Try reading an objective
written by a job seeker on their CV and you will be astonished by how dull the statements are. When
it comes to CV writing, many people would rather stick to the safe and tested
method even if it doesn’t add value on their CV’s. What
happened to being unique?
Sample this career objective
written by a job seeker with a finance background.
”To utilize my professional skills and
knowledge acquired in reaching my potential and achieving the goals of a
respective organization hence build a stronger career”
Below are the tips when it comes to having an objective on your
CV:
1.
Choose two
adjectives to describe your work style such as, “Dependable and conscientious student seeking…”
or “Detail oriented and quality conscious
accounting clerk…”
2.
Inform your
potential employer of “what is in it for them”, such as, “seeking to utilize 10+ years experience in the
industry…” or “…proven
sales record…”
3.
One sentence
is good, but making sense is better! If warranted, two sentences or in some
cases a short paragraph will improve an objective statement.
4.
If you know
the job title for which you are applying, use it. There is nothing to be gained
in trying to define a new position for yourself.
5.
If you have
read the job description in an advertisement, try to mirror one or two of the words listed. For
instance, if the job indicated a desire for a self-starter, then experiment
with using the same term or one with the same meaning.
6.
Grammar and
spelling count! It is expected that CVs and resumes will have short sentence
fragments, abbreviations, and little punctuation, but your career objective
statement should be written without error.
7.
Avoid being too general. It is better to do a little research with the
company and uncover some of what they may be looking for than to write an
over-generalized objective.
8.
Ambition is
nice, but statements such as “work my way up to…” will impress no one and may undercut your credibility.
9.
Do not promise
more than you can deliver! If you are chronically late, then describing
yourself as punctual will only undermine your credibility later when it is
discovered that you have misrepresented yourself.
And here is an example of
a career objective or profile if you like.
“As a fully qualified head-teacher with 15
years of varied experience, there’s much I can offer to the education of our
young children. I have more than 10 years of experience in mentoring and
coaching teaching staff in ABC school. I’m confident that my passion for the
teachers’ and children’s development, together with my skills and experience
will enable me to make a significant difference at your school.”
