In some cases, it is important to include career goals on a resume or job application letter. In addition to promoting your skills and experience in the field you are applying for, a good career goal can also help the company get to know you better and understand your interests, qualities, and abilities better.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Write Solid Career Goals
Step 1. Match the facts listed to your level of experience
If you are currently in high school and want to apply for an internship, of course the content of your career goals will be different from someone who has worked in the related field for many years.
- If you are a high school student, your listed career goals should focus on your personal characteristics, values, or qualities. In other words, include a brief self-introduction. After that, convey your best qualities and the position that interests you in the company, and emphasize that you are a reliable applicant. For example, try writing, “In addition to being dedicated, I achieved excellent academic grades at school and have a good work ethic. Through this application, I would like to take advantage of my abilities to contribute as an intern in your company. I am a very goal-oriented person so I can help your company achieve the various goals that have been set."
- If you are a student applying for an internship at a company, list your academic degree, experience level, and best characteristics, and confirm that you are a hard-working and reliable person. For example, try writing, “Right now, I have just earned a Bachelor's degree in marketing, and have two years of experience in social media marketing. I am a person who is highly dedicated to work and always pays attention to details. In addition, I also have experience in managing SEO, website content, and social media and through this application, I want to enrich my experience in the field of online marketing."
- If you are already a professional worker in the field you are applying for, generally career goals are only listed when you want to change fields. Within your career goal, describe your work experience, qualities that make you a strong candidate, any certificates you've received, and any relevant education you've had. For example, try writing, “A grant writer with more than 6 years of experience in the nonprofit sector, and has a Master's degree in nonprofit management. Through this application, I would like to contribute my fundraising skills and good written communication to help your organization raise public awareness of global poverty."
Step 2. Focus on the contribution you can make to the company
While your career goals should include your abilities and accomplishments, don't focus solely on these two elements. Instead, emphasize the relevance of these abilities and achievements to the contribution you can make to the company. Believe me, extraordinary abilities will be useless if they are not relevant to the needs of the company.
- Affirm relevant experience. If you've just graduated from college and want to apply for a job as a salesperson, try describing your internship experience as a salesperson. Include a statement such as, “Had an internship as a salesperson during college, and had experience in promoting various company activities to the public.”
- Also list other capabilities that are beneficial to the company. If you want to apply for a job as an auditor, please list your organizational experience, your attention to detail, and your ability to communicate in writing.
- List relevant achievements. If you've won the best salesperson award and would like to apply for a similar position, try writing something like, “Received the best salesperson award at Macy's in year A, and worked for 2 years at Macy's branch office located in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.."
Step 3. Use the correct diction
Using buzzwords or words commonly used by job seekers to describe their abilities is good, but don't just choose diction that sounds cool. Instead, make sure the diction you choose really represents your abilities and achievements so far!
- Focus on diction that can represent your abilities. If you're more likely to work alone than in a team, don't describe yourself in terms of "people-oriented" or "good verbal communication skills." Instead, simply write that you "always pay attention to detail and have good self-motivation skills."
- Do not use too many buzzwords or keywords that are commonly entered by job seekers to describe their qualifications. Be careful, career goals will sound exaggerated rather than impressive if you force yourself to include 3 or 4 keywords in every sentence.
Step 4. Edit your career goals
Even if your career goals aren't very long, there will always be errors. In fact, changing the arrangement of sentences many times can actually increase the risk of spelling mistakes, you know! Therefore, always edit your career goals before submitting them. If necessary, ask the people closest to you to check it and make sure it's free of spelling mistakes.
Method 2 of 2: Understanding Career Goals
Step 1. Understand when it's a good time to include a career goal
Generally, career goals do not include a job seeker's curriculum vitae. However, in certain cases, it is appropriate and beneficial to list career goals.
- If you want to change fields (such as from marketing to accounting), listing your career goals can help the company identify whether your marketing skills can also be applied to accounting.
- If you are very young and have limited experience, writing career goals can help sell yourself to companies.
- If you want to apply to work for a specific position, always include your career goals in it.
Step 2. Learn the common mistakes job seekers make
If possible, try to find out the mistakes that job seekers often make in writing their career goals. Make sure your career goals are free from the following common mistakes:
- Meaning ambiguous and not specific
- Longer than 3 sentences
- Too focused on describing the applicant's abilities without explaining its relevance to the position applied for
- Avoid overly clichéd phrases or sentences. For example, a sentence like, “a person who is very dynamic and has a high entrepreneurial spirit” will sound very cliché because it has been included too often by job seekers. Besides, the meaning is unclear and tends to be ambiguous. Most likely, the company is not even interested reading job applications with career goals that are too cliché and non-specific.
Step 3. Write down some career goals
Never post the same career goal for several different job openings. In other words, always match your career goals with the characteristics and abilities the company is looking for.
