career is important essay

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Career Goals Essay For Scholarships (With Examples)

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Scholarship programs often want you to write a career goals essay to see that you have a clear plan for how you’ll apply your education to a specific career path. This helps show a scholarship committee why you’re seeking funds for the next step on the path toward your success. Answering “what are your career goals” effectively can help increase your odds of impressing landing a scholarship opportunity. If you’re a prospective student applying for scholarships, this article will provide tips on how to write a career goals essay, along with essays on career goals examples to help you get an idea of what scholarship committees are looking for. Key Takeaways: When you’re writing a career goals essay, make sure to write about the goals that are relevant to the scholarship. Be honest and use your own voice to stand out in your scholarship essay. Go into detail about how the scholarship will help you achieve your goals. In This Article    Skip to section What is a career goals essay? Why scholarship essays ask about career goals Example career goals essay prompts Career goals essay examples Tips for writing a scholarship essay about career goals What to write in a career goals essay if your goals have changed Career goals essay for a scholarship FAQ References Sign Up For More Advice and Jobs Show More What is a career goals essay?

A career goals essay is a personal written explanation that discusses your background, why you’re interested in participating in the program, and what career you’d like this degree to lead into. A scholarship essay functions to explain why you want to achieve your professional goals and how you intend to get there.

In almost every application process, a portion asks the candidate to answer an essay question. When applying to an educational program, like an MBA, the essay prompt usually relates to your career goals .

Why scholarship essays ask about career goals

Scholarship essays ask about career goals to assess your enthusiasm for the program, learn more about how the scholarship will help you, and ensure that you’ve considered how the program will help you achieve your goals for the future:

Assess your enthusiasm. Passion is important for scholarship administrators, and if you’re able to articulate your enthusiasm for a specific career path , it will show that you’re determined to meet the requirements to reach that goal. The most specific and well-thought-out your essay is, the easier it will be for a reader to understand your devotion and commitment to the program and the field it will allow you to enter.

Learn how the scholarship will help you. Having a firm grasp of your career goals is great, but it’s equally important that you express exactly how the specific program relates to those goals. This shows that you’ve researched the merits of the program and understand exactly how it fits into your professional goals.

Show you’ve considered your future. This goes along with the first two points — show that you know how to set goals and consider the path toward achieving those goals, and you’ll have an easier time convincing the reader that you’ll know how to set goals while participating in the program. They’ll see that you know how to prioritize education because you have a clear vision for navigating your career path.

Example career goals essay prompts

While some scholarships might come right out and simply ask, “What are your career goals?” most will rework the question into something different that still accomplishes the same goal.

Below are some examples of career goals essay prompts that a scholarship program could pose to its applicants:

Discuss your career goals. Many scholarships prefer the most direct approach when giving an essay prompt to their applicants. This type of question gives the candidate a lot of wiggle room to discuss their passions, motivations, and career goals.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years ? This question is often used as a prompt for a career goals essay because it gives the applicant a timeline to describe their aspirations. It forces them to be realistic about where their career will be and how they will accomplish this within the next ten years.

How will this scholarship contribute to your professional success? A scholarship committee wants to be sure that the money they’re giving will contribute to a student’s overall professional success. This question asks about the applicant’s game plan in the long-term and evaluates how this program is going to assist in their future.

What is your dream job ? Since a dream job is often categorized as a person’s career goals, this is a common question phrasing in scholarship essays. Asking about a candidate’s dream job answers whether this program aligns with the student’s long-term career goals.

What matters most to you and why? Sometimes, a scholarship essay prompt won’t ask about your career or future at all. Instead, they’ll ask a question like this that assesses your motivations , values, and character.

Career goals essay examples

Use these examples of career goals essays for scholarships to help write your own. Pay special attention to how they’re organized, rather than the content, to inspire your own career goals essay:

Career goals essay example 1 – Discuss your career goals

When I was six years old, I was riding bikes with my older sister around our neighborhood. She had just taught me how to ride, and I was excited to have to freedom to explore with her. When she was rounding a particularly difficult bend to see around, a car happened to be coming along at the same time. It struck her. That bike ride changed our lives forever. Over the next year, I went with my sister every Tuesday and Thursday to her physical therapist ’s appointments to help her regain walking strength. Watching her physical therapist patiently assist my sister back to becoming herself awoken something in me. A passion for helping others in the same way eventually turned into a career goal of becoming a physical therapist myself. I decided to get my bachelor’s degree in exercise science. After graduating in 2019, I knew that the next step for me was to attend a graduate program in physical therapy. I was accepted to Lassell University Master of Science in Rehabilitation Services. This presented me with my latest goal along my career path, and I’m eagerly waiting to start. This scholarship would help me afford the wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Lassell University class of 2023, allowing me to continue working towards my ultimate career goal of becoming a physical therapist and helping others to become themselves again.

Career goals essay example 2 – Where do you see yourself in ten years?

In ten years, I will have been successfully running my own construction business for about five years. I’m currently a second-year student at the University of Texas, pursuing a master’s degree in business administration. I decided to get my MBA because I knew it would be a positive asset toward my long-term career goal of owning a construction business. In my high school years, I worked as a construction apprentice for a local business. I loved many aspects of the business, such as building something from nothing. I knew that I wanted to incorporate this work into my long-term career, but I didn’t want to work as an apprentice . This led me to pursue business. In ten years and with the help of this scholarship, I will have graduated with my MBA almost a decade prior . After graduation, I plan to take a business administration internship with a carpentry business to help myself get a footing in the field. After about two years of this, I will have started my own construction business.

Career goals essay example 3 – What matters most to you and why?

The people I surround myself with matter most to me. Whether it be my relatives, friends, or professional acquaintances, I always care the most about the happiness of the people around me. Making the people around me happy matters the most to me because I truly because we find our happiness through others. I believe that this drive to make a positive impression on the people around me is what drove me towards a career as a nurse . I always thought of hospitals as places where people need someone to support them and make their day a little happier. I wanted to be one of those who spend their careers positively impacting people in need. This scholarship will enable me to finally afford nursing school and go after my dream job full force.

Career goals essay example 4 – What are your short- and long-term career goals, and how will earning this degree contribute to achieving those goals? Please provide a minimum of 200 words.

My short-term career goals involve working directly with underprivileged young people to increase the literacy rate in my community. As a student of an underfunded and understaffed school, I’ve seen firsthand how much of an impact early literacy education makes on long-term achievement. It broke my heart to see my peers embarrassed at their struggle with reading at an advanced age, and this shame added another dimension to their lack of opportunity. Being a literacy educator for young people would allow me to serve this community directly to show them not only the necessity of strong written communication skills, but the joy of reading for pleasure. This program focuses specifically on early literacy, and would provide me a direct route to a career in serving the community I hope to serve. As for long-term career goals, I hope to one day create a program where socioeconomically parents can bring their children for literacy education, not only to increase their ability to navigate the world of language, but also to instill confidence and joy in the written word. What drew me to this program was that it also has administrative, legal, and business dimensions that would set me on the path toward achieving this goal.

