In the past 2 months, I've reviewed over 80 CVs. In the course of these reviews, a couple of items have caught my attention. I've realised that most people have been trapped using CV templates and even contents they may have received from the usual typist at the business centre/cyber cafe.
In my opinion a CV is a tool to convey to a recruiter, information about your skills and abilities.Therefore, I will be posting notes derived from my findings while reviewing CVs
In this post, I will talk about the 'Career Objective' section of your CV and how to make it more effective. Future posts will cover:
- Personal Information (Relevance/irrelevance of State of Origin, LGA, Religion etc)
- Clarity of CV
- NYSC and Industrial Training work experience
- Professional Qualification and what to include under Education and Qualifications
- Professional Qualification and what to include under Education and Qualifications
CAREER OBJECTIVE
Do you really need one? Most of the ‘career objective’ I came across while reviewing the last set of CVs were really NOT Career Objective; infact, they bent towards the side of Personal Statements.
A Career Objective is NOT the same a Personal Statement.
I am not a fan of the Career Objective section. Removed mine from my CV ages ago.
However, I noticed that most people prefer having the Career Objective section on their CV so I decided to do a quick research on it.
Before going into the Career Objective bit let’s get the Personal Statement issue out of the way.
A personal statement is simply an About Me. It tells the recruiter who you are and what you can do for them.
Now back to Career Objective...
Here are some hints on Career Objective I found from about 5 websites put together. (please google career objective if you need further information. There are loads of free samples out there)
A career objective, as it pertains to your curriculum vitae, is a statement of purpose which targets a specific job within a particular industry. It should provide clues as to why the candidate might be suitable to work in his/her target industry.
Here are 3 POORLY structured Career Objectives I've come across during CV reviews;
Now, using our definition of career objective above, lets look at a step by step guide on writing an effective career objective with examples:
Here are 3 POORLY structured Career Objectives I've come across during CV reviews;
- To continuously develop myself to be relevant and successful contributor in my chosen profession while helping to achieve corporate goals as an individual and as a team player. (this is not a career objective)
- To be active and creative in the achievement of the organisation's goals. To add value to the corporate organisation through the display of excellent administration and persuasive skills, as results strengthen my intellectual prowess (this is not a career objective)
- I am honest, conscientious, proficient, dedicated, proactive and having good interpersonal skills thus possess the ability to contribute positively to my employers organisation (this is not a career objective)
Now, using our definition of career objective above, lets look at a step by step guide on writing an effective career objective with examples:
'To apply my five years' experience in personal training, and master's degree in sports psychology, to a role as physical education instructor'.
From this example we can note the following components of a Career Objective:
Target industry/specific job – Physical Education/instructor
Why is this candidate suitable for this job? – Has five years experience in personal training and a master’s degree in sports psychology.
Career Objective functions to offer a rationale for the submission of your CV to the recipient, by defining the job you want to acquire, and highlighting the qualities that make you ideal to attain it.
So, in simple terms a Career Objective states:
- The job being applied for (eg instructor)
- The industry (eg education)
- Qualities that support your goal (eg qualifications, previous work experience etc)
Hints and Tips for Compelling Objectives
-Stay short and sweet. About two lines is all you need.- Be specific, but not exclusionist. Stating that you want to work as a computer programmer is fine; stating that you want to work as a computer programmer specialising in relational databases coded in XML is restrictive in the extreme, and may prevent you being considered for any other computer programming position.- Ensure that what you say in your objective is born out by the content of your CV, and vice-versa.
More examples of effective career objectives:
For an entry level accounting position:
- A position in the accounting field where excellent analytical and technical skills can help to improve the company's profitability.
If you have two years experience:
- A Data Entry position where skills in spreadsheet development and troubleshooting can improve efficiency and enhance profitability.
If you are changing areas of employment:
- A position as Assistant Engineer where construction knowledge, high mechanical aptitude and commitment to safety can contribute to profitable operation.
If you are a creative worker:
- A Graphic Design position where advanced graphic and creative skills will produce a quality product for agency customers.
Career Objectives are quite limiting and may have to be edited each time you need to send you CV for a job (to adapt to the position you are applying for).
Look out for CV Review Note (Part 2) where I will be discussing - Personal Information (Relevance/irrelevance of State of Origin, LGA, Religion etc).
Cheers
RELATED POSTS:
CV REVIEW NOTE (Part 4): Showing Your Belief on Your CV
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