between you and your supervisor, ensuring that you’re both aligned on your targets. If your goal is to lead a team, your performance metrics might include leadership training and successful project outcomes.

Personal Reflection and Growth

Your career statement doubles as a checkpoint for personal reflection and growth. By setting specific goals like enhancing your public speaking skills or learning a new programming language, you create a framework for personal progress, tying these improvements back to your broader career objectives.

Writing Your Career Goal Statement

A career goal statement is a clear and concise description of your professional aspirations. It’s important to chart a course for your career by setting strategic goals and outlining the steps you plan to take to achieve them.

Self-Assessment

Start by evaluating your interests, strengths, weaknesses, and values. This step helps you align your career trajectory with your personal attributes and ambitions.

• If you enjoy creative problem-solving, you might aim for a role in strategic development.
• Someone with a natural talent for communication might target a career in public relations.

Research and Exploration

Learn about the industries and positions that align with your interests and skills. Find out what qualifications you may need and what career advancement may look like in those roles.

• Researching the field of data science might show you the importance of skills like programming and data analysis.
• Exploring the healthcare industry could lead you to consider roles ranging from a health administrator to a nurse practitioner.

Articulating Your Goals

Clearly state your short-term and long-term career objectives. Make them specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART).

• Short-term goal: Completing a professional certification in digital marketing within the next year.
• Long-term goal: Becoming a chief marketing officer at a technology company within the next ten years.

Revising and Refining

Your career goals are not set in stone. Periodically review and adjust them to reflect your growing skills, changes in the industry, and personal life changes.

• Revising your goal to include leadership skills if you’re aiming for management positions.
• Refining your goals to focus more on work-life balance if personal circumstances change.

Examples of Career Goal Statements

When crafting your career goal statement, be specific and align your goals with your desired career path. This section will provide examples for different career stages to guide you.

For Recent Graduates

As a recent graduate, your goal statement should reflect your eagerness to apply your education in a practical setting and grow professionally. For example:

• “My goal is to secure a role as a software developer at a forward-thinking tech company where I can contribute to innovative projects and hone my coding skills in real-world applications.”

For Mid-Career Professionals

For you in mid-career, a statement should focus on advancing your current skills and taking on larger responsibilities. For instance:

• “I aim to elevate my expertise in digital marketing to become a marketing manager, where I can lead strategic campaigns and impact the company’s growth directly.”

For Career Changers

As someone looking to change careers, your statement needs to leverage your transferable skills and express your commitment to the new field. Consider this example:

• “I intend to transition into the field of data analysis, leveraging my extensive background in market research to deliver actionable insights and drive decision-making processes.”

For Executive-Level Positions

Your executive career goal statement needs to showcase your vision for leadership and your ability to steer the company to new heights. An example could be:

• “I am determined to apply my 15 years of managerial experience to a Chief Operations Officer role, focusing on optimizing company-wide operations to boost profitability and efficiency.”

50 Examples of Career Goal Statements

• 1. “To secure a challenging position in a reputable organization to expand my learnings, knowledge, and skills.”
• 2. “Seeking a role at (…) Company where I can contribute to the team’s success while developing my skills as an accountant.”
• 3. “To achieve a lead position in software development that allows me to design innovative solutions and manage a dynamic team.”
• 4. “To become a primary school teacher that inspires young minds and fosters a love of learning.”
• 5. “Aiming to leverage my experience in customer service to become a leading sales representative within the next five years.”
• 6. “To grow into a senior role within the marketing department, contributing to the company’s strategic goals and brand development.”
• 7. “Seeking a position as a clinical practice assistant for a health organization that focuses on the development of innovative medical treatments.”
• 8. “To secure a position as a human resources manager and contribute to an organization’s employee engagement and professional development strategies.”
• 9. “My goal is to become a project manager within a progressive tech company, leading innovative projects to successful completion.”
• 10. “Aspiring to be a top journalist within a major media outlet, reporting on significant global events that shape our world.”
• 11. “To develop a career in finance, eventually becoming a chief financial officer for a well-established corporation.”
• 12. “To obtain a managerial position in the hospitality industry, providing exceptional guest experiences and leading a successful team.”
• 13. “Looking to apply my graphic design skills in a dynamic advertising agency, producing high-quality work for a variety of clients.”
• 14. “To establish myself as a leading real estate agent within the community, known for diligently serving clients and achieving their property dreams.”
• 15. “To become a senior software engineer, specializing in machine learning and artificial intelligence, contributing to cutting-edge technology advancements.”
• 16. “Aspire to join an international non-profit organization, focusing on human rights advocacy and contributing to meaningful change.”
• 17. “To earn a position as a lead researcher in a top-tier biotech firm, focusing on the development of life-saving pharmaceuticals.”
• 18. “To be recognized as an expert in environmental law, working to protect natural resources and promote sustainability.”
• 19. “To secure a role as an art director within a prestigious agency, driving creative strategy and inspiring a team of designers.”
• 20. “Aiming to become a chief operations officer, optimizing organizational processes and enhancing overall efficiency.”
• 21. “To advance my career in the field of education technology, developing innovative tools that facilitate learning and growth.”
• 22. “Seeking to become a master electrician, overseeing complex projects and mentoring apprentices in the trade.”
• 23. “To climb the ranks to a senior data analyst role, transforming data into actionable insights that drive business strategy.”
• 24. “To become a leading figure in digital marketing, known for crafting high-impact strategies that generate measurable results.”
• 25. “Aspiring to be an executive chef in a Michelin-starred restaurant, creating world-class cuisine and leading a top-tier culinary team.”
• 26. “To secure a position as a cybersecurity expert, protecting sensitive information from threats and vulnerabilities.”
• 27. “Aiming to be a respected leader in the field of public health, influencing policy and improving community health outcomes.”
• 28. “To establish a career as a professional musician, performing internationally and sharing my passion for music with diverse audiences.”
• 29. “Seeking a role as an aerospace engineer with a focus on sustainable design and innovation in air travel.”
• 30. “To become a leading architect, known for designing eco-friendly and innovative structures that enhance the urban landscape.”
• 31. “To grow into a senior role in supply chain management, optimizing logistics and contributing to the company’s profitability.”
• 32. “Aspiring to become a senior content creator, producing engaging and informative content that resonates with a wide audience.”
• 33. “To secure a position as a labor and delivery nurse, providing compassionate care and supporting families during a pivotal life event.”
• 34. “To become a principal consultant, offering expert advice and solutions to businesses in my area of expertise.”
• 35. “Aiming to be a top sales manager, driving team performance and exceeding company sales targets consistently.”
• 36. “To secure a leadership position within the field of environmental science, contributing to research and advocacy for climate change mitigation.”
• 37. “To become a recognized expert in user experience design, creating intuitive and user-friendly digital products.”
• 38. “Seeking a role as a professional event planner, executing unforgettable events that exceed client expectations.”
• 39. “To advance to a senior technical writer position, producing clear and concise documentation that supports product development.”
• 40. “Aspiring to be a chief diversity officer, fostering an inclusive workplace culture where all employees can thrive.”
• 41. “To become a lead mechanical engineer in the automotive industry, contributing to the development of innovative and efficient vehicles.”
• 42. “To secure a position as a business analyst, helping organizations to improve processes and systems for better performance.”
• 43. “Aiming to become a senior environmental consultant, providing actionable strategies for sustainable business practices.”
• 44. “To establish myself as a professional photographer, capturing moments and stories through my lens for global publications.”
• 45. “Seeking a role as an investment banker, helping companies to grow and investors to achieve their financial goals.”
• 46. “To become a thought leader in digital transformation, guiding enterprises through the integration of new technologies.”
• 47. “Aspiring to be a senior policy advisor, influencing legislation and policy decisions that impact the public sector.”
• 48. “To secure a position as a professional interpreter, facilitating communication in multiple languages for international organizations.”
• 49. “Aiming to become a leading expert in nutritional science, contributing to healthier lifestyles and dietary choices.”
• 50. “To establish a career as a professional speaker and author, sharing my expertise and inspiring others in my field.”

