English · CV Writing
How to Write a Career Objective in a CV
What a career objective should say, with examples that work and examples that do not.
A career objective is one or two sentences saying what you want to do and what you bring to it. It should name the kind of role and the organisation type rather than being a general statement of ambition — "to work as a teacher of English in a reputed school, where my training in language teaching can be used" says something; "to build a bright career" does not.
The format
What an objective is for
A career objective tells a reader in one or two sentences what kind of work you are seeking and what you bring to it. It sits directly under your contact details, so it is the first thing read, and a vague one wastes the most valuable line on the page.
Name the role and the setting
A usable objective contains at least two specifics: the kind of role, and the kind of organisation. Adding what you bring makes three. Without any of them the sentence could belong to any applicant for any job, which is precisely why it earns nothing.
- ✓ To work as a teacher of English at secondary level in a school that takes language teaching seriously.
- ✓ To work as a computer operator in a well-organised office where accurate data handling matters.
- ✗ To build a bright career in a reputed organisation.
- ✗ To utilise my knowledge and skills for the development of the country.
Tailor it to the post
The objective is the one part of a CV that should change between applications. Where the advertisement names a skill or a responsibility, echo it — not by copying the wording, but by showing that the objective and the post are about the same thing.
Length and register
One sentence, or two at most, of about twenty to thirty words in total. It is written as a phrase beginning with To, without a subject, which is why it is the one place in a CV where something close to a sentence is acceptable.
Model answer
Objectives that work, and why
For a teaching post
To teach English at secondary level in a school that takes language teaching seriously, and to develop into a role with responsibility for curriculum planning.
It names the subject, the level, the kind of school and a direction of growth. A reader knows immediately what the applicant wants.
For an office post
To work as a computer operator in an organisation where accurate record-keeping matters, applying training in data entry and spreadsheet work.
It names the role, what the applicant values, and the training that supports it — three specifics in one sentence.
For a fresh graduate with no experience
To begin a career in banking as a trainee officer, applying an academic background in accounting and a willingness to learn the practical side of the work.
It is honest about being at the start, which is not a weakness when it is stated confidently, and it names the field and the relevant background.
What these avoid
None of them uses bright career, reputed organisation, utilise my potential or dynamic environment. Those phrases appear in a large proportion of CVs and, precisely because they do, they convey nothing about the person writing them.
What earns and loses marks
- Name the role and the kind of organisation. Two specifics is the minimum for an objective to be worth reading.
- 🚨 Avoid bright career, reputed organisation, dynamic environment and utilise my potential — they are in every second CV.
- Keep it to one or two sentences, twenty to thirty words.
- Begin with To and no subject: To work as…, not I want to work as…
- Change it for each post. It is the one section that should not be reused unaltered.
Mistakes to avoid
- ✗ To build a bright career in a reputed organisation where I can utilise my potential. ✓ To work as a computer operator in an organisation where accurate record-keeping matters. — the first could belong to any applicant for any job
Frequently Asked Questions
One sentence, or two at most — roughly twenty to thirty words. It sits at the top of the CV and is read first, so it must be short enough to take in at a glance. Anything longer starts duplicating what the qualifications section already says.
Because they appear in a very large proportion of CVs and therefore say nothing about the individual. An objective earns its place by being specific — naming the role, the setting and what you bring. A sentence that would fit any applicant for any post is a wasted line at the top of the page.
Yes. It is the one section of a CV that should be rewritten for each application, because it is the only one that states what you want rather than what you have done. Echoing the language of the advertisement — without copying it — is what makes it fit the post.
Keep going
Model answers, formats and grammar rules for every SSC and HSC writing question.