STATE A CLEAR OBJECTIVE OR GOAL

Stating a clear career objective or goal will help you target your job search and communicate your major strengths (skills and abilities) to employers. Best of all, it will clarify what it is you want to do as well as what you can do for the employer.

Without a clear goal, you may appear disorganized and unfocused - you can do “a little of this, a little of that” but nothing in particular to convince employers that you can do their job.

Stating a powerful career goal or objective in under 25 words is one of the toughest job search tasks. It may take hours or days to formulate one that best reflects your key motivations, abilities, and skills - your MAS. Nonetheless, you must do this if you want to give your job search a clear direction.

Try to formulate an objective or goal that follows this simple but powerful skill-outcome formula focused on the needs of employers:

I would like a job where I can use my ability to
_________________________, which will result in
___________________________ for an employer.

Here's an example of a weak objective that also is very self-centered rather than employer-centered:

A Landscape Design position with
opportunity for advancement

Here's an example of a much stronger objective that also is very employer-centered:

To use innovative landscape design training
for developing award-winning approaches to
designing commercial properties.

Now formulate your own 25- to 30-word career or job objective using the same skill-outcome formula which focuses on the needs of employers:

__________________________________________________________________

Once you have refined your objective, be sure to communicate it on your resume and applications as well as in cover letters and other types of correspondence with employers.

For more information on how to develop a powerful career objective, see the following book:

I Want to Do Something Else, But I'm Not Sure What It Is: Find a Job That's Fit for You (Impact Publications, 2005, pp. 116-140).

SOURCE: Adapted from Ron Krannich, Ph.D., The Re-Entry Employment and Life Skills Pocket Guide (Manassas Park: Impact Publications), pages 24-25. Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Copying strictly forbidden.