When drafting your resume, it is easy to fall into the habit of focusing on the past. After all, much of your resume will consist of a list of things you’ve done—from positions you’ve held to special awards you’ve received to degrees you’ve attained. A resume is, in fact, a compilation of your professional and, in some cases, personal history. Therefore, admittedly, much of your resume will have sentences and clauses that are in the past tense.

And yet, a resume should also be a forward-looking document. In other words, it should not simply indicate where you’ve been—it should also inform a potential employer about where you’re headed. As a result, in order to craft a truly effective resume, you must be somewhat futuristic in your thinking. This means clearly articulating your career goals within the text of your resume.

First Step: Define Your Goals

Placing your career goals on your resume can be quite a challenge if you do not have a clear idea of what those goals are. If you are in this position, you’re certainly not alone. Many of us have difficulty visualizing where we would like to be five or ten years down our career path. In a number of cases, this may be the result of selling ourselves short, thinking that the highest levels of achievement in our chosen field are closed to us because we are lacking in some area—interpersonal communication, written communication, decision-making ability, or other job skills which are critically important for managers.

However, if you talk with someone who has made significant progress in his or her career, you might be surprised to learn that this individual also faced feelings of inadequacy or believed that he or she was ill prepared for the job now held. Even sons and daughters of business owners often have to start out in entry-level jobs before they master the skills and expertise needed to run a company. In other words, it would be wrong to assume that a corporate executive is inherently more talented or more intelligent than you are.

Through research—interviewing executives, reading business magazines, and talking to members of professional organizations that you belong to—you should be able to develop a clearer idea of what your career goals are. Perhaps you would like to secure a managerial position…maybe you’d like to teach at the college level…or perhaps you would like to own your own company some day. Jot both immediate and long-term goals down on paper so you have some idea what kind of information you’d like to convey on your resume.

Showcase Your Goals

Once you have defined your career goals, it is important that you showcase them on your resume. Of course, there are various schools of thought about how to highlight career goals most effectively. Which approach you ultimately decide to take depends on a number of factors: what your colleagues and mentors consider to be most effective; what you yourself are comfortable with; and what is the most appropriate approach for the position you’re attempting to pursue.

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