What to Put in a Career Objective
Many resume templates suggest including a career objective summarising where you want to see your career progress. Your career objective should be short and summarised in one or two sentences.
Your career objective is one of the first pieces of information potential employers will see, as it is often placed high on the first page of your resume. You will want to ensure that your career objective impresses potential employers. Your objective briefly states where you want to be in several years. It should reference the position you are applying for and future progression. For example, suppose you are applying for an apprenticeship. In that case, your career objective might be: “After completing a successful apprenticeship in four years, I aim to be a fully-fledged team member at XYZ company to continue building my knowledge, skills, and experience in the (industry) trade.”
Writing a good career objective shows your prospective employer that you think the job is more than clocking in and filling in the time to earn your pay. You are considering a career and will work hard to learn and improve your skills to reach the next level.
Carefully consider what you want your career objective to achieve. It shows you are keen and passionate about the industry. However, you also want to demonstrate that you wish for the position you are applying for; otherwise, your potential employer may think you will leave the company too soon. It is best to include the position you are applying for at the start of your career objective, even if you allude to it. If you can show that you intend to progress your career within the same company, your employer will not be afraid of you leaving the company after providing you with the training.
Your career objective must be succinct. It is not an essay, just a sentence or two explaining where you would like to be in the future. Working on a good career objective that you can easily change for different job applications is essential. You can then have your basic resume with critical elements you change for each specific application, including naming the company in the career objective. Writing a clear, concise, and easy-to-read career objective can be challenging. You may have a few attempts before you are happy with the result. First, write everything you want to say, even if it is too long. You then edit it to make it concise and more straightforward. Only have a final version that is two (or fewer) sentences.
Your career objective on your resume is a straightforward sentence explaining that you are passionate about the industry and intend to stay within the company to progress your career. It demonstrates a dedication to learning and working hard to achieve your career goals.
