A professional goals essay is an excellent addition to your CV, application to the grant, or study program. Almost everywhere, this essay will be a benefit. It doesn’t have a defined form, but it has some traits that are essential to make it work. It is your chance to show your passion and your determination to get this job or be enrolled in this program.
This is not a list of your demands to the company. Professional goals essay shows your personality, your ability to plan, and set goals that are realistic and accessible. You may show that you are really ready to work and learn, you need this place more than the others and – what is the most important – why you need this position and how you can be useful for the company or university in exchange for their services or salary.
Let’s see what the main six hacks that allow you to write a fascinating essay that will increase your chances to get your dream place are!
- Be sincere
Don’t try to look better than you actually are. This will become obvious right after your enrollment or in your working place and will stain your reputation a lot. If you don’t have enough knowledge in certain areas, say about it, show that you are ready to learn. The people you send the essays have seen lots of texts before, and they have the possibility to do fact-checking. But what they do value is sincerity, creativity, and passion.
It’s okay not to fulfill all the requirements, sometimes you may become an exception if you show enough determination. Just give yourself reasonable terms to learn whatever you need to qualify fully. This will be appreciated a lot unless this company (or university, or program organizers) isn’t interested in growing great specialists.
- Ask for advice
This is a true hack: people are more prone to react to the text that has a call to action. It may be a question, asking directly or anything else. Usually, in your Professional Goals essay, it is a question for the case in which you don’t qualify. You may ask the addressees about the subjects you need to learn to get into the desired place, about other programs or jobs you can apply for with your current skills, or, maybe, even about other people they know that you may write to.
This might give you a chance for a meeting even if your application was rejected or, at least for a letter. Using this chance is up to you, and there is no guarantee that your second letter or meeting in person will get you the place of your dream – but at least you will have time for the preparation.
- Organize your plans
Imagine that you are selling your startup project, but the project is you. You should explain why your “project” is worth investing in it. Write a short plan of your learning or working process, the skills you are ready to acquire, and the ways to do that. Give yourself enough time, be reasonable, and think about your work-life balance. Be ready to explain any term and any skill: why this one, why so long, and so on.
We don’t think that you will need these explanations, but they will give you inner confidence. Even if you don’t get the place, you’ll have a plan to achieve your goals. But in case of extra questions, you’ll show that you are prepared and know what to do and what to answer.
- Avoid cliches
You may find dozens of examples of the career goals essays on the Internet on free databases like ProCollegeEssays.com just to see how it can be written – but don’t use them. They were sent to different companies with minor editions countless times. Even a paragraph or two for them will make your whole essay suspicious. It’s much better to write the whole text by yourself, even if it won’t look as smooth as an Internet one. People are looking for sincerity and creativity, remember?
It’s better to read the examples once or twice, then close them and write your own essay, still keeping them in mind. You will remember the structure and the main theses, but you will describe them with your own words.
- Don’t be afraid to be emotional
Work and study aren’t only about skills; it’s also about passion. Your essay isn’t a dry analysis of your possibilities; it is a reflection of your personality and traits, so be ready to show them. Let them know that you are eager to get this place, that it is your dream and your chance. We are social creatures, and empathy is our natural skill. Those who will read your essay will feel your emotions, whether they want it or not.
- Always leave yourself a second chance
Remember that you can’t always be a hundred percent responsible for getting what you want. The rejection of your essay doesn’t mean that there was something wrong with it. You may use it as a chance to correct something, but don’t rewrite it completely. You may use it very soon for another place – and be accepted there.
Conclusion
Writing your professional goals essay is easier than you think. The main thing is to be sincere and precise about your plan. Don’t try to be convenient. This essay is your chance to show yourself – use it fully!