Tips for writing a scholarship essay about career goals

Here are some tips to keep in mind for writing a career goals scholarship essay:

Write about goals relevant to the scholarship. Although you may have many different kinds of goals for your personal and professional future, a scholarship essay only discusses objectives that are relevant to the program you’re applying for.

Be honest. Applying for a scholarship is stressful because the applicant’s education is usually reliant on receiving these funds in one way or another. Even though it’s tempting to exaggerate your skills or pretend you’re more passionate about something than you are to make yourself a more competitive applicant, it’s a bad move.

Use your own, unique voice. The essay portion of a scholarship application is your chance to stand out by using your voice. Nobody else, regardless of their academic or professional achievements, is you. Make this clear in your career goals scholarship essay by keeping your unique written voice engrained in the words you produce.

Be specific. A big reason that scholarship committees ask applicants to write a career goals essay is to determine how prepared they are in planning their long-term professional goals. They aren’t interested in providing a scholarship to students who aren’t going to follow through with their career plans.

Explain long and short-term goals . Even if the essay prompt asks you to describe where you see yourself in ten years, you still need to tell them the steps leading towards this picture of success.

Include the short-term goals that add up to your larger career objectives in your essay response. Explain how accomplishing the smaller goals gives you an advantage when tackling long-term ones.

Explain how the program and scholarship will help you. Before writing your career goals essay, consider how this program and scholarship will help you in your career. The answer to this question is essential.

Follow the essay formatting guidelines. This may sound obvious, but it’s surprisingly easy to forget this step when your essay is finally flowing and when you’re scrambling to get it submitted on time.

Check, double-check , and triple-check the essay guidelines for content, word count, and formatting requirements. If you miss any of these steps, your essay may be immediately disqualified no matter how good it or the rest of your application is.

What to write in a career goals essay if your goals have changed

Many times career goals essays are written by students who have already completed at least some college or are applying to a post-graduate program and need more money to continue.

There’s a good chance that your career goals have changed since you started or graduated college. For example, say you wanted to be an engineer , so you got your undergraduate degree in engineering but realized you didn’t like it after working in the industry for a few years.

You decided that nursing would be more up your alley, and now you’re applying for a scholarship for a nursing program. While this isn’t unusual, it can make it more difficult to write a career goals essay since your past work doesn’t necessarily match your future goals.

In this case, you’ll simply need to explain why you changed your career path and why this next one is the best choice for you. Share your decision-making process to show that you haven’t taken the switch lightly, and talk about what you’ve already done to try to pursue this path.

Career goals essay for a scholarship FAQ

How do you write a career goal for a scholarship essay?

You write a career goal for a scholarship essay by sharing your passion, explaining both your long- and short-term goals, and relating your goals to the scholarship.

Explain why you want to pursue the career you’re pursuing, where you hope to be in the future and how you plan to get there, and how the scholarship will help you do this.

How do you describe your career goals in an essay?

You describe your career goals in an essay by explaining what you want to do in your career, why you decided on this career path, and what you’ve done so far to make that a reality.

You can usually work these factors into any prompt you receive, so think through them before you start writing so that you can use them as an outline of sorts.

What are career goals examples?

Examples of career goals include:

Working as a grant writer for a nonprofit organization.

Becoming a department manager and eventually an executive in your field.

Owning your own plumbing company.

Caring for underserved communities as a nurse practitioner .

What are some goals for success?

Some goals for success include growing in your role, building your network, and finding joy in the job. Most careers don’t just happen overnight and require you to set the right milestones that work best for you. Not everyone will have the same goals for success.

How do you start a career goals essay for a scholarship?

You can start a career goals essay for a scholarship by directly answering the prompt. Most scholarship prompts include a word count of between 200 and 500 words, so it’s essential that you immediately respond to the prompt. Attention-grabbing sentences and narratives can be helpful for setting the scene, but an efficient and direct answer will show a clarity of mind that helps enhance the quality of your answer.

BLS – Career planning for high schoolers

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Sky Ariella is a professional freelance writer, originally from New York. She has been featured on websites and online magazines covering topics in career, travel, and lifestyle. She received her BA in psychology from Hunter College.

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Examples of Scholarship Essays for the “Career Goals” Question

Emily Wong is a writer at Scholarships360. She’s worked as a social media manager and a content writer at several different startups, where she covered various topics including business, tech, job recruitment, and education. Emily grew up and went to school in the Chicago suburbs, where she studied economics and journalism at Northwestern University.

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Maria Geiger is Director of Content at Scholarships360. She is a former online educational technology instructor and adjunct writing instructor. In addition to education reform, Maria’s interests include viewpoint diversity, blended/flipped learning, digital communication, and integrating media/web tools into the curriculum to better facilitate student engagement. Maria earned both a B.A. and an M.A. in English Literature from Monmouth University, an M. Ed. in Education from Monmouth University, and a Virtual Online Teaching Certificate (VOLT) from the University of Pennsylvania.

Writing an essay is often the trickiest part of the scholarship application, not to mention the most time-consuming. However, the essay section also allows room for creativity and individuality. If you can communicate effectively, you can use the essay portion to stand out from the crowd. Let’s go over some tips for writing, as well as a couple of scholarship essay examples about career goals.

How to write a scholarship essay 

At this point, you’ve probably gained plenty of experience writing papers for school. However, it may still take a couple of tries to nail the scholarship essay. Since scholarship teams often have to get through a lot of applications, it’s important to stand out while staying concise. Here are some simple guidelines for writing scholarship essays.

See also: How to write a winning scholarship essay (with examples!)

Take five minutes to brainstorm

Before you even start your essay, take some time to gather your thoughts. Think about what you’ll want the paper to focus on. Why did you choose to pursue your career path in the first place? Where do you want to be in five years? How would this scholarship help you further your studies and work toward your goals?

Once you’ve jotted down a few ideas, choose one or two to center your essay on. Identifying the focus of your paper, it’ll make it easier to keep your thoughts organized. In turn, it’ll make it easier for the reader to follow.

Related : How to start a scholarship essay (with examples!)

Stay within the word limit

Unlike the four-page essays that you may have written in English class, scholarship essays are often only a paragraph or two. In order to respect the selection committee’s time, be wary of going too far about the specified word count. A general rule of thumb is to stay within 20 words above or below the limit. That may entail a few rounds of edits to get the wording just right.

Stay positive!

Feel free to use part of your essay to talk about your life’s challenges. After all, the selection committee often wants to give the award to a candidate who needs it. However, make sure your anecdote doesn’t devolve into a sob story. If you’re going to bring up hardships you’ve endured, try to balance it by talking about how you’ve overcome them. By demonstrating resilience, you can show readers how you would use the scholarship to succeed in your current situation.

