Suggested actions for drafting a professional objective:

Generate a list of options that interest you, listing everything you have thought about doing
now and in the future. Share the list with people who know you well and ask for their
reactions.

• Assess your personal interests, values, skills and preferences so that they are reflected in
your professional objective.
• Consider other career alternatives as a way of determining how you might transfer your
skills into other functions or industries.
• Create a career vision of what you want your work life to be like in three to five years. An
immediate professional objective is usually best planned in the context of a long-term
personal vision of your career.
• If you are considering entrepreneurship or ecopreneurship, investigate this path carefully
and assess how well your skills, interests and values support that career direction. You may
want to continue your job search while exploring self-employment.
• Write down your work-related accomplishments so that you can clearly identify your skills
and traits, identify potential markets and present yourself well.
• Draft a sentence or a phrase that concisely describes the kind of work you are seeking.
This will become your professional objective.

Your professional objective should...

1. establish your professional identity, while it...
2. identifies the position you’re seeking, and...
3. summarizes your main qualifications in seeking it.

Here’s an example that delivers on the three points above:

Vice President of Marketing in an organization where a strong track record of market

share expansion and Internet savvy is needed.

Your professional objective passes muster when the kind of work you are seeking is clearly
understood by people inside and outside your profession. It’s an important element in
defining your personal and professional brand.