Frequently Asked Questions

How can you write an effective career goal statement for your resume.

When you write a career goal statement for your resume, start by reflecting on your strengths, skills, and experiences. Then, identify the kind of position you’re aiming for and how your career path aligns with the goals of the company. Use action words and quantify achievements where possible.

What are some examples of short-term career goals in professional development?

Short-term career goals might include obtaining a professional certification, improving specific job-related skills such as public speaking or technical proficiency, or networking to connect with industry leaders. These goals are typically achievable within a few months to two years.

What should be included in a personal career goal statement?

Your personal career goal statement should include your career interests, the competencies you wish to utilize, the type of environment you thrive in, and how you see your career progressing. It gives employers a glimpse into your aspirations and professional philosophy.

Can you give examples of comprehensive goal statements for students?

An example for a student might be: “Graduate with a degree in Environmental Science and secure an internship with a leading sustainability organization, to contribute to effective climate change solutions.” This states the education aim and the practical, immediate objective after graduation.

How do you frame a career goal statement for entry into graduate school?

A career goal statement for graduate school should express your academic interests, how the program aligns with your career plans, and what you intend to accomplish professionally with the advanced degree. This could be working towards a specific research field or role in academia.

What elements make up a compelling and succinct one-sentence career goal?

A compelling one-sentence career goal is specific, mentioning the desired industry or role, is realistic, and includes a timeframe. For example, “To become a certified project manager within the next year and lead technology-related projects in a Fortune 500 company.”

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What Are Your Career Goals - How to Answer w/ [Examples]

You could say “What are your career goals?” is the adult version of “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

You probably even had a better idea of what to answer when you were 6.

You should channel that same level of confidence when talking about your career goals to an interviewer.

Easier said than done, right? Especially if you’re uncertain about what your goals are or what they should look like in the first place.

We know that struggle! To help you figure out your career goals (and answer the dreaded interview question), we compiled this guide.

• What is a Career Goal and Why is It Important to Have One
• The 4 Most Common Types of Career Goals
• Tips for Answering “What are Your Career Goals” and things to avoid saying
• 3+ Examples of How Your Answer Should and Should Not Look Like

So, let’s get started:

What is a Career Goal

Career goals are targets. Things, positions, situations related to your professional life that you have set your mind on achieving. 

They can be short-term, like getting a promotion or certification, or they can be long-term, like running your own successful business or being an executive at your dream company. 

No matter what they sound like, they should be this sort of prize that motivates you to get going in your career. 

Why Is It Important to Have a Career Goal (And Why Interviewers Care)

Firstly, the job interview aside, you should have a career goal simply because it’s beneficial to you . 

Not to impress the interviewer, your relatives, or your future Tinder date, but to improve yourself.

Having a career goal will keep you focused and keep you from getting stuck on a cycle where every day looks the same and you forget what you are working for in the first place. 

It gives you something to aim for, steps to follow, progress to make.

Now, back to the interviewer and why they’re asking the question. Your answer lets them know about two things:

• How long do you plan on working for them
• What motivates you to work

All interviewers are curious as to why you want to work for them, and they will ask you straight up about it. However, this question tells them something that the “Why do you want to work for us?” interview question doesn’t.

Your career goal will give them an idea as to what type of employee you will be - long term or short term. Is this position something that you will be staying in for a while, or is this a temporary stop until a better opportunity comes along? 

In 2020, hiring and training an employee costs between $4000-$7600 . Money that employers have no interest in investing in someone who will be working for them for no longer than two months.

Having a career goal also means you are not applying for a position just because the job ad randomly stumbled in your way and, being unemployed, you’d apply to just about anything so… here you are. 