Leave time to proofread

Especially for a short scholarship essay, proofreading can take as little as 5-10 minutes. Still, it can be tempting to just hit “submit” after your first draft. However, being too impulsive can leave your essay riddled with typos and grammatical errors.

Try to avoid unnecessary mistakes by finishing your draft at least 24 hours before the scholarship deadline. That way, you can proofread it with fresh eyes before you submit it.

If you’re struggling to close out your essay, read how to end a scholarship essay in five steps .

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How to write a 100-word “career goals” essay.

When writing a 100-word essay, you’ll have to choose your content carefully. Since space is limited, you’ll want to identify the most important details to include beforehand.

First and foremost, make sure to clearly communicate your current pursuits. Talk about your academic and extracurricular activities related to your career goals. Additionally, it’s important to be specific about what you plan to do in the future. Then, if you have extra room, you can talk about how the scholarship will help you reach your goals.

My name is Alison MacBride, and I’m a sophomore at the University of Illinois. I’m currently pursuing a major in Journalism with a minor in Natural Resource Conservation. After completing my program, I plan to combine my areas of interest to become an environmental journalist.

During high school, I volunteered at an eco-conscious farm, where I learned about how our actions affect the earth. Since then, I’ve been set on raising awareness for the environment. This scholarship would go a long way in helping me finish my degree with the skills I need to investigate and report about critical issues.

Word count: 100

How to write a 250-word “career goals” essay

For the 250-word essay, you can go into more detail. Give the readers some context by talking about how you first got interested in your chosen career. Storytelling can be especially effective in engaging your audience. Try to capture their attention by choosing one or two concrete examples and relaying them vividly.

Additionally, you can spend more time talking about the scholarship and how it’ll make a difference in your studies. Go into more detail about how and why you need the award, but remember to keep it positive! For more help, check out how to write a 250 word essay . 

I first decided that I wanted to pursue a career in environmentalism in early high school. The summer after my freshman year, I joined a volunteer program at an eco-conscious farm in my community. In addition to helping out with the operations, I learned about current environmental issues related to farming and other consumer industries.

After learning about the agricultural industry’s impact on the planet, I was inspired to make a difference. The next year, I started a monthly earth magazine at my high school in which we broke down environmental issues and offered tips on how to be more eco-friendly. When I started college, I founded an on-campus publication with the same mission.

In recent years, I’ve been troubled to see how some media outlets downplay the gravity of issues like climate change and deforestation. I’ve admired reporters who publish trustworthy and comprehensible information about environmental issues, and I aim to follow in their footsteps.

When I entered college, I was initially concerned that I wouldn’t have enough money to finish my degree. Fortunately, I’ve been able to cover most of my tuition using merit scholarships and paychecks from my part-time job on campus. Receiving this scholarship would allow me more time to focus on acing my classes and pursuing environmental advocacy work on campus.

Word count: 261

Final thoughts

Planning is essential in making your “career goals” essay clear and concise. Hopefully, these scholarship essay examples about career goals can be your guide to writing a scholarship-winning essay. Good luck!

Additional resources

Maybe you need to write a longer scholarship essay? We can help with our writing a 500 word essay guide ! Be prepared and learn how to write essays about yourself and how to craft an impressive personal statement . Learn the differences between a personal statement and a statement of purpose as the terms might come up on college websites. If you haven’t decided on a college already, check out our guide on how to choose a college . No matter where you are in your educational journey, make sure that you apply for all the scholarships you qualify for!

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Career Essay

Career essay generator.

How do you see yourself 5 or 10 years from now? That question kicks start your imagination and make you visualize yourself in your future career. Maybe you are thinking about it now, but you are likely confused about expressing it in words. Unlike other essay writing , writing your career essay is exciting because you are writing about yourself, your plans, passion, and aspiration. Learn how to make your career essay impressive by reading this article.

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What Is a Career Essay?

A career essay is a text people write to detail their goals or plans for the future. In this essay, people talk about the career they want in the future and the things they have achieved so far. People often ask you to write a career essay when you send an application letter for a scholarship or submit your resume for a job.

How To Write a Rousing Career Essay

You should write your career essay seriously because it might be a deciding factor for your future. That said, in writing your essay, there are a lot of things to consider and a process you need to follow. Your end goal in writing your essay is to convince people that you are determined to walk the talk and make the things you wrote in your descriptive essay to reality.

1. Devise an Engrossing Title

The first thing to think about when writing an essay is coming up with an attention-grabbing title. When people read your essay, they pay the most attention to your title. Also, another benefit of coming up with your title first is that it will serve as a guide for you for the whole essay. 

2. Introduce With a Hook

After devising a title, deliver the next blow with an introduction that piques their curiosity. To do that, begin your essay with a hook. Your hook can be a quote, a question, or you can even provide a statistic. If your introduction is good enough, it will secure the engagement of your readers.

3. Organize Your Ideas

Writing an essay is like taking your readers for a ride. You need to set the vibe and organize the flow of your thoughts. Don’t start too strong it might make the rest of your essay bland. You need to properly build up the development of excitement and make sure the order of your ideas makes sense. 

4. Polish Your Essay

Finalize your essay by proofreading it. When people talk about their passion, they tend to talk too much and include several unnecessary things. Make sure not to do that. Omit all the details that don’t contribute to the overall impact of your reflective essay. Also, don’t forget to review your text for grammatical errors. 

Why is career planning important?

People hustle every day to reach their dream careers. Having a target career gives you a direction and sets your path. Planning your career is essential because being indecisive about it might negatively impact your life. Not having a fixed goal is like not having an end destination. Preparing for it would also make your career action plan achievable.

What is a career genogram?

A career genogram traces back an individual’s family tree and examines the career timeline they pursued. The scope of this genogram reaches the grandparents, extended family, and even the person’s close friends. This graphic representation is helpful when a person has a hard time deciding about his or her career development plan .

What is career assessment?

Career assessment is the process of identifying what career would work best for you. Most assessments are in the form of a questionnaire . It includes questions about your interests, your skills, your hobbies, and your strengths. These are some examples of questions that would help assess your future career. The result of your career assessment might give you ideas on what path to take.

The moment people read your career essay, they often rate how likely you are to succeed. Show them a piece of your mind that would erase all their doubts about your success. They say manifesting works wonders, so manifest the future that you want best by composing a rousing career essay. 

Text prompt

• Instructive
• Professional

Write a career essay on the benefits and challenges of a career in medicine.

Discuss in a career essay the skills needed for success in the digital marketing field.

How to Write an Awesome Essay About Your Career Goals

• Before you begin, ask yourself a few key questions like:
• What are my short-term and long-term career goals?
• Where do I see myself in ten years?
• What events in my life have led me to have these goals?
• What major will help me reach my goals?
• What skills do I need to reach my goals?
• What impact do I want to have on society?

