You don't have to include a career goal or career objectives on your resume. In fact, if you have experience in your field, including these elements may take up valuable resume space that could be filled with relevant experience. If you're just starting your career or making a major career shift, however, stating your career goals and objectives gives you an opportunity to make an impression on potential employers. If you're including career goals or objectives on your resume, they typically go at the top of the resume under your information heading and before your experience and education.
Step 1
Jot down a list of your specific career goals. Keep in mind that goals are broad, general ambitions, like "improve my communication skills" or "work in the healthcare field." Don't worry about writing perfect sentences as you're thinking--this is brainstorming time.
Step 2
Write down the relevant skills and experience you already have to support these goals.
Step 3
Think about what specific objectives you need to build on your existing experience and skills to reach your goals. For instance, if your goal is to improve your communication skills, you may set objectives, such as learning to give presentations, writing for a newspaper or other print outlet, or participating in social networking. Be as specific as you can be.
Step 4
Combine your goals, experience and objectives to create a coherent career mission statement. For instance, you might say "To find a communications job that gives me the opportunity to improve my writing and editing skills in new media outlets."
Step 5
Trim and focus your career mission statement so that it's no more than two sentences long.
Step 6
Review your career mission statement every time you submit your resume to make sure it suits the industry and position you're applying for. If you need to revise it, use the same steps you followed to create your original statement, focusing on your goals and objectives as they relate to a particular position or company.
Tips and Warnings
- Be sure your career statement includes information about your experience and skills so that a company can see that you have something to offer as well as something to gain.
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