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Career Strategy
5 min
NewHow to Define Your Career Vision in 5 Steps
Having a clear career vision is essential for making the right professional decisions. Without a defined direction, you risk navigating blindly, accepting opportunities that don't truly match your deep aspirations. This guide walks you through building a career vision aligned with your values, skills, and ambitions.
1
Assess your current situation
Before defining where you want to go, it's crucial to know where you're starting from. Take time to analyze:
Your current skills • What are your technical skills (hard skills)? • What are your behavioral skills (soft skills)? • What do your colleagues and managers recognize in you?
Your satisfaction level • What do you enjoy about your current position? • What frustrates or bores you? • On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your professional fulfillment?
Your achievements • What accomplishments are you most proud of? • Which projects have stimulated you the most?
Your current skills • What are your technical skills (hard skills)? • What are your behavioral skills (soft skills)? • What do your colleagues and managers recognize in you?
Your satisfaction level • What do you enjoy about your current position? • What frustrates or bores you? • On a scale of 1 to 10, how would you rate your professional fulfillment?
Your achievements • What accomplishments are you most proud of? • Which projects have stimulated you the most?
2
Identify your core values
Your values are the foundation of your vision. They determine what's truly important to you and guide your choices.
Practical exercise: Value sorting
From this list, select your top 5 values: • Autonomy • Financial security • Creativity • Social impact • Recognition • Work-life balance • Continuous learning • Leadership • Collaboration • Innovation
Reflection questions • In what situations do you feel most aligned with yourself? • What compromises are you willing to make? Which ones are unacceptable? • How have your values evolved in recent years?
Practical exercise: Value sorting
From this list, select your top 5 values: • Autonomy • Financial security • Creativity • Social impact • Recognition • Work-life balance • Continuous learning • Leadership • Collaboration • Innovation
Reflection questions • In what situations do you feel most aligned with yourself? • What compromises are you willing to make? Which ones are unacceptable? • How have your values evolved in recent years?
3
Visualize your ideal future
Project yourself 5 to 10 years ahead. The goal isn't to be realistic at this stage, but to dare to dream.
The ideal day exercise
Describe an ideal workday in 5 years: • What time do you wake up? • Where do you work (office, home, coworking, abroad)? • Who do you interact with? • What types of projects do you work on? • How do you feel at the end of the day?
Additional questions • What title or role do you hold? • What is your compensation? • What impact do you have on your team, company, industry? • What have you accomplished that you're proud of?
The ideal day exercise
Describe an ideal workday in 5 years: • What time do you wake up? • Where do you work (office, home, coworking, abroad)? • Who do you interact with? • What types of projects do you work on? • How do you feel at the end of the day?
Additional questions • What title or role do you hold? • What is your compensation? • What impact do you have on your team, company, industry? • What have you accomplished that you're proud of?
4
Set SMART goals
Transform your vision into concrete, measurable objectives.
The SMART method • Specific: Precise and clearly defined • Measurable: Quantifiable with indicators • Achievable: Realistic but ambitious • Relevant: Aligned with your vision • Time-bound: With a specific deadline
Transformation example
❌ "I want to advance in my career"
✅ "Within 18 months, I want to obtain a Team Lead position in a tech startup, with a team of 3-5 people and a 20% salary increase"
Define 3 SMART goals 1. A short-term goal (6 months) 2. A medium-term goal (1-2 years) 3. A long-term goal (3-5 years)
The SMART method • Specific: Precise and clearly defined • Measurable: Quantifiable with indicators • Achievable: Realistic but ambitious • Relevant: Aligned with your vision • Time-bound: With a specific deadline
Transformation example
❌ "I want to advance in my career"
✅ "Within 18 months, I want to obtain a Team Lead position in a tech startup, with a team of 3-5 people and a 20% salary increase"
Define 3 SMART goals 1. A short-term goal (6 months) 2. A medium-term goal (1-2 years) 3. A long-term goal (3-5 years)
5
Create your action plan
A vision without action remains a dream. Build your concrete roadmap.
Identify gaps to bridge • What skills do you need to acquire? • What network do you need to develop? • What experiences are you missing?
Define your priority actions
For each goal, list 3 concrete actions:
| Goal | Action 1 | Action 2 | Action 3 | |------|----------|----------|----------| | Short term | ... | ... | ... | | Medium term | ... | ... | ... | | Long term | ... | ... | ... |
Schedule checkpoints • Monthly review: Action progress • Quarterly review: Goal adjustment • Annual review: Vision reassessment
Identify gaps to bridge • What skills do you need to acquire? • What network do you need to develop? • What experiences are you missing?
Define your priority actions
For each goal, list 3 concrete actions:
| Goal | Action 1 | Action 2 | Action 3 | |------|----------|----------|----------| | Short term | ... | ... | ... | | Medium term | ... | ... | ... | | Long term | ... | ... | ... |
Schedule checkpoints • Monthly review: Action progress • Quarterly review: Goal adjustment • Annual review: Vision reassessment
Conclusion
Defining your career vision isn't a one-time exercise, but an ongoing process. Your vision will evolve with you, your experiences, and the market context. The important thing is to start today. Even imperfect, a vision gives you direction and helps you make better daily decisions. **Recommended next step:** Create your 3-year professional roadmap to transform this vision into a detailed action plan.