Summer is an excellent time for job seekers to set goals to give an extra boost to their career growth.
Below, I’ll share 11 goals you can take this summer that will move your career forward.
Why is Summer a Good Time to Set Goals?
For many, the summer months are a time when life can slow down. They spend more time with their toes in the sand, traveling to new cities, and barbecuing with friends. But it’s not time they are thinking about advancing their career.
But September is often a big month for hiring, where companies are eager to fill positions by the end of the year.
So if you don’t have too many summer plans and you have some extra juice in your battery, summer can be the perfect time to get ahead in your career growth while others will be taking it easy.
How to Set Up Your Goals for Success
Before diving into your summer goals, let’s go over a few goal-setting fundamentals.
Break your big goals into smaller subgoals
Big goals can help you find direction but they aren’t usually helpful for taking action.
For example, a big goal might be to build an app. But that is such a large and multi-faceted project that the goal might actually just feel daunting.
That’s why it can be helpful to break that big goal into smaller, more manageable subgoals.
For example, the first stage of building an app is probably research and planning. So maybe your first goal has to do with clarifying the problem you want to solve, defining your target audience, conducting market research, or setting up a project timeline. Any of those make for a way more manageable item on your to-do list than to build an app.
Each subgoal you complete gives you a sense of accomplishment, and a boost of energy to take on the next subgoal.
Measure effort instead of outcome
If you create goals based on factors outside of your control, you might be setting yourself up for failure and anxiety.
For example, let’s say you want to write a book. The goal write a best-selling book isn’t a very good goal. No matter how expertly you write your book, it’s simply not in your control if other people buy it or not.
A better goal might be to write 1,000 words per day, finish your draft by the end of the year, or send your manuscript to 25 editors. Those are all in your control.
Set SMART goals
SMART is an acronym for goals that stands for specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. It’s usually a good idea to make your goals SMART.
Let’s break it down:
Specific. This means your goal is clear and unambiguous; you know what action you need to take. Work on finding a job is not specific; it’s too vague. Apply for 1 job a day is specific because you know exactly what you need to do.
Measurable: When you can measure a goal, you can say definitively if you accomplished it or not. Try hard is not measurable because “hard” is too subjective. Work for 3 hours is measurable and you’ll know for sure if you did it or not.
Achievable. Your goals should be realistic and within your capabilities. Read a book a day for 30 days is probably not achievable. Read a book a week for 4 weeks is difficult, but achievable.
Relevant: Pick goals that line up with your priorities and feel meaningful. Let’s say you want to improve your social skills. Then Start an Etsy shop might not be relevant because it’d require you to work by yourself. But Take an improv class could very well help improve your social skills.
Time-bound. It’s helpful to have a clear timeframe for your goals. This can stave off procrastination and ensure that your goal doesn’t drag on forever. Work on this course for an hour a week is not time-bound because you don’t know when it ends. Work on this course for an hour a week for the next month is time-bound.
The Top 11 Summer Goals to Advance Your Career
Now that we know our goal fundamentals let’s brainstorm ideas for exciting goals that you could implement this summer.
1. Schedule dedicated job search time
If you want to advance in your career, finding a new job is one of the most effective ways to do so.
Plus, this could be a time when others are taking their foot off the gas, so you might have less competition.
Job searching is most effective when you work it into your routine. If you just apply for a single job or two, it probably won’t be enough. But if you can apply to a job or two every week, you’ll be more likely to get interviewers knocking on your door.
Carve time into your routine to retool your résumé and apply for roles. It could be 30 minutes a day before work starts or maybe a 2-hour block every Friday. Whatever you can consistently commit to!
Example goal: I will spend 2 hours per week applying for jobs for the next two months.
2. Revamp your LinkedIn profile
If you’re a LinkedIn user, then you know how much of a difference it can make when someone has a well-curated profile versus a few shabby lines. The more complete your profile is, the more likely you are to receive opportunities through LinkedIn.
But beefing up your profile can be a hard task to prioritize. It is impactful, yes, but it’s never urgent.
That’s why it makes such a good summer goal. Use the summer spaciousness to polish your profile.
Here are a few ideas:
Get a professional headshot (or try Secta for an AI-generated headshot. They’re actually pretty good, and are more realistic than the samples on the site)
Clarify your headline (I recommend job seekers list their title alongside other keywords to their target job. Something like: “Global Operations Leader @ VMWare | COO Supply Chain”)
Flesh out your “experience” (with quantified results!)
Add more skills
Include licenses and certifications
Customize your LinkedIn URL
Bring in your volunteer experience
Example goal: I will take one action each workday to improve my LinkedIn for the next two weeks.