If you have a goal that you want to achieve, it means that this interview was no accident and this job position really aligns with your aspirations. That means you will probably be more dedicated to the job, work harder, and have a great attitude. 

An alternative to the career goals question is “ Where do you see yourself in 5 years? ”. In both cases, interviewers are trying to get to the same point: your future.

4 Most Common Career Goals

Apart from the two main types - long term and short term - career goals can also be sorted into categories depending on their focus.

The 4 most common ones being:

Goals focused on professional advancement 

These goals are all about improving your work performance and being more efficient; getting better and faster at what you do and climbing higher up the ladder because of it. 

Short-term example: A sales agent increasing their monthly sales by x%

Long-term example: Make a senior partner at a top law firm.

Goals focused on leadership advancement

When it comes to leadership, there’s a lot of room for career advancement. These goals are all about improving your management skills and aiming for positions with more responsibilities.

Short-term example: Working my way up to the position of a manager at this restaurant. 

Long-term example: Working as an executive at X company.

Goals focused on educational advancement 

Whether you just graduated or you’re a full-on professional, there’s always more to learn. These goals are about keeping you up to date with the new developments in your field or just learning something new and different.

Short-term example: Learning a new programming language.

Long-term example: Finish medical school, complete a surgery residency program, and successfully earn a state license to practice medicine in no more than 11 years. 

Goals focused on personal development

These goals put emphasis on self-improvement and skills like networking or teamwork. Achieving them has a positive impact on your professional life, but they also show that you are more than just work work work.

Short-term example: Becoming more proactive within your company.

Long-term example: Improving your networking skills.

How to Answer - “What Are Your Career Goals?”

There really is no formula for getting this question right. There are, however, some tips we can give you to make sure your answer hits all the right spots.

Be relevant to the company.

Let’s say one of your goals at the moment is to get a certification from an online course in fictional writing. That’s an amazing goal, but if you are applying for a position as a sales manager, this certification is not going to help you a lot at the interview.

So what this means is, your answer to this interview question should be related to the position/company you’re applying for. 

• My goal has always been to be a Certified Public Accountant. In one year I will have finally fulfilled the education and experience requirements to enter the Uniform CPA Exam, which I’m very determined on passing.
• I’m only an amateur photographer, but my goal is to have my own exposition one day. Whenever I’m outside of work I try to dedicate myself to it as much time as possible so I can expand my portfolio. I think it’s cool for an accountant to be engaged in something else like photography, right?

Start with short-term goals and then move to long-term ones.

Short-term goals usually tend to be steps in the way of the bigger long-term goal. They’re also more specific and clear. 

When giving your answer, you can start talking about these goals, and then roll into the long-term ones. Your answer will sound much more logical and your plans well thought out. 

• I’m aiming to discover some new talented authors in the upcoming years. Delivering a bestselling book would help me establish my name as an editor in the publishing industry and help me gradually build a strong clientele of writers.
• My goal is to be the editor of some major writers. I can see myself delivering a bestselling series like Harry Potter in a few years.

Back your goals with an action plan

Laying out a list of goals doesn’t make for a very convincing answer. Instead, focus on one or two main goals and briefly explain how you plan on achieving them or how they will benefit your career in the long-term. This shows that you have thought these goals through and are clear about what you want in the future. 

For example, if your short-term goal is to learn a new programming language, explain how you will achieve that (certification or auto-didactic learning) and how that improves your work performance (does it allow you to work on more projects? Does the company you work for benefit from that?).

Elaborating on that last sentence: Focus on the employer.

Yes, they’re asking about your career goals, but at the end of the day, they care about their company’s best interest more. (No shocker here.) So, when talking about your goals make sure to express how achieving them will also be beneficial to your potential employer. Convince them it’ll be a win-win situation.

• I’m trying to find the appropriate time this year to enroll in a course for learning SAP FICO. It would help me as a financial analyst deliver more accurate reports, as well as help the company plan and monitor costs better.
• I’m aiming to improve the quality of my reports and analyses. I need to do some more research on how exactly I can do that, but for now, that’s my goal.

Preparation and Practice.

No matter how much you feel you have your future plans figured out, it’s still important to prepare for this question in advance. Think about some short-term and long-term goals, and take the time to practice your answer.

3+ Sample Answers to “What Are Your Career Goals”

If all that talk had you confused, here are 3 examples of answers that illustrate how to turn theory into practice.

Student/Intern Example

“Well, I’ll be graduating next year and I would love to start working in the marketing department of a company like yours right away. Apart from expanding my knowledge and experience in marketing, I also hope to improve my communication and public speaking skills. I really want to be a proactive and valuable team member.”

Short-term goal: Work in marketing after graduation.

Long-term goal: Be a proactive and engaged team member. 

Action plan: Earn more experience and knowledge in marketing and improve communication and public speaking skills. 

Professional Example

“I know that it’s become more and more helpful to know Python in the context of finance, so I plan on learning it this year. It will come in handy when solving portfolio optimization problems. As far as long-term goals, I would like to become a part-time professor at Y university. I have given some guest lectures there and really enjoyed it. The flexible hours are also very beneficial as they allow me to keep another job as well.”

Short-term goal and action plan: Learn Python in the finance context.

Long-term goal and action plan: Become a part-time professor at Y university.

Management Example

“At the moment I’m trying to improve my leadership skills so that I’m able to manage larger game design teams. I’ve only had experience as a lead designer so far, but I hope after a few years and some more experience I’ll be able to fully manage an entire project.”

Short-term goal: Manage larger game design teams. Long-term goal: Become project manager. 

Action plan: Improve leadership skills and gain more experience as game design lead. 

If you’re looking for sample answers to similar tricky interview questions, check out these 35+ Common Interview Questions and Answers .

4 Common Mistakes to Avoid When Answering “What Are Your Career Goals”

After covering the to-dos, let’s get to the NOT to-dos.

Here are 4 of the most common mistakes people make when answering “what are your career goals?”