Career Goals Essay Template

Need more inspiration.

After you brainstorm the responses to these questions, look for common themes, or pick out the most interesting stories. You can build your main essay “thesis” or idea around this.

Once you’ve got the main idea, create an outline to put your ideas into essay format. This will give you a general idea of structure.

You can use the career essays template below to give you some ideas. But remember that some rules are meant to be broken, so don’t be afraid to be innovative and think outside the box!

Also, when you’re done, head over to Going Merry to apply for the Career Goals scholarship essay bundle (one essay, one application, multiple scholarships!). You might as well make that essay count. Sign up for Going Merry to apply for scholarships more efficiently.

Here’s a paragraph-by-paragraph breakdown:

Paragraph 1 : Establish the main theme of what you’re going to talk about. It should also grab the reader’s attention. For example, instead of starting your essay with something generic (e.g. Ever since I was a little girl, I wanted to be a zoologist), get creative with it! Try something like My greatest memory as a young girl was going to the zoo for the first time or While most kids play house or school, I always wanted to play zookeeper.

Paragraph 2 : Elaborate on what inspired your career goals. Perhaps it was a relative, a TV show, or simply an experience that you had. Remember that old writing adage, “Show, don’t tell.” In other words, try to demonstrate your interest with story or description. 

Paragraph 3 : Discuss your short-term career goals and your intended major. How will your intended major help you reach these goals? What skills do you need to learn to reach them? At the end of the paragraph, try discussing how your short-term goals can help you achieve your long-term goals.

Paragraph 4 : Focus on your long-term goals and the impact that you hope to have on society. If you’re not sure what your long-term goals are, don’t sweat it; they’ll probably change anyways. You can instead focus on the difference you’d like to make overall. And don’t worry too much about the size of the impact…remember that just doing what you’re truly passionate about has a massive impact on those around you.

The last paragraph is your conclusion. You can use this paragraph to summarize what you discussed in the previous few paragraphs. If you want to be even more creative, try ending your essay with a question for your readers or a new insight. Good luck!

And now that you’re ready with that essay, put it to good use! You can recycle that same essay, when applying for the Career Goals Scholarship Bundle. We’ve joined together multiple scholarships (all requesting essays on career goals), into just ONE simple application! See more info here , or just sign up to get going.

Check out examples from other students just like you. Here are links to some great career goal essay examples:

• Example 1  
• Example 2  
• Example 3  

Or maybe you’re looking for help with an academic goals essay — we’ve got you covered there too.

Also, check out this helpful list of the 10 most common scholarship essay topics !

Sign up for Going Merry today, and upload your career goal essay right to your profile. It’s that easy!

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February 29, 2024

• Writing Your Career Goals Essay

Check out all the blog posts in this series:

• Identifying the Ingredients of a Winning Essay
• Finding a Theme for Your Statement of Purpose
• Revise and Polish Your Application Essays

Your career goals essay demands a laser-like focus. A personal statement, by contrast, allows for some flexibility in its content, though you can – and often should – discuss your career goals. But a career goals essay has a particular and packed agenda. In fact, the prompt for a career goals essay could actually include multiple questions, and in such cases, you want to make sure you address each of them.

For example, in 2022, Kellogg asked applicants to its one-year program to respond to the following prompt: “Please discuss your post-MBA career goal, the current experience you will leverage to support the transition, and the Kellogg 1Y opportunities that will help you reach this goal.” 

This prompt has three parts: (1) What do you want to do post-MBA ? (2) Why is the 1Y program appropriate for you? And (3) what experience has so far prepared you to succeed in your target role? 

So, always pay close attention to your target school’s prompt to ensure that you answer all the questions within its “single” question. 

Three elements of a successful career goals essay

In addition to having a distinct theme , your career goals essay should achieve the following:

• Highlight specific career achievements. Choose from your most notable or defining experiences. These could be related to your work, community involvement, or extracurricular activities. The experiences you select should showcase your leadership skills , creative thinking, collaborative abilities, and personal reflections about what you learned or gained.
• Explain why your experiences and influences make your career goal a logical and wise choice.
• Demonstrate why you are suited to a particular field as a result of your education, experience, abilities, and enthusiasm. Ideally, the material you choose to include will also allow you to prove your knowledge about industry trends and suggest how your abilities and strengths can help you contribute to that field.

It’s a very tall order to achieve all this.

Putting these elements together to create your goals essay

Let’s take a look at a sample MBA Goals Essay and see how these three key elements are incorporated.  

You should be able to easily recognize why the writer’s opening is attention-getting for all the right reasons. The writer introduces herself as the supremely busy executive she visualizes becoming in the future. She trades large amounts of stock, rushes off to a Zoom conference, hurries downstairs, flags down a taxi, then hops on a plane. As she describes this whirlwind of activity, we can practically feel her heart pumping.

After establishing her voice and personality in this opening, she offers context for her MBA goal. Notice that in writing about her work as an accountant for a major firm, she provides relevant details, including how many years she has been in the field, her bilingualism, and her specialty area as an auditor. This information is her springboard to explain why she is pursuing an MBA: she’s bursting out of her limited role as an accountant. Her eyes and ambition are set on a larger playing field as an international investment manager.

Write an essay, not a list or CV

Outstanding career goals essays are not lists of an applicant’s roles and achievements. Instead, they have a narrative flow and arc that convey the candidate’s palpable excitement about their career choice. This writer’s enthusiastic, dreamy first paragraph achieves this, and she returns to that image at the end, where she paints her idealized (if frantically busy) future. She also proves her seriousness by noting that she registered for the CFA exam.

Connect your career goals to your reasons for choosing a particular program

Many essay questions, especially those for MBA programs , will ask why you have chosen the school you’re applying to. Be prepared to respond knowledgeably and enthusiastically. And the only way to become knowledgeable – and enthusiastic – is by visiting campus in-person or virtually, attending student recruitment meetings, participating in forums, reading student blogs, watching videos of students speaking about their experiences, communicating directly with students and/or recent alumni, and otherwise doing your homework. As part of your research, make sure you have familiarized yourself with the courses and specializations that are relevant to your goals.

Summary Tips

• Focus on answering each and every question asked in a career goals essay prompt. Often, there is more than one.
• Highlight specific achievements vividly and in a way that shows that your career choice is logical for you.
• Do the research so you can write about why the school is a good fit for you and do so with genuine enthusiasm.

In the next post in this series , we’ll explain how to take all this advice and apply it to create an exemplary first draft.

Work one-on-one with an expert who will walk you through the process of creating a slam-dunk application. Check out our full catalog of application services . Our admissions consultants have read thousands of essays and know the exact ingredients of an outstanding essay.

