How to write a personal mission statement or objectives statement for your CV
Isebell Gauche

The personal mission statement or also known as the career objectives statement, even though a short paragraph of only a few sentences is essential to help you set the career goals and reach them in a specific time frame. The career objectives statement or career mission statement will help to identify the past achievements, place the spotlight on personal values which shape you, and the goals that you have. The personal mission statement or objectives statement shows what you bring to the table for the employer, your family and society in the CV.

The personal mission statement has the purpose of identifying your strengths and values. It will help you to make career choices based on your values, goals and strengths. This is what is needed to identify where you fit in regarding businesses. You will want to join a business or company with the same values and goals. In short you will benefit from the objectives statement or mission statement because you will be in a better position to assess the benefits and costs of employment opportunities.

Steps for writing the career objectives statement as part of your CV

First do a self assessment and write a career management plan. Then once you know who you are, what you want from a job, and which values you are not willing to compromise you are ready for the personal mission statement.

Where you have identified weaknesses write a plan to overcome them within a set time frame.

Make a list of you strengths and skills. To write the objectives statement or personal mission statement for your CV will mean that you have to dig a bit. Get to know yourself. This will ensure that you write an accurate personal mission statement.

List past achievements

List the top achievements in your personal life and career over the last three to six years. The achievements can be something at work, home, sport, society, or culture. Find out what the achievements have in common and write that down.

List you main values

Each person has a set of values that shape their decision making. You need to identify those values. List the main values in the order of most important to the least important. Now take the three top values and select the one which is the most significant to you.

List the contributions you have made

The positive contributions which you have made to your family, your workplace, society, friendship network, business network, your immediate neighbourhood, and any not listed. Find what they have in common and where your main focus lies.

Goal setting

List your goals, responsibilities and objectives. Goals should be set for one, three, five and ten years. Divide them into categories of personal (such as health, family, standard of living, fitness, sport, education, creativity, and inventiveness etc.) and work related goals.

Drafting the personal mission statement or career objectives statement for your CV

People often leave out the objectives statement part of their CV because they have never thought about it. If you have taken the time to do a self assessment and to set goals, you will be in the perfect position to write a strong personal mission statement of career objectives statement for any CV.

Use the information gathered to write the career objectives statement. An example of a personal mission statement or career mission statement for a CV is:" My career objective is to become a leading expert in property management within the next ten years and to make a positive contribution to the streamlining of property management systems in the real estate sector".

See also our examples of the: career objectives statement and personal mission statement.