Like many other industries, the Motor Trade is a competitive one with many different brands of all sizes offering different roles with varying packages. The market changes quickly as new technology transforms the way we think about and consume vehicles and the top talent can be snapped up by the big players.

For ambitious and motivated individuals the Motor Trade offers many fantastic opportunities to climb the metaphorical ladder and fulfil a highly rewarding career but this success doesn’t come without hard work and commitment.

Like in any profession, setting and sticking to clear goals is important because it enables to you create a clear vision of what you are trying to achieve.  It is this vision that will keep you motivated throughout the hard times and will also act as a measure to track your progress.

Here we share our advice on how to begin the goal setting process:

The first step of Goal Setting is to allocate some time – It can be easy to tell yourself you’ll focus on goal setting tomorrow, or next week and then never get round to it. We get it, life gets in the way so that’s why you need to commit to spending some time working on them and writing them down so you can reflect back on them.

 Visualise your Goals – when thinking about your goals be specific. Vague goals aren’t useful because it’s tricky to determine once they’ve been hit. You need to be as detailed as you can because when you really start to visualise your specific goals you will start to attach emotion and feeling to them. It is these emotional attachments that will keep you focussed and drive you to achieve them.

Frame them positively – When writing your goals focus on the positives by thinking about what you do want, not what you don’t want. For example: My goal is to work for a Main Dealership as oppose to I don’t want to work for an Independent Garage. The positive wording of the goal will influence how you feel about it and will motivate you towards achieving it rather than the negative feeling you get when you visualise the outcome you don’t want.

 Break them down into manageable tasks – This element of the process also helps with your ongoing motivation because by ticking these smaller goals off your list regularly you will get the sense that you are making progress towards the bigger picture.  So if your goal is to get a job as a Vehicle Technician the breakdown of this might be to get the training and qualifications required, research local employers, prepare your cv and then start applying for jobs.

 Set timeframes – Setting timeframes encourages you to commit to your goals and keep focussed on them every single day. Without a time scale it is likely you’ll become distracted and lose the passion you once had to achieve them. When you are working on a deadline, your sense of urgency increases and achievement will come that much faster.

 Review your goals – It is likely that your goals will develop overtime so it’s always a good idea to review them and track your progress. This also allows you to celebrate when you reach a milestone! When reviewing your goals as yourself what you did well and what could be improved, this way you can continue with what’s working and change the things that could improve so you work more effectively.

The best way to ensure you achieve your goals is to make a plan and stick to it. No matter what stage of your career you maybe it is always a worthwhile task to give you something to focus on and motivate you.

If you’ve lost motivation in your current role or are ready to take the next step in your career the team at Perfect Placement are on hand and ready to support you in finding your next role.

Having helped thousands of candidates find their dream automotive job, you’ll be in safe hands so get in touch today!