Answer with “I have no goals”

There isn’t much to elaborate on this one, just.... don’t. 

Talk about salary

It’s okay for money to be your motivator. Hell, it’s the motivator for most people. You know that, we know that, the interviewer knows that, BUT that’s not what they want to hear and that’s not what you should say. 

For example, if you’re in the marketing industry and you want to get to a point where you have an annual salary of $70,000. You should look into what positions in your industry make that kind of earning and set them as your goal instead.

So, at the interview, instead of saying “My goal is to make $70,000 in salary by the time I’m 30”, go with “My goal is to be a content marketing director by the time I’m 30.”

Set unrealistic goals

This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t dream big. We fully support that reach-for-the-stars mindset. 

However, insisting that in 5 years you’ll be CEO of the company where you’re applying, when you just graduated a month ago… that doesn’t sit that well, especially with the interviewer. You will come off as arrogant and that definitely won’t get you through the door.

Get into too many specifics

Meaning, if your goal is being head of marketing for your dream company and that’s not the position or company you’re applying for, it would be best to not mention that. 

Doing so would let the interviewer know that your eyes are on another company and this position is temporary to you. Instead, you can just say that your goal is being head of a marketing department. No more details on who, where, what. 

There are a lot of other danger zones during interviews, so if you want to find out about them, here’s a guide on 26+ Biggest Interview Mistakes .

Key Takeaways

Whew, that was a lot to take in, right? 

When answering the “what are your career goals” interview question, here’s what you need to remember:

• Be relevant to the company. If your goals align with the needs of the company, or even better, the company benefits from them, you’ll have an advantage as a candidate.
• Explain how. Give some steps that you plan to follow to reach your goals. That will show that they are well thought and planned.
• Avoid the money talk. Instead of talking $ bills translate salary into an actual position. That sits better with the interviewer.

When it comes down to it, all the lists and tips don’t mean much if you don’t take time to properly prepare and practice, so don’t skip that part.

And if you want to practice more interview questions, we've prepared examples answers for you:

• Tell Me About Yourself
• Why Do You Want to Work Here?
• Why Should We Hire You?
• What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?
• What Is Your Greatest Strength?
• What Is Your Greatest Accomplishment?

Wait, that's not all! We've even got guides with tips on how to ace your next interview:

• Video Interview - Tips on How to Ace It
• Phone Interview Questions & Tips - How to Ace It
• How to Ace Interviews with the STAR Method [9+ Examples]
• Thank You Email After Interview

Suggested Readings:

• 101 Career Paths for Every Personality
• How to Craft an Elevator Pitch
• Salary Negotiation Tips

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• Applying For Scholarships

Essay: How Will This Scholarship Help You Achieve Your Goals? (With Example) – 2023

Jennifer Finetti May 23, 2023

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Many scholarship applicants often have to write a “How will this scholarship help you achieve your goals” essay. This gives the scholarship committee an understanding of how the scholarship will help students pursue their goals.

Needless to say, the essay is very important for the scholarship application. This is where students can show off their personality. Students should make sure to write a unique composition which answers the essay question.

Think About Your Goals

It can be challenging to think about what your goals are after college. This is especially true if you haven’t decided on a major and have no idea what you want to study.

If you find yourself struggling to determine what your career goals are, try brainstorming before you start writing. Think of what your short-term and long-term goals are and write them down. What skills do you need to achieve these goals?

The fastest path to earning scholarships

Simplify and focus your application process with the one-stop platform for vetted scholarships.

Writing Tips – Getting Started

When starting to write your essay , make sure you open with a catchy introduction. This can be a question, an anecdote or a personal story. You want to grab your reader’s interest right away. Start with something unique, rather than using a generic sentence that any other student can use.

Explain the Inspiration Behind Your Goals

You’ll then want to explain the inspiration behind your goals. What led you to want to pursue these goals? What experiences have you had in life which have influenced you and your dreams?

Discuss Your Goals

After discussing your past experiences, talk about your education and career goals . Do you have a major? How will it help you achieve your goals?

Do you have long-term goals you can talk about? The scholarship provider doesn’t expect you to have long-term goals set in stone so don’t worry if you don’t. Instead, you can write about how you wish to impact others.

Make a Creative Conclusion

In your conclusion paragraph, you should summarize the major points in your essay.  Then finish with a closing thought. You should try to make it creative and unique. You want to leave a lasting impression on the reader.

After you finish writing your essay, make sure you proofread it several times. The last thing you’d want to do is turn in an essay with grammar mistakes.

Scholarship Goals Essay Example

It was November, 2016, a few days before Thanksgiving. My class took a field trip to a soup kitchen to serve lunch. I poured piping hot soup into bowls while people started to fill the room. It was a great way to warm up on the frigid November day. Their eyes seemed empty and sad. “Happy Thanksgiving” we said to one another, as our eyes locked.

A few days later, as I sat surrounded by family, turkey, gravy and pumpkin pie, I couldn’t help but feel like something wasn’t right. Why was I so fortunate to have access to all this food? I thought of the people from the soup kitchen and wondered where they were. I knew right then and there that my purpose in life was to help people.

I returned to the soup kitchen as a volunteer a week later, and a week after that.

I envisioned the realm of possibilities for these people. “I would connect him with a rehab program, her with daycare for her baby so she could find work,” I thought to myself while volunteering. I have dreams of one day being able to help people make changes in their lives.

For this reason, I will be starting my undergraduate degree in social work at Boston University in the fall. I am certain that my studies will instill within me the skills and knowledge I need to pursue a career as a social worker. I hope to be able to help those who are less privileged find hope in their lives.

This scholarship will help me achieve my educational and career goals. I have been working hard to save up for college, but with the exorbitant costs of tuition, my part-time jobs haven’t been enough. I am planning to work during my undergraduate degree, but I do wish to focus a lot of my time on my studies. This scholarship will help by lowering the costs of college and the amount of hours I’ll need to work throughout my studies. This way, I’ll be able to continue with my academic achievements. It will also give me time to find an internship. I am hoping to find an internship at a homeless shelter in the Boston area.