3. Upgrade your industry knowledge
If you are up-to-date with all the trends and news in your industry, it can give you a leg up.
You’ll be more savvy at your job and have a greater understanding of the landscape. And it will put you right at the heart of all the important conversations.
To boost your industry knowledge, you could:
Go to a conference
Listen to podcasts from industry leaders
Start your own podcast (or cold email others in your industry for conversations)
Join online communities related to your field (subreddits, Discord channels, Facebook Groups, etc)
Immerse yourself in newsletters and social media for industry leaders
Enroll in a course
Example goal: I will sign up for an industry conference by the last day of summer.
4. Amplify your digital presence
These days, your digital presence has become a part of your dossier. Not only will hiring managers look at your social media accounts and website when you apply for a job, but if you generate enough traffic to your personal brand, recruiters might seek you out.
Not to mention, a strong digital presence positions you as a leader in your industry and can create opportunities to network with other movers-and-shakers.
The platform you build up depends on your industry, but you usually can’t go wrong with LinkedIn, X (formerly Twitter), or a personal website.
If you do want to develop your social media presence, make sure that you both post regularly and comment on others’ posts.
It’s also probably a good idea to comb through your existing social media accounts as if you were a hiring manager to discern what to keep public and what to make private. Does anyone really need to see pictures of you dancing on the bar back when you were in college?
Example goal: Over the next 30 days, I will publish one LinkedIn post per week and comment on at least one other person’s post per day.
5. Hone your time management skills
Time management is one of those meta-skills that helps with all other areas of life.
It helps you get more done in less time, work on the right things, and feel less stress when working.
Usually, to develop time management skills, you need to test out new systems and habits and see what works.
But it’s usually wise to test only one new system/habit at a time. Because if you tinker with your morning routine, night routine, to-do list format, and work block length all at once, how will you be able to tell which changes are working and which aren’t? Plus, too many system changes at once is a recipe for overwhelm.
If you’d like ideas, these books are timeless classics on productivity:
Atomic Habits by James Clear. This book teaches you how small, incremental changes in your behavior can lead to massive personal and professional growth.
168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam. Learn strategies to make the most of the 168 hours in your week and find time for what really matters to you.
Getting Things Done by David Allen. Learn about a comprehensive productivity system to help you organize and manage your tasks.
The 5 Second Rule by Mel Robbins. This book will teach you a simple technique to overcome hesitation and take consistent action.
Eat That Frog! by Brian Tracy. This book shows you how to nip procrastination in the bud by tackling your challenging tasks first.
Example goal: I will read a productivity book within the next two months, and earnestly try out all of the tips it puts forth.
Bonus tip: Enjoy the sunshine!
Summer is a time when you can make some great progress on your goals.
But don’t forget to get outside and enjoy the sunny vibes! After all, sunlight and vitamin D improve your mood and help your sleep.
So yes, pursue your goals and advance in your career. But remember to make space for enjoying the warm weather. There’s an expression that dates back a few hundred years that goes: “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.”
While the expression is outdated in its gendered language, it was ahead of its time in its understanding of work-life balance!
6. Earn a certification or take an advanced training
If you want to increase your credibility, make your résumé more attractive, and develop your knowledge, then getting certified is one of the best things you can do.
It’s one of the most surefire ways to increase your value as an employee and boost your chances of getting an interview the next time you’re looking for a job.
Plus, if the training you take is cohort-based, you’ll met tons of ambitious and likeminded people in your field.
Your first step is to think about what topic area you want to train in. Is there a work-related skill you’ve been wanting to learn forever, but have struggled to prioritize? Or is there a credential that would make you a more impressive candidate for your dream job?
Once you know what topic you want to pursue, Google around for courses. Ask for tips from your network and from online groups.
Example goal: I will spend 2 hours a week over the next three weeks researching courses. By the end of that time, I will have picked and enrolled in a course.
7. Improve your public speaking skills
Did you know that nearly 8 out of 10 people are afraid of public speaking?
It can be terrifying to be on stage. It can bring up fears of rejection, ostracization, and humiliation. Lots of people avoid it at all costs.
However, public speaking is another one of those skills that can only help you in your career. If you feel confident talking to a group, and have the skills to command a room, it will work wonders for you in every future meeting and presentation you give.
Not to mention that when you take on a fear, it can help you feel more empowered and confident.
If you do want to work on your public speaking, Toastmasters is probably your best bet. It’s an organization with different chapters across the globe. In a meeting, you can give practice speeches to a welcoming group and receive helpful feedback.
Example goal: I will attend at least 2 Toastmasters sessions per month over the next three months.
