The psychology of goal setting for job searching is important to understand. The most successful people in the world are those who set career or life goals and commit to achieving them. Before we examine the goal achievement challenge, we must understand the fundamental psychology of goal setting. That is to say, how it works.
Goal-Oriented Individuals
Psychological studies on the highest achieving men and women demonstrate that people with clear, specific goals, immediately and by default, become psychologically goal-oriented individuals—[No mystery there]. The pure act of setting goals will orient you toward the goals you have set for yourself. If you go to the trouble of developing well-thought-out, specific, and challenging, attainable goals for your job search, chances are that once you develop them, you will pay closer attention. Become a goal-oriented individual.
Future-Oriented Individuals
Since goals take place in the future, those with goals also by default become psychologically future-oriented individuals. You are already goal-oriented, meaning you are focused on the goals you’ve set. Now, you are also future-oriented because the goals you’ve set for yourself take place in the future. This is a great thing to be as a professional. You always want to be striving toward the future—to being your better self. You will be looking toward the future, but instead of dreaming about it, you will be taking action-oriented steps to achieve your goals.
Success-Oriented Individuals
Finally, we set goals because we want to achieve them; another automatic psychological outcome is we immutably become psychologically success-oriented individuals. Once we go through all the trouble of developing our well-thought-out, detailed, challenging yet attainable goals, we will be motivated to achieve them; thus, we will become success-oriented—working toward attaining the goals we’ve set for ourselves.
To put that into perspective, we can all think of people we know who are naturally “failure-Oriented” individuals. They are either failure-oriented due to a lack of planning and motivation, a can’t-do attitude, or a combination of the two.
The Three Unique Psychological Success Orientations
These hallmarks are known as the Three Unique Psychological Success Orientations—the stuff that governs everything we do in the present, the moment, the now, as we go about our lives putting people, places, and things together to affect positive outcomes in the future, as they relate to our goals.
The good news is that the simple act of reviewing our goals and activities daily serves to ensure we don’t forget them. Thereby keeping them fresh, clear, specific, and at the front of our minds.
Unforgotten goals engender Unique Psychological Success Orientations that—by default—impact our thoughts and activities as we positively go through our lives, focused undauntedly at the moment on things we wish to accomplish.
The Bottom Line:
More often than not, those without goals find themselves directionless, relying mostly on things like luck.
Goal setting for your job search is only the first step. Constant goal review is the activity that ensures goal achievement and success!
Need additional help? Reach out to Candace to learn more!