It has been two and a half years since I first walked into that soup kitchen. That day without a doubt has changed the course of my life. My experiences there, talking with people and hearing their stories, have instilled within me a passion to help people make positive changes in their lives. This scholarship will allow me to pursue the education I need to achieve my goals.

• Scholarship Essay

Jennifer Finetti

As a parent who recently helped her own kids embark on their college journeys, Jennifer approaches the transition from high school to college from a unique perspective. She truly enjoys engaging with students – helping them to build the confidence, knowledge, and insight needed to pursue their educational and career goals, while also empowering them with the strategies and skills needed to access scholarships and financial aid that can help limit college costs. She understands the importance of ensuring access to the edtech tools and resources that can make this process easier and more equitable - this drive to support underserved populations is what drew her to ScholarshipOwl. Jennifer has coached students from around the world, as well as in-person with local students in her own community. Her areas of focus include career exploration, major selection, college search and selection, college application assistance, financial aid and scholarship consultation, essay review and feedback, and more. She works with students who are at the top of their class, as well as those who are struggling. She firmly believes that all students, regardless of their circumstances, can succeed if they stay focused and work hard in school. Jennifer earned her MA in Counseling Psychology from National University, and her BA in Psychology from University of California, Santa Cruz.

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9 Ways to Boss Up and Crush Your Professional Development Goals

Expert tips for setting goals and advancing in your career.

Wendy Rose Gould is a lifestyle reporter with over a decade of experience covering health and wellness topics.

Luis Alvarez / Getty Images

We dedicate roughly 90,000 hours to work over the course of our lives. Pretty wild to think about, right? This number can either bog you down and fill you with dread, or it can excite and motivate you to lead a fulfilling career. 

“When you intentionally cultivate your experience at work, choosing a career that aligns with your values, sense of mission, and unique zone of genius, work becomes a source of energy, creativity, fun, and flow,” says Victoria Song , a leadership advisor and alumna of both Yale College and Harvard Business School. Bottom line: “You'll grow in the exact ways that inspire you.” 

Ahead, we’re sharing the key benefits of putting intentional energy into your work and career and sharing effective goal-setting strategies that’ll help you boss up and crush your professional development goals. 

Benefits of Focusing Energy & Intention Into Your Career

Though work isn’t the end-all, be-all of your life—relationships and personal endeavors are arguably much higher on the list—being proud and satisfied within your career ultimately improves your quality of life. 

“You'll find new levels of freedom in relationships, time, and money,” Song says. “You'll feel proud of how far you've come, and excited for where you're headed next. You'll surprise yourself with what you're capable of, developing the skill-mastery, confidence and courage to keep stretching your goals and visions.”

Maggie Berghoff, a business growth consultant and entrepreneur

Embrace your journey and work hard—no matter what level you're at—with a positive mindset, and you'll be able to grow to where you're meant to be.

Maggie Berghoff , a business growth consultant and entrepreneur, says that even if you’re not exactly where you want to be right now (or feel like you’ve got miles to go), you can find fulfillment in the journey itself. 

“Embrace your journey and work hard—no matter what level you're at—with a positive mindset, and you'll be able to grow to where you're meant to be,” she says. “If you put your all into it, there's no telling how far you'll go. You'll attract the opportunities you want and have the courage and skills built to take advantage of those opportunities when they arise.” 

7 Expert Tips For Setting & Achieving Career Goals 

In order to crush it in your career, it’s crucial to set clearly defined objectives. This gives you benchmarks to work toward, allowing you to focus your eye on the prize and level up over time. 

1. Set Clearly Defined Goals 

One of the biggest differentiators between those who set goals and achieve them and those who do not is how clearly they defined their goals. 

“You want your goals to be clear and specific, as this makes it easier for you to make measurable progress toward them,” explains career coach Kyle Elliott , EdD. He says you’ll need to be able to answer questions like, ‘How will I know that I have reached my goal?’ or ‘In what ways can I measure my progress along the way?’”  

Setting “S.M.A.R.T.” goals can help you do this: 

• S: Specific
• M: Measurable 
• A: Achievable 
• R: Relevant
• T: Time-Bound

Ultimately, clearly defined goals allow you to determine what's working and what's not, and can provide direction for when it’s time to shake things up. Studies also show that this level of exact action planning helps you achieve your goals.

2. Work Toward Different Types of Goals 

Bucket your goals into three different types: predictable goals, stretch goals, and inspiring, shoot-for-the-moon type goals. 

• Predictable: “The predictable goal is something you already know how to do, perhaps have done it before, and have a strategy for achieving it,” Song says. 
• Stretch: Stretch, or “possible” goals, are something you think is within reach, but you may not yet know exactly how to achieve it, you haven't done it before and possibly never seen anyone else do it either.  
• Moonshot: “The inspiring, moonshot goal is the crazy potential goal that is like hitting the bullseye on a dart board. You know it's difficult, you can't guarantee it, you're not attached to it, but it's fun to imagine what if. You'd be so excited!” 

This multi-layered approach creates a balanced approach to personal and professional growth. Predictable goals provide stability and direction, stretch goals encourage continuous improvement and innovation, while inspiring goals fuel ambition and drive transformative change.

3. Track Progress for Both Hard Goals and Soft Skills 

Shift your mindset from “set it and forget” to “set it and track it.” For example, if your goal is to hit $XYZ revenue within a certain timeframe, keep checking in with your progress. This allows you to make adjustments as needed to hit your target. 

You can do this with soft skills such as improving communication or leveling up leadership skills . Even with soft skills, though, Dr. Elliott says you’ll find more success when defining what these things mean to you and tracking key performance indicators (KPIs). 