By Judy Gruen, former Accepted admissions consultant. Judy holds a master’s in journalism from Northwestern University. She is also the co-author of Accepted’s first full-length book, MBA Admission for Smarties: The No-Nonsense Guide to Acceptance at Top Business Schools . Want an admissions expert help you get accepted? Click here to get in touch!

Related resources:

• The Winning Ingredients of a Dynamic MBA Goals Essay , a free guide
• Grad School Personal Statement Examples
• Focus on Fit , podcast Episode 162

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Essay on Choosing a Career

Students are often asked to write an essay on Choosing a Career in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Choosing a Career

Introduction.

Choosing a career is a significant decision in life. It sets the course of our future, shaping our experiences and lifestyle.

Importance of Choosing a Career

The career we choose influences our satisfaction in life. It determines our work-life balance, income, and personal growth.

Factors to Consider

When choosing a career, consider your interests, skills, and values. Also, consider job market trends and opportunities in your desired field.

Seek Guidance

Seek advice from career counselors, teachers, and professionals in your area of interest to make an informed decision.

Also check:

250 Words Essay on Choosing a Career

Choosing a career is one of the most pivotal decisions in a person’s life. It’s a process that involves careful evaluation of one’s interests, skills, and future aspirations. The decision not only shapes one’s professional journey but also influences personal growth and happiness.

Identifying Interests and Skills

The first step in choosing a career is identifying one’s interests and skills. This involves introspection and self-assessment to understand what truly motivates us. Are we inclined towards artistic pursuits, scientific explorations, or business strategies? Equally important is to identify our skills. Are we good at problem-solving, creative thinking, or interpersonal communication? The intersection of interests and skills often points towards suitable career paths.

Research and Exploration

Once interests and skills are identified, it’s time to research potential careers. This involves understanding the nature of the job, required qualifications, and growth prospects. Networking with professionals in the field, attending career fairs, and internships can provide valuable insights.

Future Aspirations

The next step is to align the chosen career with future aspirations. Do we want a high-paying job, or do we prioritize work-life balance? Do we aspire to be leaders or specialists in our field? These aspirations can guide us in making an informed career choice.

500 Words Essay on Choosing a Career

Choosing a career is a crucial decision that significantly influences an individual’s life. It is a process that requires careful thought, self-reflection, and understanding of one’s interests, skills, and values. The choice made can lead to a fulfilling life, filled with satisfaction and growth, or it can lead to a life of dissatisfaction and regret if made hastily or under pressure.

Understanding Yourself

The first step towards choosing a career is understanding oneself. It is essential to know your interests, strengths, weaknesses, values, and personality traits. This self-awareness can be achieved through introspection, personality tests, and career counseling. Understanding your skills and aptitudes can help you identify careers that align with your abilities and interests.

Exploring Career Options

Assessing career fit.

After exploring various career options, it’s time to assess which ones are the best fit for you. This assessment should consider factors such as job satisfaction, work-life balance, salary, job security, and opportunities for growth. It can also be helpful to consider the future job market trends and the potential impact of technological advancements on your chosen field.

Making an Informed Decision

The final step in choosing a career is making an informed decision. This decision should be based on a careful evaluation of your self-understanding, exploration of career options, and assessment of career fit. It’s also important to remember that a career choice is not a life sentence. The world of work is dynamic, and it’s okay to change your career path as you grow and evolve.

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

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Essay On Career | Career Essay for Students and Children in English

February 13, 2024 by Prasanna

Essay On Career:  Career is the most important part of one’s life. To put bread on your dining table, to gain respect from the society and for your self-satisfaction, a good career is a must. But the definition of “good career” is vague and depends on people to people.

There is no such thing called as a good career. A career path that is good for me might not be necessarily good for others. Therefore, in this particular essay on career, we would like to dig deep and understand what a career is and how to choose one in order to lead a happy and content life.

You can read more  Essay Writing  about articles, events, people, sports, technology many more.

Long and Short Essays on Career for Students and Kids in English

In this article, we have provided a 600-word long essay on career for students and college children. Also, you can find a 200-word short essay on career for various essay writing competitions. Long essay on career is helpful for students of classes 7,8,9 and 10. Short essay on career is helpful for students of classes 1,2,3,4,5 and 6

Long Essay On Career 500 Words in English

Each and every one of us has faced a certain junction or a cross-road at some point in our lives that has had a major impact on our lives. This can be both a professional crossroads or personal crossroads. But in this essay on career, I would like to talk about the cross-road that we see in our professional career. It’s not just the students who would have faced a dilemma in deciding a career, even employees past 30 years of age face this crisis.

When a student’s face its called a beginner’s crisis, but when an employee 6 years down the lane faces dilemmas in his or her career choices, then its usually called a mid-life crisis or mid-career crisis. Midlife crisis is a term that refers to people who are having second thoughts about their career a few years down after working in the same. There might be plenty of reasons for these some of which may be an everyday monologue, fatigue, salary issues, professional growth issues, internal office dilemmas, etc. In this essay on career, I am going to talk about both the type of career choices.

A student’s life is the first crossroad that we face in our lives. By keeping certain factors in mind, there is plenty of career choice a student can choose from. Some of the popular career choices are engineering, medicine, arts, and commerce. Which career to choose and on what terms is something that every student will have to worry about. There are certain criteria to choose a career, which are:

Criteria to Choose a Career

• Passion: The word passion sounds cliche, but it is an important criterion to consider before choosing a career path. If everyone follows their passion and chose a career accordingly, then the concept of a mid-career crisis wouldn’t have occurred in the first place. Every one of us would have dreamt of something during our childhood. We all wanted to become a police, a cricketer, an actor, a doctor or an engineer. But not everyone follows and listens to the child in them. We ultimately give up on our passions and choose a safe career which will give us a good salary. Risk-taking is a part and parcel of life and no one should regret not doing something 80 years down the lane when they are on their death bed.
• Stability: Financial stability, as well as job stability, is something that should be considered as an important criterion. Because the world is increasingly changing and many industries are being taken out by emerging technologies. So before choosing a particular career path, the stability as the well the salary factors should be taken into account
• Future prospects: Future prospects, both in terms of your interest in the field as well the survival of the field itself, in the next 20 years should be taken into consideration. A Mid-career crisis can be avoided if future prospects are evaluated properly. Certain industries might fall and certain might become the next biggest phenomenon. People who are serious about their careers choose a path which has a long-lasting prospect
• Satisfaction: This is another important factor while choosing a career path. A good salary, a nice work environment and a good location might give some people the job satisfaction they need, but there are some people who are not affected by any of that. The only thing that matters to them is the job itself. Usually, a job that is socially helpful is the ones that provide true satisfaction.

This essay on career is written from a student’s point of view. But an essay on career from an employee’s point of view will be totally different. The factors mentioned above might not even be relevant to them anymore. But this essay on career in mainly confined to the beginner’s journey.

