How to Draft A Statement of Where You Are Going

Introduction: There is no 'right way' of doing this Statement, no approved formula' or 'standard format'. With one exception: Make your Statement functional, in its outline, rather than chronological.

Purpose. To state where you are going, most immediately, with your life. Therefore, the heart of this Statement is your Specific Immediate Objective. Verbatim, word for word, just the way you drafted it earlier in this course. Six typed lines. Everything else on the page must flow from this Objective, justify it, and support it.

General Format: Your Statement of Where You Are Going might have the following format, as one which has come out of a number of students' successful experience:

1. Name, street, city and state, and telephone, on the four successive top lines.

2. The first section, thereafter, is entitled "OBJECTIVE:" in the left hand margin even with the first line. This is your Specific Immediate Objective.

3. The next section is entitled "QUALIFIED BY:". In your own words, explain exactly (and in as interesting a manner as possible) just what you want to do. Some clues may be obtained from your Objective. You recall that you arranged your skills there in descending order of relevance to the post or work that you want to aim toward; the most important skills first. Go now to the Talking Papers that you wrote for each of those clusters, in the same order as they now appear in your Objective, and quote from them the most relevant and supportive data as to your qualifying experiences, knowledge, and achievements. Thus, as it appears in this section, you will allude first of all to your most powerful qualifications that are supportive of the position you are aiming for in your Objective, so that the reader's attention is caught immediately (should there ever be any reader besides yourself); then to your less powerful but still impressive qualifications. And so on. Check over your Functional Summary (the one you just completed) then, to be sure nothing is left out, that is relevant. Look at the total section now. Is there anything written there that does not directly strengthen your case about Where You Are Going, and is not immediately relevant to the claim you make in your Objective? If so, strike it out. Now snip and prune all that is left, until you have a brief paragraph (probably no more than ten lines)

Keep it short. Bare-bones. Resist the temptation to write at length here. Check over your verbs: did you use the passive, or past tense? Strike it out, and substitute action verbs (determining, supervising, etc.). On- going. Present. Be sure you included personal qualities, and not just experiences. Polish it lovingly. Enjoy writing it.

4. The next section is optional; you may or may not want to include it. It is entitled "SUMMARY OF BACK- GROUND:" If your background was clearly relevant to where it is that you are going, your field and job

titles were obviously clearly related, then here is your chance to tell people what jobs you held probably without dates), and what you did there by way of. achievement while you held each job. And underline

each title you held. However, if your background has not been obviously related to where you are going, omit this section. Nothing should go on this Statement that is not clearly and manifestly supportive of your Objective at the top of the page.

5. The final sections (a couple of lines apiece, at most) are for the more mundane aspects of your life. "EDUCATION": If your degree(s) strongly support your Objective, list them here in caps. If not, just list them quietly. "PERSONAL": Here is where your age, height, weight, health, marital status, and children go (except don't say "divorced"; just say "single", or-if you've remarried, "married"). Are any of your hob- bies, avocations, sports, professional societies, or other memberships supportive of your Objective, in your view? If so, list. If not, forget them. Avoid the irrelevant like the plague. "LANGUAGES": List if, again, they are relevant to your Objective, in your view.

In writing this page, the only thing that should be on it-in the end-is information that you want others to know. Do not, ever, try to write it as though it were an answer to information that others are thought to want- least of all people in Personnel, whom you will steer clear of, anyway.

Rewrite: Polish this Statement, until it is entirely You. Be yourself. Make it fun. Unconventional. Happy. Self-assured. Confident. Neat but not gaudy. No pictures, colors, fancy ribbons, or other attempts to 'stand out.' If you wrote it as a part of this whole program, it will stand out anyway. If you didn't, nothing will compensate for that lack.

Alternate Versions: You may never need to use this Statement anywhere. But the discipline of writing it was good for you. And, if you do need it-with any of your Contacts, as you write to tell them Where You Are Going-or with any of your Ultimate Individual Targets, you've got it all ready. You can (as so many of the students in this course have, in the past) draft a different version of it for each Ultimate Individual Target that you decide to use it with, depending on what will be most persuasive to him (or her).

An example is to be found at the right.

[example] ADAM SMITH 1950 Fairmont Road Mark Twain, Missouri 66

Tel. 912-456-8938

OBJECTIVE: Position as a human development specialist with educational institution seeking to enable students to discover their unique identities, clarify their values and interests, define their life goals, choose their preferred vocations, and secure those career projects most meaningful to them in which unique counseling process knowledge and successful experience in university counseling, teaching, and administration, program planning, public relations, and adult education, plus the ability to communicate, influence, and persuade through public speaking, group dynamics, and high-level representational talents can be utilized to the fullest advantage.

QUALIFIED Specialized training in career counseling and development. Five years of successfully counseling young people and students at both secondary and post-secondary educational institutions.

Experience and skill in group dynamics. Leadership of student sharing experiences, student community, morale, and character building programs. Proven ability to enable human development by creating an atmosphere conducive to enthusiasm, personal growth, and creativity. Exceptionally perceptive human relations skills. Ease in establishing warm, mutual rapport with students. Ability to relate easily and well at all levels. Broad experience in all forms of communication. Extensive public speaking experience. Poise and confidence in public appearances. Communicates with honesty, sincerity and conviction. Experience in analyzing student needs and concerns, evaluating educational practices, concepts, structures and systems, determining and formulating goals and objectives, and planning, organizing and coordinating successful student programs and activities. Member of Dean of Students' staff and department head at large university with an enrollment of 20,000. Director of university student center. Schooling and experience in educational techniques, principles, and organization. University lecturer. Coordinator of free university. Coordinator of state and regional staff development conferences. Director of regional continuing education program involving 600 professionals and thousands of participants. Coordinator for a major student subject area at a national convention of professional educators attended by 8,000. Effective liaison with community and educational

groups and resources.

EDUCATION: University of Miami, Coral Gables, Florida, Masters program in Education, 1971-1972. University of Louvain, Louvain, Belgium, M.A., Theology, cum laude, 1967. University of Louvain, Louvain, Belgium, A.B. Theology, cum laude, 1965.

St. Mary's University, Baltimore, Maryland, B.A. Philosophy, cum laude, 1963.

Training program in career counseling and development, Crystal Institute, McLean, Virginia, 1972-1973. Won offer of four years of sponsored graduate studies abroad leading to doctorate.

PERSONAL- Born, March 13, 1941. Height, 6'6". Weight, 17 5. Health, excellent. A concerned citizen and a highly moral person who has repeatedly won election to senior posts in community organizations and professional associations.