Friends, welcome to 2023!

A fresh start. And don’t we need it.

While the New Year is a notorious time for setting well-intentioned goals that may or may not pan out, we truly believe in the power of goal-setting. Particularly when it comes to career progression.

What if you could set career goals for 2023 that inspire you to authentically pursue your dreams? That’s what we’re here to encourage you to do.

We’re approaching 2023 with hope and high expectations.

If the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that women in tech can be resilient in the face of adversity. Our global community has been shaken by the challenges of a global pandemic, international war, and widespread tech industry layoffs – but we’re still here.

Girls in Tech is growing. We’re gathering new, inspiring members every day. And slowly but surely we’re witnessing a shift in the gender balance of this industry.

Now is the time to take bold steps.

And setting some goals is a great way to start. Read on for details on why setting career goals is useful, tips on how to do it, and tools you can use.

Getting started with goal-setting

So what if you don’t think you need career goals? Maybe you’re happy just cruising in your current job?

Recruitment professional Francine Miceli shared some valuable insights on setting career goals in a LinkedIn article:

A career goal is just like a compass on a dark and never-ending sea and it guides your advancement in the appropriate direction. Without a compass, you’d be lost in the high seas. With no proper career goal, you’d be lost in the globe of jobs and certainly will find yourself unable to achieve your full potential.

With that in mind, setting career goals can help bring clarity and purpose to your day-today. It may be helpful to start by reviewing your personal values, and what your long-term career ambition is.

If you can’t think of a career goal to set your sights on for this year, Lifehack lists some great examples of bite-sized goals you could achieve in your career.

Goal-setting tips

Break it down into small steps

In a recent Girls in Tech podcast episode, aspiring astronaut Alyssa Carson explained how she used this technique of breaking down career milestones into smaller and more attainable tasks. It’s a great way to take the pressure off and avoid procrastination.

For example, instead of being faced with the daunting career goal of ‘land a promotion in 2023’, you can break it down into chunks like this:

Advise manager of desire to advance career this year, and ask for their advice on what might make you an attractive candidate for a promotion.
Find a mentor in the company, and meet with them once a fortnight.
Research courses that will add value to your skillset.
Identify existing soft skills that lend themselves to a leadership position, and begin to utilize these more in the workplace.
Apply for more senior positions.
Thank hiring managers that review your application, and ask for specific feedback.

Create a timeline

Leah Lambart, career coach with Relaunch Me, offers an example of a timeline for someone looking to change careers:

In the next month: Complete a career test to get an idea of careers that fit your personality, strengths and interests.
In 2 months: Give yourself a month to research possible career options thoroughly.
In 3 months: Speak to two people in these industries to get further information.
In 5 months: Apply for courses.
A year from now: Start studying and tailor your resume for your new career.
A few months after starting studying: Start the search for relevant, part-time work to complement your studies.

While you will obviously tailor your timeline to suit your personal goals, fitting your small steps into time frames can ensure you actually follow through.

Find some accountability

A study by the American Society of Training and Development found that people have a 65% chance of reaching a goal if they work with an accountability partner.

For you, this might look like sharing your career goals with a manager, with a professional mentor, or even with a coworker. What matters is that you share your goals out loud and have someone check in to see how you go with it.

Be ambitious

Studies have shown that men set more ambitious career goals than women do, and their goals are far more likely to involve achieving power.

Why not make 2023 the year that you overcome Imposter Syndrome, and put yourself out there? Reach for the stars, go beyond what you think you’re capable of, and see where your ambitious goals take you.

If more women do this, imagine the effect we could have on this male-dominated industry, seriously in need of females in leadership positions.

Apps to help with your career goals

Whether you need help tracking your achievements at work, finding new job opportunities, or tracking your good habits – chances are there’s an app for that! Here are a few we like that may be able to help you stay on track with your 2023 career goals.

PepTalkHer

This amazing app allows you to input text or images to document your wins at work. Save great feedback, note down campaign success or projects completed, and have all the data ready to whip out at your next performance review… or when you’re asking for a pay rise.

Get it on iPhone | Get it on Android

InHerSight

If a goal for you this year is to find more fulfilling work or improve your job satisfaction, this app may be able to help! Use it to track your daily work experience and notice trends, access helpful resources for job hunting, and find companies that offer the perks and benefits you care about. All data is pulled from real employee feedback, so you know you’re getting unbiased insights.

Get it on iPhone | Get it on Android

Way of Life

This intuitive and easy to use app allows you to track your daily habits. You can use it in your personal life as well as your career, setting prompts to read, network or do something else beneficial for your work. You can also track the progress of your habits over time and see useful charts and data as you go.

Get it on iPhone | Get it on Android

Over to you

We encourage you to take a moment to set some career goals for this year, even if you can only set some short-term ones to start with.

Get the support you need by finding upcoming events to boost your skills, searching the Girls in Tech Jobs Board for new opportunities, and listening to inspiring conversations on the Girls in Tech Podcast.