8. Seek a mentor or mentee
Having a mentor can be a game-changer for your career. 86% of CEOs agree that having a mentor was critical to their career success.
Mentors can teach you skills, help you develop your mindset, introduce you to people, and help you avoid mistakes that they made.
On the flip side, you might feel drawn to becoming a mentor. Mentoring others can be gratifying and fulfilling.
And you don’t have to be an expert to be a mentor—you just need some experience and knowledge. Think about it: you could easily mentor the “you” from one year ago. Or even someone older with a different skill set.
To find a mentor/mentee, see if your company offers a mentorship program.
You could also try a site like MentorPass, which is a mentor-matching program for those in the start-up industry.
Or you can approach finding a mentor/mentee the same way you might approach other types of networking: put yourself out there, meet people, and let people know what you’re looking for.
Here’s one basic approach to finding a mentor:
Send an email to someone you admire requesting a first meeting. Tell them what you appreciate about their work and request a 15-30 minute call.
Nurture the relationship. After your meeting, send a thank you email with some takeaways. Then send them emails every so often to stay in touch, mentioning how their advice has helped you.
Ask to meet again for more advice.
Show your growth. Mention how their advice is helping you grow, and offer to help them in any way you can. Express frequent gratitude.
Continue to meet as long as it feels mutually beneficial. At some point this could turn into a formal mentorship, or it might remain unofficial.
To find a mentee, you can take on a similar approach.
For example, you could reach out to a junior employee at your company for coffee and go in with the intention of being helpful. Make yourself available to be helpful if they are receptive to it, but don’t force the mentorship dynamic if it doesn’t feel natural. There’s nothing more cringe than shoving advice on someone who doesn’t want it.
Example goal: For the next two months, I will email one potential mentor per week to set up a coffee date.
9. Work on a side project
If you have the time, a side hustle can be a fun and effective way to learn new skills, meet new people, and bring home some extra bacon.
When contemplating ideas for a side project, sit with these questions:
Does the idea light you up?
Will it help you learn skills that seem useful and/or interesting?
Will it help you make new connections?
Do you have enough time to allocate to it?
Does it address a real market need?
You could create an app, become a fractional exec or a freelance worker, start an Etsy shop, create a course on Skillshare, or anything else.
Example goal: Over the next two months, I will dedicate an hour at the start of each workday to working on my side project; in that time, I’ll try to create a project timeline, conduct market research, and clarify my audience.
10. Expand Your professional network
Summer is a great time to network because a lot of people have more time and are feeling more social.
Networking is a habit that can open up new opportunities, lead you to potential collaborators, and create meaningful relationships.
There are two aspects to networking:
Keep your current connections warm
Make new connections
To keep your current connections warm, it just takes reaching out. You can check in with old colleagues over email, send a DM congratulating a peer on a book launch, or invite someone to a Zoom call.
There are lots of ways to expand your network—pretty much anything that puts you in contact with new people will move you in the right direction.
Here are some ideas to build your network:
Ask your friends or family if they could introduce you to anyone
Send a cold email or LinkedIn message inviting someone to a virtual tea
Meet someone on LunchClub.com
If you want more ideas, here’s an article a more in-depth article on how to expand your network.
Example goal: Each week over the next 6 weeks I will reach out to 2 people (either currently in my network or new people) to set up calls.
11. Take a course on career coaching
Even if you have no intention of becoming a career coach, studying career coaching can be a great move for your career.
It will teach you the nuts and bolts of how to build a meaningful and successful career. Plus, if you have a knack for mentoring and guiding others, it can add more tools and experience to your tool belt.
If you are interested in starting a second career as a career coach, then getting trained by an accredited program is the best place to start.
If this is a path that interests you, I would recommend the training offered by the International Association of Career Coaches.
Example goal: I will make a decision within 2 weeks if I want to pursue training in career coaching. If I decide I want to get trained, I will select a training within 2 weeks after that.
Takeaways on Summer Goals
Good luck with accomplishing your goals, and feeling an empowering sense of achievement.
Here’s a quick refresher on ideas for your summer goals:
Schedule dedicated job search time
Revamp your LinkedIn profile
Upgrade your industry knowledge
Amplify your digital presence
Hone your time management skills
Earn a certification
Improve your public speaking skills
Seek a mentor or mentee
Work on a side project
Expand your professional network
Take a course on career coaching
If you want to advance your career, one of the most effective ways to do so is to hire a career coach.
A career coach is like an ally and a teacher who can help you figure out the right goals for your career, and hold you accountable to following through on them.
If you are interested in the possibility of working with a career coach, check out the International Association for Career Coaches.