Get a raise, get a promotion and improve work/life balance are the three most popular 2023 career goals for US workers. These findings are based on a survey by MoneyPenny of 1,000 workers across ages, genders and occupations. Making more money was the number one priority of all age groups, except the 18-24 set (their number one was getting hired. though making more money scored just 2 percentage points below).
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The survey also found that the majority of respondents felt they hit their goals from 2022 – almost 82% of male respondents and almost 74% of female respondents. However, that still leaves a double-digit percentage of people who felt like they didn’t hit their goals. In addition, even among respondents who answered Yes to hitting their goals, the majority would have liked to achieve more. Less than half of respondents – 42.6% male and 36.6% female – agreed to the statement, “Yes, I achieved the career goals I set for myself in 2022”.
If you want to achieve the career goals you set for 2023, here are 5 action steps to take now:
1 - Imagine it’s the last week of 2023, and you’re disappointed about the year. Why exactly are you disappointed?
Most people are motivated more by potential pain than potential gain, so lean into the regret of missing your target. This will help you get specific about what needs to happen – e.g., how much of a raise you want, what specific promotion, what fulfilling work/life balance looks like. You need a specific metric for your goal so you can make appropriate plans. (If you’re still stuck about what career goal to pursue, try asking yourself these seven self-reflection questions.)
2 - What can you start right away?
Early momentum is important to encourage you to continue working on your goal. One action anyone can take is to find success prototypes to follow. Who has gotten a raise or promotion at your company, and are they willing to share the steps they followed? It doesn’t mean their exact playbook will work for you, but it can give you a sense for how the process works at your company or how much room there is to negotiate. (If you can talk to multiple people who have successfully gotten raises and/or promotions, so much the better!). For work/life balance, your prototype might be the person who has a schedule you want (how did they negotiate that?), or someone whose routines you admire (how did they build those habits?).
3 - What resources would be helpful?
As you take these initial actions, you may realize that there are things you need to work on (e.g., negotiating) or information you need to learn (e.g., comparable salary data). Make a list of what you’re missing and ideas for how to develop these skills or gather this information. This can serve as your research to do list. If some of these skills could be helpful on the job, see if your company offers training in-house or a stipend for courses outside.
4 - What would working towards this goal look like over the year – Q1, Q2, Q3, Q4?
Even if you’re not sure about every step, at least sketch out what you know needs to happen when. This ensures you don’t miss key deadlines, such as when raises and promotions are decided. A rough quarter-by-quarter outline also helps you stay on track and know when you need to course-correct. For work/life balance, you might track the time you spend on personal relationships, self-care or hobbies as one indication of whether you are sticking to your initial goal.
5 - What will you do when you get stuck?
It’s not a question of if you’ll run into obstacles and setbacks but when. You might not confirm all the steps in the promotion process. You might not be able to get exact salary data for your role. You might find out that your manager isn’t supportive of your request for a different schedule or more autonomy. You can’t anticipate the exact solution without knowing the problem, but you can set up support systems, such as people you can lean on for advice or encouragement or wellness habits that help you bounce back from a funk.
Answering these five questions now puts a plan in place early in the year
This gives you momentum to take action right away. It means more time in the year to hit your goals or even surpass them. You may even decide to tack on additional goals – or treat yourself – if you finish early.
