How to Create a Career Development Plan: Goal Setting for Long-Term Success

There’s no better time to consider goal setting and career planning than near the start of a new year. Setting clear career goals is important, as it gives you focus on what you want to achieve, helping you feel motivated and inspired to move forward in the right direction both in your career and personal life. Goals and objectives provide clear direction, helping you identify what matters most and keeping you accountable and on track to achieve your aspirations.

"Employees who prioritise self-development are more likely to be promoted and earn higher salaries" – Gallup's State of the American Workplace report.

In this article, we explore all the factors you should consider when focusing on your career development and setting effective goals.

How to Create a Career Development Plan

You can create a career development plan at any stage of your career, whether you’re later in your career and focused on end-career goals, at a mid-senior level, or in the earlier stages of your professional journey. We often hear the term ‘career development plan’, but what does it really mean, and how do you create one?

A career development plan is a collection of both short- and long-term career goals. It focuses on your current role and achievements while also planning for the future. Creating a career development plan takes careful thought and reflection, enabling you to decide what you want from your career and what you need to do or achieve to succeed.

There are clear steps you can take to create a structured plan for your career development. It’s a valuable opportunity to establish what you want to achieve and how you can get there.

Reflecting on Your Career: Achievements, Skills, and Experience

Taking the time to reflect on and evaluate your career to date is an important part of the career planning process. It enables you to identify what you have achieved, the experience you have gained, and the skills you have developed. This reflection helps you understand what you have done well, as well as the areas where you have overcome challenges or faced difficulties. While this exercise can be done mentally, it is often more beneficial to document your thoughts on paper.

Identifying Your Strengths and Key Skills for Career Growth

Identify the areas where you excel the most to highlight your strongest capabilities and key skills. This exercise can be done independently, or you can seek feedback from peers to understand where they believe your strengths lie. Which of these skills will support your development as a leader or in a senior-level role with greater accountability and responsibility?

"Self-development activities can boost self-esteem and self-belief, leading to greater confidence in various aspects of life.” Albert Bandura, Theory of Self-Efficacy.

Understanding Your Development Areas for Long-Term Success

No matter what stage of your career or how senior a leader you may be, there is always an opportunity to develop existing skills and learn new ones. Establish the development areas to focus on that will benefit your career growth. As a leader, there are certain skills that may be of benefit to delegate to others who are more skilled or experienced, rather than focusing on developing those skills yourself. This is a great exercise to decide on the skills most beneficial for you to develop or seek further exposure to and those that are not essential to your own career growth.

Aligning Your Career with Your Values, Priorities, and Culture

Decide what is most important to you in life and in work. This will help you decide the type of company you want to be part of in the long term and the type of values and culture you are keen to avoid. How can you translate this to your current and future roles to ensure you live and breathe your values and align with the company you are part of? 

Training, Qualifications, and Learning Needed to Reach Your Goals

To reach your career goals on a short-term and long-term basis, there may be certain qualifications or training that are necessary. For certain professions and career paths, there are essential or desirable qualifications or formal training required to reach a senior or leadership level; ensure you do research into the potential training you may need to consider to reach your career goals.  

The Personal and Professional Impact of Achieving Your Career Goals

What will achieving your goals mean for you, both professionally and personally? If you reach these objectives, consider the impact this will have on your career and personal life. Achieving certain career goals may lead to greater stability, securing a dream role, or increased financial security, all of which can have a profound impact on your personal and family life. Understanding what your career goals mean to you will help keep you inspired and motivated to achieve the results you desire.

Our recruitment experts understand the significant impact new job opportunities can have on candidates’ lives when securing a senior role. At a senior level, a new position can be truly life-changing. With relocation often an option for new career opportunities, there are many factors to consider, and this is something our recruitment experts support candidates with across the globe.

Principles of Effective Goal Setting for Career Success

As highlighted by Locke and Latham, there are five key principles of effective goal setting: clarity, challenge, commitment, feedback, and task complexity. Let’s explore each of these in more detail.

Clarity

To set effective goals, it’s important to be clear about what you want to achieve. Having clarity and understanding around your goals will give you focus and allow you to measure success effectively. The SMART goal methodology is a proven way to set clear, well-defined, and measurable goals:

• S – Specific

• M – Measurable

• A – Achievable

• R – Realistic

• T – Timely

Challenge

Your goals should be realistic while still pushing you outside of your comfort zone. Objectives that challenge you but remain achievable can be highly motivating when combined with focus and sustained effort.

Commitment

Commitment is a key part of goal setting, and without it, achieving your goals is unlikely. The journey towards your objectives can be challenging, and your commitment to the end result plays a crucial role in staying motivated and overcoming obstacles along the way.

Feedback

Goal setting can deliver both short- and long-term results, but it’s important to regularly review and track your progress. This can be done through self-reflection, as well as by seeking feedback from colleagues or managers on how you are performing against your goals.

Task Complexity

To give yourself the best chance of success, ensure your goals are achievable within realistic timescales. Manage complexity effectively by breaking more challenging tasks into smaller, focused periods of work. Shorter bursts of activity can help maintain concentration, particularly when working on tasks that require deeper focus.

Seven Book Recommendations for Goal Setting and Self-Development

• The Workbook for SMART Goals

• The Primer Goal Setting Method

• Your Best Year Ever: A 5-Step Plan for Achieving Your Most Important Goals

• Creating Your Best Life: The Ultimate Life List Guide

• Eat That Frog

• Atomic Habits

• The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People

At CSG Talent, we don’t just support our teams with their own career development and opportunities to grow as individuals and managers; we also help candidates progress their careers by sourcing new opportunities at mid- to senior-level positions. Ongoing training is essential at every stage of a career, including leadership. Taking the time to step back, re-evaluate, and either learn new skills or refresh existing ones is always beneficial. This supports your own development, as well as the growth of the teams around you.

If you’re focusing on self-development, looking to boost your career, or aiming to become a more effective leader, explore our self-development articles here:

How to Enhance your Overall Career and Personal Development through Self Development

How to Give Valuable and Constructive Feedback