Results Are In: Job Alignment with Career Goals

It is normal for a professional’s career path to take many turns. Whether joining the gig economy between positions in your field to completely changing industries altogether, employment doesn’t necessarily mean your job aligns with your overall career goals. In October, we asked our readers if they were on track to achieve them.

Leading the way, 43% of respondents said “no, my current job does not align with my career goals.” Coming in second with 31% of the votes, a third of respondents said “yes, I’m right on track to achieve my career goals.” With 26%, the remainder of respondents chose the answer “not exactly, but it’s a step in the right direction.”

In an earlier poll, Refresh Leadership found that only 7% of respondents say their career path led where they envisioned.

The rest of those results are as follows:

  • I am in a different industry than I thought, but doing what I originally envisioned – 15%
  • My current job isn’t what I went to school for, but my skills transferred – 12%
  • I’m in the industry I imagined, but doing something completely different – 5%

So, while 43% of readers may find that their current job doesn’t align with career goals, the majority of professionals experience a disconnect between what they envisioned for their career and where they are. One way to close that gap is by focusing on personal growth. If your current job doesn’t fit with where you want to be, work on the skills and development needed to get there.

For more information on achieving your career goals, investing in professional development, and planning for the future, check out these articles from Refresh Leadership!

How do you ensure your job aligns with your goals? As a leader, what are you doing to help your employees advance in their careers? Let us know in the comments section below!

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