“KPIs don’t always need to include numbers,” he says. “If your goal is to be a more confident communicator, for instance, you might start to track the feelings you have after important meetings at work.”

Berghoff, business growth consultant and entrepreneur

We're so fortunate that in today's world there are so many opportunities to learn and master any skill set you desire all online.

4. Invest in Continuing Education 

Continuing education is an excellent way to work toward your professional development goals. This might look like professional workshops and conferences, working toward new certifications within your industry, mentorship and coaching , and/or industry-specific training programs.

“We're so fortunate that in today's world there are so many opportunities to learn and master any skill set you desire all online,” Berghoff says. “There is likely an online course or mentorship program for anything you want to achieve. They're all different structures and prices, so you can find one best suited for you.” 

She strongly recommends investing in your growth and learning from those who have done what you want to do, too. Not only will you learn new skills to move you forward, you'll also be surrounded by other growth-oriented individuals who think differently in life and are ambitious for big things. 

Kyle Elliott, EdD, career coach

People want to help, but they need to know where and how to best support you.

5. Communicate Your Goals to Others 

Setting clearly defined goals gives you momentum and clarity, but it also comes in handy for this next tip for crushing your professional development goals: Getting others involved. “People want to help, but they need to know where and how to best support you,” Dr. Elliott notes. 

Sharing goals with others—including family, friends, and colleagues—fosters accountability, support, and collaboration. It also provides room for helpful feedback, diverse perspectives , and collective problem-solving. 

6. Network With Intention 

Similarly, make big strides when it comes to networking. The more people you know, the more connections you have, the more advice you’ll get, and the more opportunities you’ll see. By connecting with professionals in your field, you gain insights, mentorship, and access to resources that can propel your career forward. 

What’s more, networking helps you stay on top of industry trends, discover job openings (sometimes before others even know about them), and provides opportunity for meaningful referrals and encouragement throughout your professional journey. You can network at conferences, in the office, via platforms like LinkedIn, and local events. 

7. Focus Your Attention on the Process 

Hitting marks is great, but you ultimately want to focus more attention on the process versus obsessing over outcomes. 

“As you set career goals, you want to be sure that you’re focusing your time and effort on what’s in your control,” Dr. Elliott notes. “You might be tempted to set a result-focused goal, but this can be a recipe for disappointment, since outcomes are so often out of our hands, especially when it comes to professional development and growth.” 

As you set career goals, you want to be sure that you’re focusing your time and effort on what’s in your control.

In other words, you want to focus your attention on the process, or inputs, that you can personally control. For example, if you want to become a manager, you might set a goal of taking additional leadership classes rather than securing a new position. While your desire may be to move up to a management position, that outcome ultimately sits with your employer.

8. Celebrate Your Wins Along the Way 

Here’s another good reason to track your goals: It lets you know when it’s time to celebrate! Taking time to reward yourself for wins for progress made is a key part of cultivating a winner’s mindset, Song says. Research has also found that it helps spark creativity and engagement among colleagues.

Dr. Elliott agrees. He says, “Rewards can be a powerful motivator for achieving goals. Everyone is different, so you’ll want to tap into those rewards that will inspire you to work toward your professional goals.” 

Rewards can be a powerful motivator for achieving goals. Everyone is different, so you’ll want to tap into those rewards that will inspire you to work toward your professional goals.

9. Stay the Course

You’ll experience natural ebbs and flows along your career development journey. Dips are completely normal and aren’t a reason to abandon ship. Rather, they’re a time to practice self-compassion, gently assess, and find new strength. Sometimes, feeling stuck or unmotivated is caused by pursuing the wrong goal, or going about it the wrong way. 

“There will always be ups and downs, but being grateful for it all and seeing ‘failures’ as great lessons is a major key to success,” Berghoff says. “Embracing the journey and process is the best way to stay the course in your goals long-term and continue winning.” 

Bailey RR. Goal setting and action planning for health behavior change .  Am J Lifestyle Med . 2017;13(6):615-618. doi:10.1177/1559827617729634

Amabile TM, Kramer SJ. The Progress Principle: Using Small Wins to Ignite Joy, Engagement, and Creativity at Work . Harvard Business Review Press; 2011.

By Wendy Rose Gould Wendy Rose Gould is a lifestyle reporter with over a decade of experience covering health and wellness topics.

Long-Term Career Goals: 15 Examples and How to Achieve Them

Table of Contents

Where do you see yourself professionally in 5 years? What about 10 or 15? Do you want to improve in your current field or try something new?

If you don’t know the answers to these questions, you might want to reflect on your long-term career goals. After all, you can’t get anywhere without knowing where you’re going.

But, if you set a destination, the path becomes clear. So in this article, we’ll talk about what long-term career goals are, go through some examples of useful career goals, see what challenges you might face, and talk about how you can overcome them.

What are long-term career goals?

Long-term career goals are objectives in your professional life that you plan to achieve within the next couple of years or decades.

These goals can help you define your career path and visualize where you want to be in the future. 

They’re neither easy to achieve nor set as they are susceptible to change. However, they can give you something to strive for that keeps you motivated as you pick out the skills and steps you need to take to achieve your goals.

Every long-term career goal is unique for each individual, so make sure to set the ones that fit your aspirations best instead of the most common or expected ones.

How are long-term career goals different from short-term career goals?

Their main difference is right in their names — long-term goals take a while to achieve, while short-term career goals are focused on the more imminent future.

A long-term goal is a North Star — a direction to follow. Short-term goals work as stepping stones that carve a clearer path toward your destination. 

For example, starting your own business can be a long-term goal, while getting a promotion at your current job is a short-term one.

Examples of long-term career goals

While long-term career goals are personal, they can be difficult to pinpoint. So, we’ve included some examples of common long-term goals to serve as inspiration for your own. 

Goal #1: Become proficient at a new skill

Learning a new skill will always help drive your career forward. It’s up to you, however, to decide on the skill that fits your career path best — be it leadership skills, data analytics, communication, character design, or anything else related to your field of work.

