Each year, many people must detail their work performance through a performance appraisal. While it is crucial that you detail the past year's responsibilities and accomplishments, it is a positive addition to include your future career aspirations.

Including your career aspirations will allow you to think about your career desires, share your aspirations with your manager and make your intentions known to members of your organisation. Plus, sharing your career aspirations will encourage your company's management team to consider you when a promotion in your desired field becomes available.

Mention your current position. Preface the career aspiration section of your performance appraisal by stating that you would like to take the skills and experience that you are gaining in your current position to help you build a successful future career. You do not want to sound ungrateful for your current position; you want to portray your current role as a stepping stone to your future career aspirations.

Do boast about yourself. Provide information about your accomplishments within your organisation, as well as how these accomplishments will impact your long-term success. It is crucial that you note leadership skills, significant successes and participation in voluntary activities. For example, if you have signed up to be mentored by an organizational leader, state the relevant concepts that you have discussed in your mentoring sessions.

Include your education. Note your educational goals and how you are working to achieve these goals. For example, if you are completing your master's degree in Business Administration, provide information about your progress in the degree program and how the completion of this degree will qualify you to achieve your career goals.

Note your short-term career aspirations. Detail the additional roles that you want to take on during your term in your current position that will help you with future endeavours. If your long-term goal is to obtain a management position, note that you would like to gain project management experience in your current role, manage project-oriented teams and communicate with your organisation's upper management team.

Detail your long-term career aspirations. If you aim to manage the Human Resources department, note this and detail how you plan to achieve your goal. For example, state that you plan to complete your graduate degree in Human Resources, obtain a certification in Human Performance Technology and volunteer as a Human Resources coordinator at a non-profit organisation. If you plan to obtain this position within your current organisation, detail the anticipated career path that you will follow to reach your ultimate goal.

Don't forget the little details. Complete the career aspiration section of your performance appraisal with any additional details that you could not properly fit elsewhere. In this section, you may wish to note skills that you plan to improve. You may also utilise this section to ask your manager to help you obtain your desired career goals.

Warning

Do not make it seem like you dislike or are ungrateful for your current job. A career aspiration is a goal, not something that you want in the immediate term at the expense of your current employment.