The perfect CV makes you stand out to the hiring manager. To stand out, your CV must be devoid of clichés and lazy expressions and contain instead details that help the hiring manager see your unique abilities. Often overlooked, a career objective may be that extra detail you need on your CV to get it the attention it deserves.
What then is a career objective?
A career objective is a personal ambition that influences, fuels, and guides the decisions you make in your professional life. It encompasses your past accomplishments or experiences and explains your career goals.
Adding a well-written career objective to your CV shows the hiring manager that you have a sense of direction and genuinely care about the role you are applying for.
A well-written career objective is not necessarily lengthy; instead, it is concise, thought-through, and meticulously crafted. Generally, it is added at the top of the applicant's CV to guarantee its conspicuousness to the hiring manager as many hiring managers do not have the time to carefully go through all the CVs submitted to them. See the inclusion of a career objective to your CV as an opportunity to grab and retain the attention of the hiring manager.
How to include a career objective on a CV
Just like every other detail on your CV, your career objective must match the job position you're applying to and mimic its tone. Additionally, you need to tailor your career objective for every application you send. Employers can detect a generic career objective a mile away.
You are advised to do extensive research about the organization to help you discover their needs and how you can tailor your career objective to align with those needs. Read every information you can find about the organization, visit their websites and social media pages, speak with past and current co-workers, and have conversations with people in the same industry.
Keywords are indispensable when including a career objective on a CV. Besides grabbing the attention of the hiring manager as they go through your CV, keywords are useful in navigating the automated applicant tracking systems (ATS) used in screening job applicants at the initial stage. In other words, keywords highlight your CV. Many applicant tracking systems work by getting rid of CVs without certain keywords so including relevant keywords that can be detected by the applicant tracking system in your career objective will ensure it's not tossed into the bin.
To properly insert relevant keywords, consider:
Sure, it is a career objective, and it makes sense to talk about yourself and your professional aspirations but ultimately, it is advantageous to focus on the organization's needs rather than talk solely about yourself. The short time that hiring managers have makes it practically impossible for them to scrutinize your application to see how right you are for the role. This means that you have to link every accomplishment and goal to the job in question, explaining why employing you would benefit their organization.
For example: As a product manager with 4 years of experience working for AntCo. Group and a goal to build better products for brands by reducing report submission hurdles, I am capable of being your company's senior product manager and improving overall customer satisfaction.
Again, remove irrelevant details and go straight to the point. Imagine that you are about to make a presentation and have to make a great impression in 10 seconds to be asked to continue. Consider writing your career objective in three to four sentences to ensure that it is scannable by the hiring manager.
A career objective could also include your strengths. Many exempt it for brevity but including adjectives like 'detail-oriented', 'proactive', 'results-driven' may be what distinguishes you from other applicants.
The following are examples of career objectives that could serve as templates for yours.
Web Developer
Proactive web developer with 6 years of experience in web designing and programming. Seeking an organization that prioritizes graphical design and encourages creative inputs.
Entry-level Auditor
Recently completed graduate studies in auditing and bookkeeping with distinction. I have 6 months of experience preparing tax returns for Tif. Z Accounting Firm during my internship and a history of assisting bodies in the university by examining and verifying their financial information. Looking for an opportunity to translate my theoretical knowledge into a solid working experience that benefits the organization. Also looking to utilize my professional skepticism and good communication skills in financial matters.
Sales Manager
Sales-driven and self-motivated individual with skills in sales and business development. Hoping to channel analytical skills and practical knowledge to direct sales, improve the brand's overall strategy and negotiate new opportunities that benefit the company.
Medical Laboratory Technician
Detail-oriented registered laboratory technician with over 5 years of experience in quality control analysis and techniques. Fluency in English and Arabic. Hoping to learn actively in order to maintain/ improve changing laboratory processes and protocols.
Teacher
Passionate and creativity-encouraging mathematics teacher with an MSc in Applied statistics and 7 years of experience teaching at County Crest Group of Schools. Hoping to build a long-term career as a head maths teacher in a school that provides room for career growth with an interest in staying up to date with mathematically related teaching technologies that will boost student performance.
Front Desk Officer
A detail-oriented and problem-solving individual with 3 years of experience as a receptionist at Dale International. Looking to secure the front desk position at XYZ Company and bring outstanding administrative/customer service skills to set a great tone for visitors.