Short Essay on Career 200 Words in English

Below, we have given an example essay on career with a 200-word limit in English for students of classes 1,2,3,4,5 and 6.

Career is a term that is referred to the professional path that a candidate decides to take upon to earn a livelihood. This is, in fact, a vague definition for a career. And more importantly, the concept of people choosing a career to earn a livelihood has almost become redundant. The millennials nowadays are risk-takers and choose a career according to their passion irrespective of whether the career is stable or not. There is something called as an odyssey stage where people who have just completed there degrees, wants to postpone their prospects of working. People nowadays are in pursuit of knowledge more than the pursuit of money. From a bachelor’s degree to a master degree to a PhD, nothing seems to be enough for the growing population of millennials.

This is something even businesses are taking into consideration. The attrition rates in companies are very high resulting in loss of money for the company in training and induction. The attrition rates would not have been high, provided a student had got good career counselling before choosing a particular career path.

There are many career paths that a person can choose from. The fact that there are so many choices is in itself a problem statement. If the choices were low, people would not have much say in choosing a career path. But on what factors does he or she choose is a big question to ponder upon.

10 Lines On Career Essay

• A career path should be chosen based on passion and interest in the field
• There are plenty of career choices to choose from like engineering, medical, commerce or management
• There is no one definition for a good career path
• The suitability of a career depends on person to person
• People tend to leave companies often because of improper career guidance at the beginning of their career
• Safe career paths are those that provide good salary and job security
• Choosing a risky career path like music or dance has become an increasing trend among the Millenials
• The millennial mentality is far different from the previous generation’s mentality in term of career paths
• Companies should address and provide good career guidance to their employees
• Educational institutes should provide career counselling to students in accordance with their interests and aptitude.

FAQ’s On Essay on Career

Question 1. How to choose a career path?

Answer: Follow your passion and interest to decide on a career path

Question 2. Which is the best career path?

Answer: There is no one good career path. It varies from people to people

Question 3. Is engineering the best career?

Answer: Engineering graduates have more jobs to choose from after their graduation

Question 4. Which is the most difficult career path?

Answer: There is no such thing as a difficult career path. It all depends on hard work and competency

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Why Career is So Important in Life?

A career is a cornerstone of an individual’s life, shaping not only their financial stability but also their personal growth and social identity. The choices one makes in their profession reverberate through various facets of existence, influencing well-being, self-perception, and societal contribution. As individuals invest time and energy in their professional development , they not only enhance their skills and knowledge but also open doors to new opportunities, enabling both personal and economic progress.

Understanding the significance of a career extends beyond the boundaries of personal gain. It also encompasses the wellbeing of families, as a stable career supports work-life balance and financial security, which are critical for a harmonious home life. On a larger scale, careers drive economies and societies forward, with each profession contributing to the bigger picture of community development and prosperity.

Key Takeaways

• A career significantly affects an individual’s financial and personal growth.
• Professional advancement contributes to work-life balance and family well-being.
• Individual career choices collectively impact societal and economic progress.

Understanding Career Importance

A career significantly shapes an individual’s identity and contributes to their personal growth. It’s a source of skills development, purpose, and confidence.

Defining a Career in Life

A career is more than just a string of jobs; it’s an individual’s journey through learning, work, and other aspects of life. Key attributes of a career include:

• Scope : Broadly encompasses varied roles and industries.
• Progression : Marked by advancements and milestones.
• Skills : Reflects the competencies developed over time.
• Purpose : Gives a sense of direction and objectives to strive for.

Careers play a pivotal role in shaping a person’s identity. They have the potential to influence who they are and how they view themselves within the society.

Career Impact on Personal Growth

Personal growth through a career is multi-faceted and includes:

• Skill Enhancement : Continuous learning and development of new skills.
• Confidence Building : Mastery in one’s field can lead to greater self-assurance.

Career experiences contribute to a person’s development in meaningful ways. The impact of a career on life is not just limited to financial stability but also extends to nurturing one’s purpose and enriching their identity.

Career and Well-Being

The interplay between career and overall well-being is significant, where job satisfaction can enhance health and proper stress management contributes to life satisfaction.

Health and Job Satisfaction

People with high levels of job satisfaction are likely to report better mental and physical health . Job satisfaction directly influences an individual’s well-being and overall life satisfaction. For example, a nurse who finds personal fulfillment in caring for patients may experience positive health benefits due to a sense of accomplishment and meaning in her work.

• Job satisfaction is correlated with reduced instances of depression and anxiety .
• Satisfying careers can lead to healthier lifestyles, with individuals more motivated to engage in health-promoting activities.

Reducing Stress Through Career Choices

Career decisions can play a pivotal role in stress management . Careers that align with an individual’s strengths and values can lead to decreased workplace stress and improved well-being.

• Jobs requiring adaptability foster patience and reduce stress because employees learn to manage changing circumstances without undue anxiety.
• Progressive workplaces that offer stress management programs, such as workshops or flexible schedules, help their workforce maintain better stress levels and well-being.

Professional Development

Professional development is crucial as it encompasses the myriad of activities that contribute to an individual’s growth and competency in their career. It is an ongoing process of learning and improvement that aligns with one’s professional goals.

Career Development and Professional Goals

Career development is a strategic approach an individual takes to achieve their professional aspirations. It is informed by setting specific, measurable, and attainable goals. A focused career plan often includes formal education , specialized skills training, and leadership opportunities, meticulously charting a course for advancement and success. For example, pursuing a career management course can provide tactical insights for professional progression, while targeted leadership training helps in acquiring competencies necessary for management roles.

Importance of Continuous Learning

In a rapidly evolving job market, continuous learning is essential for maintaining and enhancing professional relevance. Education does not stop after obtaining a degree; it is a lifelong endeavor that supports career growth . Employees can engage in a range of activities, from attending workshops to enrolling in advanced education programs. These efforts culminate in the acquisition and refinement of skills that are not only beneficial to the individual but also to their organization.

Work-Life Balance and Family

Achieving equilibrium between professional responsibilities and personal life plays a pivotal role in maintaining mental health and nurturing familial bonds. This section explores strategies for managing both family and career, while also maintaining hobbies and interests , which are essential for overall well-being.

Managing Family and Career

Individuals often strive to strike a balance between their career ambitions and family needs. The working parent may face a unique set of challenges in juggling these responsibilities. To address work-life balance, effective time management and clear communication with family members are crucial. For instance, they could:

• Create a schedule that designates time for work and family activities, ensuring neither is neglected.
• Set priorities to identify which tasks are most important on a daily or weekly basis.

Workplace flexibility, like telecommuting or flexible working hours , can alleviate stress and facilitate a more harmonious balance. Companies often provide resources to support working parents, including:

• Child care options within or affiliated with the company.
• Parental leave policies that allow for time off around the birth or adoption of a child.

