Putting your goals in your resume

Sheiko37

It sounds like a good idea, but after putting some in there and looking over it I'm starting to think it's not relevant and a potential employer might view me like someone putting incomplete certifications on their resume.

If I spoke freely, my immediate goals are to expand my home lab, learn Python, figure out the next certification, read and review more security books, and maybe try publish an article. If I look at that in my resume though I feel like people reading it are going to be thinking "home lab... books... who gives a ****?"

If you include goals in your resume do you keep it really close to the outline of the job you're going for, or do you think it's worth it to list personal development goals?

joeswfc

It is a good thing to do to a certain extent...
Before I got the job I have now, I put under my qualifications that I was in progress with my MCSA. This helped me to get my job as they wanted someone who had the MCSA or was close to having it.
I also tend to put in my profile section what kind of job I would like to do in the future.

I probably wouldn't include anything about expanding your lab or figuring out your next certifications though. But like I say it probably won't hurt to include certain things

OctalDump

I think if personal development is important to you, then I think it is worth including. Employers will either appreciate it and will likely be more supportive of these goals, and the employers who find it a turn off might not be the ones you want to work for. Like a lot of resume things, there's no magic bullets. Some employers will bin a resume based on the font you use, others will just glance at a couple of key words and then call you in for a resume.

I think you need to be careful about how you phrase things, so it doesn't seem like some vague wish list. But done well in a way that shows accomplishment and commitment, it could set you apart as someone dedicated to continually improving their skillset and adding value for their employer.

Russ5813

I think a brief, short-term goal can be included in your objective statement, assuming you use one. I discuss long-term goals during the interview. You can talk about some goals in your cover letter, which provides context for your resume. I'm not a fan of what you describe in particular-- use your resume to talk about career accomplishments/skills/knowledge that you already have and can quantify that are relevant to the job your applying for.

Another workaround is to include a link to your LinkedIn profile on your resume. If a potential employer decides they want to know more about you based on your resume, you've just given him convenient access to a medium where you're able to talk about your goals to your heart's content.

wolfinsheepsclothing

It's been my experience that potential employers will ask you about goals during an interview; making their inclusion in a resume somewhat superfluous. I don't think either will hurt you though.

DoubleNNs

I include my goals in my LinkedIn. If I had a blog or personal website (plan to create both by the end of the month) I would include my goals on there -- possibly explaining them in greater detail.

I keep only my accomplishments on my resume -- and links to other media that a prospective employer might find interesting.

the_Grinch

I second leaving them off of your resume. As others have pointed out, often an employer will ask and this is a chance to exemplify yourself, where if I see it on your resume I might not ask since now I know. Also, it's been my experience that people tend to put things that are goals anyone would most likely have. Often I will see goal "to obtain an IT position", you have a degree in IT and are applying for an IT position pretty sure I know your goal is to work in IT.