Of course it is good to have goals in your career and whether you are looking to move job, change career direction or simply looking for promotion, it is good to set yourself some personal goals.

One client I met recently had an interesting way of expressing his personal life and career goals, and that was to draw up a mood board of visual images, with each one representing a particular goal. This helped him to focus and remind himself of where he should be concentrating his efforts. He also found it easier to summarise his goals using pictures rather than words.

In the context of career moves, I often find that people tend to focus too much on the end result, which for many people might be simply securing a new role within a certain timeframe. As time moves on, anxiety creeps in and people become worried that nothing is happening for them or that things are not moving quickly enough. Well worry about what you can influence is what I say, don't worry about factors you cannot really affect.

When you think about it, if you set yourself a goal to move jobs by the end of July, for example, there is every likelihood you are going to fail. You do not have influence over the types of jobs that may become available and you do not have influence over the timing of vacancies. So concentrate your efforts on what you can affect and in job search terms that relates to all the activities or 'drivers' that need to be in place to give you a greater chance of success and be disciplined about it.

While you cannot miraculously produce your dream job out of thin air, set yourself targets: to set up a certain number of network meetings each month, or spend time researching companies, or aim to complete a minimum number of online applications each week, for example. This will all go some way to moving you towards achieving your career development goals.

Be fearless: take the first step and above all be bold in your approach. Rather than lose time and waste effort in producing the final finished version, successful businesses are quite prepared to get out into the marketplace quickly and make adjustments or shape their offer as they go forward.

There's no reason why it shouldn't be the same for you: don't spend too long crafting and recrafting your CV, get out there and set up meetings with agencies, network contacts and target companies. Look to adjust your approach as you go, learning more about yourself and how best to operate.

Be disciplined and be fearless in pursuit of your career development goals and then be prepared for success.

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