Saturday, August 2, 2014

What if I don't have a career objective?



Recently, I have been updating my CV. The format of my CV has been pretty much the same for the past 15 years and so I have been toying with the idea of slightly changing the format, while updating the content at the same time. Some people have an introductory section where they set out their career objective. I decided that this is an interesting self reflection exercise anyway and worth giving it a try. First step was to go online for some quick tutorials.

Definitions.

A career objective is a statement of your career direction or a specific career goal that you would like to achieve. It should link your goals to the key attributes sought by an employer or those necessary to perform well in an occupation or industry sector. They should be personal, and should articulate the nature of work you want to do, or the industries you are interested at, set out what you have to offer...

The past 20 years was a journey through law, business, developing country issues and charity. It is hard for me to say that I am interested in a particular sector or a particular industry. What life has taught me so far is the complimentary of all of these aspects. Perhaps what I am looking for is not just a  job, but a life that combines all of these, a life that serves my purpose.

Ideally, I hope to do something special and meaningful. Working with international organizations and NGOs on capacity building 10 years ago was almost like a wish granted. I also want to be different, special, to be remembered for making a little difference to society, to make my humble and short existence meaningful.


But perhaps landing on a job has never been a straight forward equation for me. I have stumbled onto most jobs through making friends. On many occasions, it was really that the jobs have found me rather than I have found them. Especially for the past three jobs, the circumstances which they appeared were most miraculous. Maybe this is my path. The right opportunity would come at the right moment, as long as I am prepared for the opportunity. I look forward to seeing what the next opportunity is.