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 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”
Is there anything unique with this candidate? Does the objective tell you what the candidate is capable of doing or what’s he or she has done before? 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.
Ambition is nice, but statements such as “work my way up to…” will impress no one and may undercut your credibility. 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.”
All the best.
SOURCE: KENYAN POST