Maintaining Hobbies and Interests

Engaging in hobbies and personal interests is essential for preventing burnout and sustaining one’s passion for their work. These activities act as a counterbalance to work pressures by:

• Reducing stress through leisure activities that contrast with work-related tasks.
• Providing a sense of accomplishment and enjoyment unrelated to career achievements.

To integrate hobbies into a busy schedule, one might:

• Plan ahead by blocking out time specifically for hobbies each week.
• Combine activities with family or friends to nurture relationships while engaging in interests.

For example, a family might allocate a specific evening for a group hobby , such as a board game night, which serves both as a bonding opportunity and a personal interest.

Building Relationships and Networking

In the landscape of career development, building relationships and networking serve as pivotal pillars for professional growth and progress. They form a foundation for opportunities, learning, and advancements in one’s career.

Growing Your Professional Network

Expanding one’s professional network is critical for career advancement. Networking facilitates connections with individuals who can become instrumental in achieving professional goals . A robust network can lead to new opportunities, from job offers to invaluable industry insights. Benefits of a diverse professional network often include:

• Access to Job Opportunities : Networking can open doors to positions that are not publicly advertised, giving individuals a competitive edge.
• Knowledge and Insights: Interacting with peers and leaders in the sector can provide fresh perspectives and up-to-date information on industry trends.

To grow a professional network effectively, one should be proactive in attending industry events , joining professional associations, and engaging on professional networking platforms. Relationships nurtured through these activities can lead to substantive support and mentorship .

The Role of Mentorship and Support

Mentorship plays a decisive role in driving professional growth . Experienced mentors offer guidance, share knowledge, and can facilitate the acquisition of key skills, including leadership training . Support from mentors and peers enhances an individual’s ability to navigate the professional landscape and stimulates progress .

Key components of a strong mentorship relationship include:

• Guidance: Mentors provide advice on career decisions, helping to illuminate the path towards professional objectives.
• Skill Development: Support from mentors often includes coaching in areas like communication , strategic thinking, and leadership.

Building relationships with mentors and advocates is crucial, as they can provide the necessary support to overcome challenges and encourage continual learning and development. They act as a sounding board, offering diverse perspectives and fostering an environment where professional and personal growth can thrive.

Personal Identity and Career

A career significantly shapes one’s personal identity by aligning with their interests, values, and passions. This influence profoundly affects job satisfaction and one’s sense of self.

Career as a Component of Identity

A person’s career is often a reflection of their identity . It can symbolize their commitment to specific values and mirror the areas in which they find passion . Careers contribute to how individuals perceive themselves and are perceived by others. For instance, a teacher may be seen as a nurturer and a lifelong learner, which could be core elements of their identity. Similarly, an environmental scientist might identify as a steward of the earth, with personal and professional interests intertwined.

Job satisfaction stems from one’s career resonating with their sense of self. If an individual’s job roles and responsibilities reflect their personal ethics and passions , they are more likely to experience fulfillment. As such, the career one chooses can be a testament to what they deem important and a major component of their identity.

Aligning Interests with Career Paths

People who align their interests and career paths often find more job satisfaction and personal fulfillment. For instance, someone with a keen interest in technology who pursues a career in software development is likely to feel a sense of passion and achievement in their work. Employers often seek candidates whose personal values align with the company’s mission, as these employees tend to be more engaged and motivated.

Here are ways individuals align their interests with their careers:

• Identifying core values and seeking out organizations with similar principles.
• Pursuing education and training in fields they are passionate about.
• Exploring various roles to find where their interests align with career opportunities.

By deliberately choosing a career path that resonates with their inner self, people can ensure that their work is more than just a job—it’s an integral part of who they are.

Career Management Strategies

Effective career management strategies are crucial for maintaining a clear path to professional success and satisfaction. They involve the continuous planning and fine-tuning of an individual’s work-life roadmap to adapt to the evolving job market and personal aspirations. Mastery of resume crafting and interview skills, along with diligent career planning and milestone setting, are paramount.

Effective Resume and Interview Techniques

An individual’s resume should be a well-organized document spotlighting relevant skills and experiences. It should adhere to the following structure:

• Contact Information : Clearly list name, phone number, and email.
• Professional Summary : Briefly summarize skills and career objectives.
• Work Experience : List jobs in reverse chronological order emphasizing accomplishments.
• Education : Include degrees and relevant certifications.
• Skills : Highlight both hard and soft skills relevant to the desired job.

Interviews require preparation and self-awareness. One should:

• Research the company’s background and role requirements.
• Practice responses to common interview questions .
• Prepare questions for the interviewer to show engagement.
• Gather feedback from mock interviews to improve.

Career Planning and Setting Milestones

Career planning is a strategic process involving:

• Self-assessment to understand one’s strengths, weaknesses, and career interests.
• Exploring different career options and necessary qualifications.
• Developing a to-do list to accomplish each step in the career path.

Setting milestones allows individuals to track progress and make adjustments as needed. This can be organized in a table:

Regularly revisiting and revising the career plan ensures that the individual remains focused on their end goals while adapting to any changes in their professional landscape.

Impact of Career on Society

A career significantly influences societal progress and ethical dynamics. It shapes industries and the economy while reflecting the values and responsibilities of service sectors and organizations.

Contributing to Industry and Economy

A robust career landscape is a pillar of economic growth . Individuals with focused career paths bolster specific industries , aiding in the creation of innovative products and services which in turn contribute to the gross domestic product (GDP). For example, careers in technology drive advancements in efficiency and open new markets, while healthcare professionals are instrumental in improving societal health and productivity.

• Fortune 500 Companies : They often set economic trends, providing employment and career growth opportunities that reflect on the nation’s economic health.
• Service Industry : Careers in this sector are crucial for societal functioning, with roles ranging from education to hospitality, impacting the quality and availability of services.

Ethical Considerations in Career Choices

Career choices are not made in a vacuum; they embody an individual’s values and sense of purpose .

• Ethical employment: It involves assessing the impact of one’s work on society and choosing roles that align with personal and societal values.
• Corporate Responsibility : Companies, especially those with global influence, are expected to make career opportunities available that promote sustainable and ethical practices.

Careers in various sectors contribute to a structured, functioning society where economic stability and ethical standards coalesce to reflect and shape who we are as a collective.

Looking Forward

In this section, we explore the importance of being proactive with future trends and how embracing change can lead to significant progress in one’s career.

Embracing Changes and Opportunities

Professionals who demonstrate flexibility and adaptability to change are more likely to seize opportunities that arise. They remain current with industry shifts and relevant in their chosen fields. These individuals often cultivate habits that prepare them to pivot when necessary, ensuring their skills and approach always align with the future trends of their sectors. Industries evolve, and those keen on progress, who are ready to embrace new practices and technologies, stand a greater chance of excelling.

