Sometimes it can be hard to set realistic career goals. You may want to get a better job, increase your salary and be happier. But how do you do that? Career goals are hard to set because they often involve a lot of change. It means taking risks, too. That’s why it can be so tempting to stay in the same place and coast along. But if you want to advance your career, here are the strategies to follow.

Define what you want

Take some time to sit down and think about your career. You might have already taken a personality test like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) which can help you understand yourself better. If not, you can look these up online. There are a lot of personality tests that measure things like how outgoing you are, how practical you are, how good you are at making decisions, etc.

Once you’ve done that, think about your work life. Think about what your career goals are and how your personality fits into that. For example, if you’re fiercely independent but also very hardworking and driven, you could be a freelancer or consultant. If you ‘re more of a people-person, you might want to work in a team setting.

Now think about your values. What do you believe in? What’s important to you? For instance, if you’re very family-oriented, you might want to work for a company that offers flexible hours or telecommuting. Or, if you want to travel, you’ll probably need a more flexible schedule.

Once you’ve done this exercise and gotten some clarity on what you want, it’s time to figure out your career goals. 

You do this by asking yourself these questions:

What is my highest and best use? In other words, what is my perfect job?

How can I best achieve my goals?

What do I want to accomplish? What do I want to be?

What are my objectives? (You should have at least one for each year.)

Write your answers down. Once you’ve done that, it’s time to put together a plan to achieve your goals. This may seem like a lot of work, but if you take the time to do this exercise and really think about what you want, it will help you make better decisions along the way. It will also help you keep your eye on the prize.

Make a plan

The best way to make a career plan is to start with your end in mind. If you know where you want to be, it’ll be much easier to figure out how to get there .

Here’s how to do it:

Define your end goal. What do you want to become? Write it down.

Define your milestones. Write down the steps you need to take to get there. Make a timeline for each one and include deadlines for completion. It’s important to be specific about what you want; a goal that’s too broad may not be enough to keep you motivated in the long term.

Create an action plan for achieving each of your goals. This is the most important part of your career plan, because it will help you stay focused on what you want and how you’re going to get there. Remember, this is a living document, so make sure you review it every few weeks and revise it as needed.

Finally, remember that the best career plan is one that’s flexible and open to change. The world is dynamic, so your career plan needs to be too.