Setting SMART Goals
Have you already created a Skilbi profile? If so, great work! You’re already one step closer to unlocking new opportunities for skill development and building your network. In terms of next steps, you should look into adding SMART goals to your profile, so you can unlock coffee chats mentors who have similar interests and set more achievable goals.
Using SMART goals as a guide is the key to setting goals that are achievable and that will keep you motivated. Let’s go through what defines a SMART goal, together.
S: Specific
You want to make sure you are setting specific, detailed goals to keep you focused on the end result. Your goal should be able to answer the questions “Who? What? Where? When? Why?”
A general goal would be finding an internship for next summer. To make this more specific, you might instead say “I want to find a marketing internship for next summer to build my resume and gain experience in the marketing industry.”
M: Measurable
You also want to have specific criteria to measure your progress in achieving your goal. Adding on to the example goal, we might end up with something like “I want to find a marketing internship for next summer to build my resume and gain experience in the marketing industry. I will accomplish this by applying to 5 internships from job boards–like Linkedin, Handshake and Skilbi–per week.”
A: Achievable
Your goals should be both challenging and achievable. You want to ensure you have access to all the resources you need to achieve your goal. Unsure of whether you are using your resources to their fullest extent? Check out our mentor hub, where you can request a coffee chat with a potential mentor who might be able to provide you with advice.
R: Relevant
Furthermore, you want to be sure that your goal can be realistically achieved given the proper resources and within a reasonable timeline. Your goal should also be relevant to your future development.
For instance, in regards to the previous example, it should be relevant to one’s career development in the marketing field. If your goal is relevant to your future development, you will be more motivated to work towards achieving it.
T: Time-Bound
You also want to ensure that you have a deadline for your goal. This will not only help you to measure your success but will also guide you in creating the steps to achieving your goal. Building on our example, you might add “I will accept a marketing internship offer by the end of September.”
Skilbi Can Help
If you haven’t had the chance to check it out yet, we have a SMART goal feature on our Skilbi website. We can help you with setting SMART goals, whether they be related to your personal life, academics or career.
With Skilbi, we’ll guide you through the process of setting SMART goals, so that you can connect with mentors who have similar interests, and hopefully apply this skill to future endeavors both on and off Skilbi.
