Developing a Career Objective
INTRODUCTION
Good morning, students! My name is Rich Green; I’m with the Career Services Office. This morning I’d like to talk with you about career objectives - how to write a good one and what benefits you’ll receive when you do.
Yogi Berra, all star catcher for the New York Yankees once said:
"If you don’t know where you’re going, you might end up somewhere
else!"
He’s right! Without a good career objective how can you know where to send your resume? How will you know which job appeals to you? When you get asked the "what do you want to do?" question - what will you tell the interviewer? ...(Not to mention your parents!)? Students say that the career objective is the hardest part of the resume to write. That’s not surprising, considering what’s involved in writing a good one.
THE CAREER OBJECTIVE
What is a career objective? Defined: A career objective is a challenging goal that you fully expect to achieve. It’s a statement of a reality that has yet to be formalized. Your objective should be a clear, succinct statement what you want to do and where you want to do it.
However, before you can decide which skills you want to use - it’s only logical that you first need to know which skills you have! Do you know what your best skills are? Do you know which of these skills you want to advertise on your resume? And, which of those skills will make you valuable to an employer?
Many students find that writing a career objective brings up some very good questions. Like - Should I major in Real Estate or Finance? Work in a large company or small company? Public or Private Sector? The Career Services Office counselors can help you with these questions.
The main thing to remember about writing a career objective is that it must be your own, written by you, specifically for you. You can’t take one out of a resume book.
BENEFITS
Here are 5 benefits you’ll receive from writing a good career objective.
First: A career objective will help you recognize opportunity. Tom Jackson in his book Guerrilla Tactics in the New Job Market has a great quote: he says: "A job is an opportunity to solve a problem". Question: What problem do you want to solve? Most jobs are like the proverbial ‘diamond in the rough’. When the ad runs in the paper for a ship’s captain, it’s not for the captain of a Carnival Cruise Ship. No.... they’re looking for someone to run an old freighter that’s overloaded, short-handed, and behind schedule. Is this job a problem or an opportunity for you? If it is an opportunity,.... at the interview, tell me - prospective captain - how are you and your skills going to solve my company’s problem?
Second: You’ll gain confidence in yourself. Many students suffer from what I call "false modesty" when it comes to job skills. They have good job skills, but they sell themselves short. Like the gal who says - Oh, it was just a summer clerk job at the GAP. Come to find out after talking with her, she balanced the books, ordered merchandise and opened and closed the store. She called herself a summer clerk, but she had the duties of an assistant manager.
Third: Your objective will save you time! Here’s how: Once you’ve done the planning and have your outline, the actual writing of your resume will be a snap. Plus, with a clear objective you won’t need to interview with every company - just those firms that meet your criteria.
Fourth: You will command a higher salary. When you hit the job market, you’re selling a product - you and your skills. You don’t receive a higher salary by just wanting it or thinking you deserve it. You’ll get a higher salary by describing your skills and the added value that you’ll bring to the organization.
Fifth: You’ll have answers for some dreaded job interview questions: Like: "What do you see yourself doing five years from now? Quick story: I once had an interview with a prominent snack food manufacturer. I’d read the company’s annual report, researched the company’s products and the interview was going smoothly, then suddenly the recruiter leaned forward, and in an urgent voice, he asked, "Rich, Why Frito?" All I could think of was that little Cheetos character. The best answer I could come up with was to stammer " Uh,....I ...I... like Dallas." Needless to say, the interview went straight south from there........ The moral of the story?....... Don’t let this happen to you!
THE CAREER SERVICES OFFICE
Come to the Career Services Office! At the CSO, we offer:
* Individual Career Planning, plus
* Workshops and seminars on all kinds of job-related topics
We’ll treat you as an individual and we’ll work with you to develop a picture of who you are and where you want to go with your degree. We’ll show you how to recognize opportunity, gain confidence, save time, increase your starting salary, and breeze through your interviews. Perhaps best of all, when you go to the Career Services Office, you'll know where you’re going... And when you know where you’re going...you won’t end up somewhere else.
Thanks very much - I look forward to seeing you at the Career Services Office!