Career Goal

Although it is hard to predict the future, I sincerely believe that I will become a very good financial consultant. I believe that my abilities will allow me to excel to the point that I can seek other opportunities as a portfolio manager (the next step) and possibly even higher. My ultimate goal continues to be, and will always be, to be the best at whatever level I am working at within ABC corporate structure.

If you are the type of person who prefers an organized way of life, you may find this question a piece of cake to answer. But if you're among the majority of people who let life happen as it comes along, you will probably not have a smooth answer without some forethought.

Though, it is difficult to flesh out an answer but if you prioritize things, you would be able to come up with an appropriate statement.

Example of good career objective statement as an answer: I believe long terms goals are achieved when we break them into smaller achievable goals. My short term goal is to get a job in an organization that is progressive and performance driven. I wish to join a competent team wherein I can add value to projects and in turn, take home learning as well. My long term plan is to secure a challenging position as ABC in the organization and deliver my best.

My primary objectives are to learn as much as possible about your company's product offering, organizational structure, and professional sales techniques so that I may become the most productive member of your sales team.

If you happen to be a methodical person who seems to plan for everything under the sun, then such a question would be a 'cake-walk' for you. However, if you are one of those who lead an un-planned life, you need to be prepared.

My short-term objectives are to graduate from the Professional Development Program before the standard two years and begin developing a clientele. As an intern, I prepared ahead of time by studying for the Series 7 and Series 64 exams that constitute a majority of a beginning financial consultant's time. I'd like to make make the company that hires me wonder what it ever did without me.

I wish to do my MBA and later on, set up my own business.

It is an honest answer. However, no interviewer would be keen to appoint a candidate that wishes to retire from the job soon and start of a venture on his own. He would want the candidate to stick around for some time.

When you are asked about what are your career goals, it is the time to communicate your short and long term plans with the interview - the interviewer would want to learn how stable you are in your professional/personal life, how you plan to achieve your goals and how you will grow with the company that you are working for.

The primary reason to bounce off such a question is to check an interviewee's level of self-awareness and his planning skills.

My first few years in banking had me on the fast track to branch management. I realized at some point along the way that my true passion was in offering financial advice not limited to checking accounts and loans. It was at that point that I made the necessary arrangements to go back to school full-time to pursue my goal, which I am just about to achieve.

Yes, and I demonstrated my goal orientation as president of the local Jaycees, a community-service organization. I am very proud of the fact that I set a goal of signing 50 new members by the end of the year, and I accomplished that.

Show the future employer that it is not your habit to change jobs frequently. Tell the employer that you are impressed with the team and the work environment. In addition, show that you are enthusiastic about joining the team to meet the challenges and development opportunities in this job. If your CV shows that you changed jobs quite frequently in the past, give reasons and try to ensure that this will not happen in the future.

Think about your future and where you would like to be in five to 10 years because it's highly likely you'll be asked this question directly. Interviewers are not looking for information about your personal life when they ask about your future plans; they don't want to know if you're planning to have children or get married. They do however use this question to gauge your maturity and your thought processes. In this question, they are trying to glean what is most important to you. You should develop a response that includes continuing education to play a bigger role in the company or about your determination to move into management or become the top salesperson in the firm.

Tell the employer how and what you are going to contribute to the company with your career knowledge and experience. You can also mention the achievements and developments you expect in your career. Let the employer know that these can be realized in the job they are going to offer.

A common, open-ended question asked by recruiters is "tell me about yourself." You want to have a one- to two-minute answer prepared for this questions that should include your career objectives. Briefly outline your background without repeating information that's on your resume word for word and add that your background has thoroughly prepared you for this position. Include a sentence about your plans to grow with the company and make yourself a valuable asset.

You can go a bit ambiguous and even out of the material world. For example, you can say that your long term career aspirations are to create a path that other people in the profession and line of work may follow. You may even speak about what are your career ambitions, like obtaining the highest post in a company in a while, etc.

Ten years from now I see myself as a successful consultant for a world-class firm like yours. I want to have developed a wonderful bond with my employer. I will have proven myself a highly competent systems analyst and will represent my company in helping others find solutions to their information-systems needs in a professional and timely manner.

My short term goal is to learn everything I can about marketing. I want to find a position where I can contribute what I've learned through education and to gain real life experience. I believe the next couple of years will be very important to me and my immediate goal is to learn and become skilled in all aspects of marketing.

I see myself developing my skills through your training and development programs. I hope the company policies support internal training and reimbursement of work related courses offered by university extensions etc.