This is also a great starter goal because of its clarity. Picking out the short-term goals you need to achieve this long-term one is simple — for example:

• Decide which skill you want to learn, 
• Research relevant courses and classes, 
• Allocate an hour, 4 times a week to learning the skill, 
• Complete a course within the first month, etc.

Goal #2: Switch careers

There’s no worse feeling than getting tired of your job. If you’re feeling burned out, stressed, or simply bored of your current career, you might want a change of pace.

As this process can be stressful, setting a reminder for what you’re working towards can be a great motivator.

Think of a career that fulfills you, one where you feel you’ll fit in — and then determine a clear path toward getting there. What skills do you need to take that path? Are there any you already have? What can you use from your current career to help you get started in the next?

For example, you’re in sales and want to transition into project management . You’ve grown accustomed to teamwork and perfected communication but want to improve your leadership and organizational skills.

💡PLAKY PRO TIP

The huge demand for project managers, high salaries, and no need for a traditional diploma make project management a popular “second career” for many people tired of their old jobs. If this sounds like you, these might be some useful reads:

• How to Get Experience in Project Management
• Project Management Salary Guide

Goal #3: Obtain professional certification

If you wish to improve your career opportunities or test your skills in a specific field, you might want to try to get certified.

Obtaining certificates is a great long-term goal — not only do they offer additional, valuable knowledge of an industry, but they also improve your chances of employment. Some are almost seen as essential in their field, like project management certifications .

Goal #4: Gain a new degree

Whether you’re unhappy with your current degree or just have a passion for academia, this goal is great for increasing your skill pool and growing in multiple industries.

You might just want to get a master’s degree for a specific subfield, either for the purpose of furthering your career in your current field or in order to switch careers. Whatever the reason, consider the time and effort it will take to achieve this goal and how willing you are to put it in.

Goal #5: Grow your business network

Some of the benefits of a strong professional network include better hiring opportunities, building strategic personal connections, or just increased awareness of your brand.

For example, let’s say you have a good business idea for a new mobile app but no experience. In your personal circle, only one person is proficient in marketing. While you can get solid marketing advice from them — or help, even — there’s no one you can refer to on coding, design, or any similar questions you might have about bringing this idea to life. 

A wide business network is a goldmine of information and opportunities for finding experts and mentors who can help you on your career path.

Goal #6: Publish your work

If you’re working on a book, thesis, journal, research paper, magazine, or anything similar — you’ve undoubtedly noticed the long and difficult road to publishing your work.

Publishing can bring more credibility to your thoughts on specific topics or research, so it’s a worthwhile goal to set.

Goal #7: Complete an innovative project or product

Sometimes, you like your career but feel like it has gone stale or repetitive. That’s a good time to introduce a bold goal that requires some risk-taking.

You might want to create something revolutionary or just something new. In any case, achieving such a goal takes time and may not be successful, so take that into account when deciding on giving it a go.

Goal #8: Start a business

This one is similar to the “switching careers” goal — only the career you’ll be switching to is entrepreneurial. If you’d like to work in a leadership position and feel comfortable with a high-risk, high-reward career path, this goal might be for you.

Like with switching careers, carefully research the skills you need to start a business in your desired industry. Add leadership skills, a knack for innovation, and critical thinking, and you might just find success.

💡 PLAKY PRO TIP

If you’re pursuing entrepreneurship as your long-term career goal, these texts might provide exactly the information and motivation you’ve been looking for:

• Entrepreneur Statistics
• Small Business Statistics
• 160+ Small Business Quotes to Inspire Entrepreneurs

Goal #9: Increase your income

If you’re unhappy with your current salary, or there’s a specific lifestyle you want to be able to afford, you might want to set this goal. 

It’s a good idea to determine an exact financial goal — like being able to afford a new car or a home. This way, you’ll know how much of an increase would be ideal for you.

Achieving your goals will require discipline and good organizational skills. We’ve created a little cheat resource to help you stay organized on your journey:

• 20 Free To-Do List Templates (Customizable & Printable)

Goal #10: Become a thought leader 

As opposed to some previous goals, if you’re satisfied with your current career, you might want to strive to become a thought leader in your field.

This will make you a prominent figure in your desired industry, which creates great work opportunities. However, it takes a lot of time and effort, as you’ll need to understand the industry problems and work on the solutions.

It’s best to find a suitable platform and share insider tips and unique insights that would single you out as an authority in your field.

Goal #11: Achieve a desirable work-life balance

It goes without saying that working non-stop is not productive — or healthy. Burnout and serious medical problems are real modern-day consequences of overwork — which is precisely why proper rest is so important.

In reality, rest can boost productivity, as it allows you to “refresh” and work more efficiently when you start over. 

This goal is different for everyone — learn what it means to you and think of ways to achieve that. A common solution is to find a job with flexible hours or a remote work option. This way, you could be less time-bound to work and able to rest whenever you need it.

Goal #12: Become a mentor

If you feel like you’ve already become an expert in a certain field and wish to help out and tutor others who are interested in it, this is a good goal to set.

Becoming a mentor is a fulfilling role, as it allows you to guide the next generation of industry experts. It can also increase your skills and expertise, as you might be able to view your career from a different perspective. 

Goal #13: Earn a promotion

Whenever you start working for a company, it’s good to think about the direction you want to progress in. Odds are you’re in a relatively low-level position at first, and you’ll want to progress as time goes by. So, think about the position you want to end up in.

Make sure your managers and superiors know what you’re aiming towards. Set that goal and make sure to acquire the skills and experience to achieve it.

Goal #14: Take a step back

If you’re looking to start a family, work on a personal passion, or just rest for some time, you might want to work on this goal.

Obtaining job security to a level that allows you to step back is invaluable. Similarly to achieving a work-life balance, if you need to work fewer hours or with more flexibility at some point, make sure to strive for that.

