Define your professional SMART goals and your ideal target group

By the end of this exercise, you'll have a clear understanding of the profession you want to pursue and the companies and people you want to target in your job search. So let's get started and take the next step towards your career goals!

It is time to define your professional goal 👊

A Professional goal is a well-defined statement that explains which profession a person wants to pursue during their career.

‍Professional goals can be long-term or short-term — the important thing is that they are time-bound. We like to divide career cycles into 3 - 5 years.

It's important that every employee or job seeker clearly defines their career goals, as it helps you create effective action plans.

Now that we know what a career goal is... let's talk about what those goals should be. To learn how to develop short and long-term career goals, remember that they should be SMART.

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examples:

• “Rule the whole world! “- Bad goal
• “Getting my first job as an SDR by December 15, 2020 at a company that matches my values and has a clear growth path” - Good goal
• “Working for 2-3 years in a company with a structured learning path and a strong mentor to learn how to work in a team and master the basics of sales to decide what I want to specialize in in the future” - Good goal

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It's your turn!

🎯 Goal: Define your SMART career goal

⚙️ Instructions:

• Considering your values, yours Top abilities And yours Brand attributes, it is now time to define your professional goal.
• Don't worry if it's not yet clear or a bit vague, write what you can.

Now that you've got your destination, let's check. Is it:

• Sspecific
• ‍Medible
• ‍Aaction-oriented
• ‍Realistic
• ‍Tmined

🏆 Congratulations, you've got your SMART career goal.

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Now that you have a clear understanding of your career goals, it's time to take the next step in your application process and Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) and Ideal Buyer Persona (IBP) to define. These two concepts help you Identify the type of companies and people you should target for the best chance of success in your job search

‍Let's get started!

But what do ICP and IBP mean? 🤔

• ‍Your Ideal Customer Profile (ICP) is a description of the type of company that people are trying to sell to. In this context, it refers to The type of company you'd like to work for. Special industries? sizes? Cultural values? geography?
• ‍Your buyer persona (IBP) is a detailed analysis of the people within that company who buy from the seller. In this context, it refers to the People within these companies who are the decision makers and key players you'll be dealing with. Sales manager? Hiring managers? Talent Acquisition Reps? Recruiter? CEOs?

Now is the time to define your Ideal Customer Profile and Ideal Buyer Persona for your job search.

One of The biggest mistake you can make is trying to make a personal brand to create that everyone likes. Your brand and message should be tailored to and resonate with your ICP and IBP.

It's your turn!

🎯 Objective: Define your target group

⚙️ Instructions:

• Write down a list of potential ICPs and ICBs for your job search.
• When it comes to companies, focus on industries, geographies, corporate culture...
• When it comes to personas, in your case, it will probably be someone from the HR or sales team, such as recruiters, HR managers, sales managers, etc.
• Don't worry if you're not yet 100% sure who the ideal company and/or persona is, that's completely normal. Write down what you can and adjust it as you continue your job search.

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Congratulations, you've now defined the target group for your job search. This allows you to tailor your application to the specific needs and requirements of the hiring company and to get in touch with the recruiter better This increases your chances of standing out as a strong candidate

We hope this blog has provided you with the necessary tools and guidance to help you define your professional SMART goal and ideal target audience.

Good luck on your professional journey! 🚀

This item belongs to The ultimate guide to securing your dream job in 2023! Join us on a journey of exploration and discovery. We dive into the secrets of building and promoting an outstanding professional identity, master the art of creating a compelling resume, LinkedIn profile, and networking strategy, and learn the best strategies for finding opportunities, mastering job interviews and making the right career decisions. You can watch the full series here!

Don't miss our next chapter, where we'll walk you through the process to create a clear and meaningful personal brand statement, that sets the tone for your professional identity.

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