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Stop Setting Goals Like You’re Applying for a Mortgage: A Strategic Guide to Goal Setting

By Noor — Your career isn't happening to you. You're happening to it. ·

It’s May 2026. If you’re still looking at your New Year’s resolutions list from January, stop. Honestly? Burn it.

I’ve spent the last few months working with engineers and product managers who are paralyzed by their own “goal sheets.” They treat career planning like they’re applying for a mortgage—filling out forms, checking boxes, and hoping the bank (or in this case, the hiring manager) approves them.

Here’s the blunt truth: Your career isn't happening to you. You’re happening to it. If you’re just checking boxes, you’re not building a career; you’re building a cage.

The “Google Recruiter” Reality Check

During my three years at Google, I saw thousands of resumes. I’ve sat on the other side of the table for thousands of hours. You know who gets the promotion? Not the person who hit every single bullet point in their quarterly review. The person who gets the promotion—and the massive salary bump—is the one who treated their role like a business unit they were running.

Most people set goals like: "I want to get promoted to Senior Engineer by Q4."

That’s not a goal. That’s a wish. And a wish relies on someone else giving you permission to succeed.

Shift Your Focus from 'Output' to 'Outcome'

When we were in Detroit, my dad used to say, "Don't tell me how hard you worked, show me what you fixed." That’s engineering, and it’s also the secret to your career.

Stop setting goals that look like tasks. A task is "Finish the API documentation." A goal is "Reduce onboarding time for new hires by 30% through the implementation of automated documentation." See the difference? One is busywork; the other is a narrative you can sell in your next salary negotiation.

When you sit down to set your goals for the rest of the year, I want you to apply what I call the "Value-Add Filter."

1. Does this goal directly impact the company’s bottom line or efficiency? 2. Is this something I can quantify in a performance review? 3. If I left tomorrow, would the team feel a measurable gap in this specific area?

If the answer to any of those is “no,” rework the goal.

Use the 'Skill-Stacking' Strategy

I’m a huge advocate for skill-stacking. Don’t just get better at what you already do—get better at the intersection of two things.

If you’re a Frontend Dev, don't just set a goal to "learn React better." Set a goal to "master GraphQL AND learn to communicate API constraints to non-technical stakeholders." That combination puts you in a different pay bracket.

When I left Google to start my coaching practice, I didn’t just rely on my recruiting experience. I leveraged my ability to read P&Ls and my understanding of tech compensation structures. The intersection is where the leverage lives. Ask yourself: What is the one skill that, if I added it to my current profile, would make me un-replacable?

The 90-Day Sprint (Forget the Year-Long Plan)

Tech moves too fast to plan for December in May. I tell my clients to stop planning in 12-month chunks. It leads to procrastination. By the time August rolls around, you’ve forgotten the urgency you felt today.

We do 90-day sprints.

If you do this four times a year, you aren’t just hitting goals—you’re building a resume that basically writes itself.

Don't Wait for Permission

I miss the grit of Detroit—the way people there just get things done because they have to. Here in Austin, there's a lot of "future-thinking," but sometimes you just need to put your head down and build.

Stop waiting for your annual review to talk about your growth. If you’ve hit a goal, you should be bringing that to your manager’s attention within 48 hours of the win. If you don't track your value, nobody else will. Hiring managers are busy; they don’t have a mental database of your accomplishments. That’s your job.

Let’s Get to Work

Setting goals isn't about being productive—it’s about being powerful. It’s about taking the reins so that when you walk into your next negotiation, you’re not asking for a raise; you’re stating the market value of the impact you’ve already created.

Are you ready to stop “busyworking” and start building? I’ve got a few slots open for deep-dive strategy sessions this month. Shoot me a message or book a time—let’s look at your current goals and sharpen them until they cut.

How are you feeling about your trajectory for the rest of the year? Let’s chat in the comments.

About the author: Noor — Your career isn't happening to you. You're happening to it.. Chat with Noor on Personible.