Goal #15: Boost your brand

Whether it’s about a company you started or building a personal brand, this goal is a career essential.

Building your personal brand can make you stand out to potential employers. Building your company brand improves your chances with potential customers.

This involves a lengthy process of growing your brand’s reputation as an expert in the desired field. You can do this by improving your marketing efforts, working on getting good reviews, or coming up with a catchy company slogan .

💡 Plaky Pro Tip

If you want to learn more about how to market your business or yourself, read up on marketing project management:

• Marketing Project Management — A Guide With Expert Insights

Challenges to reaching long-term career goals

As we said, chasing after long-term goals is a challenging journey. Here are some of the most common obstacles to look out for.

Challenge #1: Changes in personal life

Your personal life will always influence your professional life, and the other way around. A sudden change can always happen in your personal life, and it will surely affect your goals.

Even positive changes, like getting married, can put off professional goals. So, whenever this happens, you need to reassess and update your goals. 

Challenge#2: Self-doubt

This challenge not only affects how you approach your goals but also how you set them. Don’t be afraid to aim high — you’ll be amazed at what you can achieve in a couple of years.

Challenge #3: Time

An issue that easily comes to mind is finding the time to achieve your goals. Time is easily spent, especially on your job and chores.

When you also take into account the need for rest, it seems like there’s very little time for much else. Yet, taking even one hour to work on your goals every few days will slowly get you closer to reaching them.

Challenge #4: Unclear goals

Going towards an unclear goal is similar to trying to find a path on a highway — sure, you’re going in the right general direction, but are you in the right lane?

Make sure to set concrete goals, ones that you can visualize. For example, “I’d like to make an impact in my field” is a vague statement, whereas specifying it as “I’d like to start a mentorship program” is much better.

Challenge #5: Burnout

Long-term goals take a while to achieve, but that doesn’t mean they can’t overwhelm you.

Each long-term goal requires short-term goals as steps to complete it. So, having too many long-term goals means you will also have too many short-term ones.

Besides, focusing on multiple things at once is counterproductive and spreads you too thin to achieve anything of value. This can easily lead to burnout. 

While it’s good to be ambitious, try not to go overboard with the amount of long-term goals you set.

So, mind the symptoms, as they’ll point to what you need to change to overcome this challenge.

Free task management software

Manage your goals and workload in Plaky to achieve better results.

Tips and strategies for setting and achieving long-term career goals 

Now that we’ve gone through the difficulties of goal setting, let’s discuss some tips that can help you overcome them.

Tip #1: Set SMART goals

The simplest way to avoid unclear goals is to set SMART goals . SMART is an acronym that represents what your goals should be:

• M easurable,
• A ttainable,
• R ealistic, and 
• T ime-bound.

If your goal checks all of these boxes, your goal is clear, and there should be no confusion going forward. 

A SMART goal example could be: “Get my business’s social media account to 10,000 followers in the following 6 months” .

Tip #2: Be flexible

Your long-term goals should not be set in stone. After all, it’s silly to assume that they won’t change over time.

So, don’t be afraid to go back and change up some details of your goals or steps to achieving them — or even scrap some, if a new situation calls for it.

Tip #3: Share your goals 

Don’t be afraid to talk about your goals aloud and share them with those around you. Doing this, you’ll challenge yourself to take the goal seriously.

But more importantly, you’ll be able to grow your network of similar-minded people. And, whenever someone hears of an opportunity that’s a useful stepping stone to your goal, you can bet that they’ll let you know.

Tip #4: Track progress and celebrate milestones

When you’re working on a far-away goal, it’s easy to feel like you’re not making any progress. After all, when it’s been years and you haven’t achieved it, it’s easy to forget about all the progress you’ve made.

That’s why tracking your progress is so important. Try to determine important milestones on your journey, and make sure to celebrate reaching them. It will help keep you motivated along the way.

It also helps to use task management software to make the progress-tracking experience easier and more efficient.

Tip #5: Don’t forget about short-term goals

The biggest reason you should make long-term career goals is to make more coherent and unified short-term goals.

So, be thorough and determine the smaller steps that take you to the top.

Why are long-term career goals important?

Simply put — they give you a sense of direction. Without a final destination, your goal path would meander and never reach an actual conclusion. You’d learn skills that aren’t important for your career, go into an industry that won’t help your future, etc.

Long-term goals also influence your motivation and drive to improve. If the cumulative path of your short-term goals is taking you someplace, you’re more likely to complete them.

Consequently, long-term goals improve personal development, help you choose career paths, and give you plenty to work towards, with much time and flexibility.

This carries with it a feeling of personal fulfillment and purpose.

Track your long-term career goals with Plaky

As we mentioned earlier, you can use task management software to help keep track of your career goals. Plaky ’s flexibility and versatility make it an excellent choice if you’re looking for a way to tailor your goal-tracking process. 

With many customization options, you can make your tracking board as personalized as you want it. 

You could create a board that has long-term goals listed as item groups, with specific steps you need to take defined as items in that group. This way, you can use the summary row at the bottom of every item group to visually track your goals. The summary row allows you to get a clear, color-coded overview of your progress at the bottom of every field.

You can use the date or timeline field to create a timeline for each goal and unlimited file storage to organize files by goals — like storing PDFs from a specific course.

All of these benefits are included in Plaky’s generous free plan, while more advanced features, like the Gantt view or advanced templates, are available in its paid plans .

Do you want a quick and easy way to track your goals? Would you like to use software that is easy to learn, customizable, and helps you organize both long and short-term goals? Get started right away, and sign up for a free Plaky account today .

Luka Bogavac is a project management author and researcher who focuses on making project management topics both approachable and informative. With experience in entrepreneurial projects, education, and writing, he aims to make articles that his younger self would appreciate. In his free time, he enjoys being outdoors hiking, or staying indoors with a good film or video game.

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