Preparing for the Future of Work

The future of work is continuously shaped by innovations and varying market needs. Employees and businesses alike must prepare for these inevitable shifts. Individuals should focus on developing a skill set that supports the shifting landscape of their current company or industry. They might do so by:

• Regularly participating in professional development and training.
• Staying informed on evolving future trends within their industry.
• Networking with other professionals to share insights on future trends and change .

Organizations can aid their workforce by:

By preparing for the future of work , both individuals and companies can build resilience and maintain relevance no matter how the professional landscape evolves.

A career is a significant facet of a person’s life, reflecting not only their professional journey but also their personal growth and achievements. It serves as a platform for individuals to apply their skills and knowledge, contributing to their sense of identity and fulfillment.

Effective management of one’s career path is vital. It allows an individual to set realistic goals and navigate the complexities of the job market. Career management ensures that they can adapt to changing circumstances and continue personal and professional development.

Achievements in one’s career often stand as a testament to their hard work and dedication. These milestones, whether they are promotions, recognition, or successful projects, often enhance self-esteem and motivation. They serve as tangible proof of an individual’s capabilities and can inspire others in their professional pursuits.

In essence, the importance of a career cannot be overstated. It is intertwined with an individual’s financial stability, self-expression, and personal satisfaction. As such, career development deserves attention and strategic planning to realize its full potential for impacting one’s life positively.

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The Key to Choosing the Right Career

• Heidi Grant

It’s not passion, but whether you’re more motivated to play offense or defense.

Choosing a career path (or changing one) is, for most of us, a confusing and anxiety-riddled experience. Many will tell you to “follow your passion” or “do what you love,” but as Cal Newport argues in So Good They Can’t Ignore You , this is not very useful advice. When I graduated from college, I liked lots of things. But love? Passion? That would have been seriously overstating it.

• Heidi Grant is a social psychologist who researches, writes, and speaks about the science of motivation. Her books include Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You , Nine Things Successful People Do Differently , and No One Understands You and What to Do About It . She is EY US Director of Learning R&D.

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The Importance of a Good Career Essay

Table of contents

Importance of a good career, how to choose your career, what helps in making a good career, how to achieve your career goal.

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• Self-Assessment: Start by understanding yourself. Reflect on your skills, interests, values, and personality traits. Identify your strengths, weaknesses, and what brings you joy and fulfillment. Consider your natural talents and passions, as they can guide you toward a career that aligns with your innate abilities.
• Career Exploration: Conduct thorough research on various career options that resonate with your interests and skills. Explore job market trends, growth prospects, required qualifications, and potential challenges in each field. Consider the demand for professionals in the industry and evaluate if it aligns with your long-term goals.
• Seek Guidance: Seek advice from career counselors, mentors, and professionals in your desired field. They can provide valuable insights, guidance, and personal experiences to help you make an informed decision. Engage in informational interviews to gain deeper insights into different career paths and learn from individuals with firsthand experience in those fields.
• Gain Experience: Gain practical experience in your chosen field through internships, part-time jobs, or volunteer work. This hands-on experience will help you better understand the industry, validate your field interest, and make informed decisions. Additionally, it provides opportunities to network with professionals and expand your professional connections.
• Consider Future Prospects: Evaluate the long-term prospects of your chosen career. Look for industries with growth potential, evolving technologies, and changing market demands. Consider how your chosen career path may evolve and whether it aligns with your long-term goals and aspirations.
• Hard Work and Dedication: Building a good career requires a strong work ethic, commitment, and perseverance. Putting in the effort and going the extra mile can set you apart from others in your field. Embrace challenges, take on new responsibilities, and demonstrate a willingness to improve and excel continuously.
• Continuous Learning: In today's rapidly evolving world, continuous learning is essential for a successful career. Stay updated with industry trends, advancements, and new technologies. Seek professional development opportunities, attend workshops, seminars, and acquire new skills to enhance your knowledge and remain competitive.
• Networking: Building a strong professional network can open doors to new opportunities and support your career growth. Attend industry events, join relevant organizations, and connect with professionals in your field.
• Effective Communication: Strong communication skills are crucial for professional success. Develop verbal and written communication skills to effectively convey ideas, collaborate with colleagues, and build positive relationships with clients and superiors. Clear and concise communication promotes understanding and fosters a productive work environment.

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Do Your Career and Work Values Align?

By  Saundra Loffredo

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What are your core values, and why are they important to consider when evaluating your career options? Your core values are principles that you find desirable, important or even essential. An alignment between your career and your core values produces satisfaction, a sense of happiness and fulfillment. A misalignment can cause can everything from minor problems to major disruptions.

Work core values are typically broken into three types:

• Intrinsic values are related to the intangibles about the career. These are the values that motivate you and help you feel fulfilled. Examples of intrinsic values are giving back to society and expressing your creativity.
• Extrinsic values relate to the tangible rewards derived from your career and your work environment. Some examples of extrinsic values are pay, working as part of a team and providing influence.
• Lifestyle values. Lifestyle values are a type of second-tier value. What you do for a career and where you work produces a certain type of lifestyle. The type of lifestyle you desire can help complete the picture of what you value. A few examples of lifestyle values include living in a big city, traveling extensively and living simply.

Some people’s core values may have been obvious to them for a long time. For others, a recent event may uncover a set of personal core values. Recognition of your own core values may come to you naturally, or the process can be a struggle.

I wish I could say that I knew from a young age what I valued in life and what I wanted to do with my career. It took many years and multiple jobs for me to understand myself, my values and the importance of keeping those things in alignment with the work I did. For me, I think the answer was there for a long time, but I just didn’t see it. I must have been looking for a great cataclysmic event to make things clear. There was no earthquake that produced a sign saying, “This way is your personal path to career happiness!” In hindsight, understanding my values shouldn’t have been such a mystery.

Two people can have the same core values, yet their values can be understood or expressed in different ways. An example of this can be seen when looking at Naveena and Stephen. Both hold Ph.D.s in the life sciences and decided to go directly to work after graduation. Stephen and Naveena share the extrinsic value of wanting to provide influence and the lifestyle value of desiring to travel extensively. While they share two of the same core values, they are honoring those values with different career choices.

Naveena just accepted a management consulting job. She believes that helping to guide different organizations spread across the world is the best way for her be true to her desire for freedom. Management consulting can be perfect fit for Naveena. She is not constrained by doing the same job, in the same office, every day. Her work duties and office locations change frequently based on the projects that her company assigns her. This amount of freedom keeps Naveena happy and fulfilled.

Stephen is working as a freelance medical communications specialist. He doesn’t want to work for one organization and likes the freedom to choose the types of contracts he accepts. As a freelancer, Stephen can work where and when he wants. One of his goals in the next 12 months is to travel extensively throughout Thailand. He plans to work while traveling because, as a freelancer, he can take his office with him on a daily basis. Stephen is thrilled to be able to combine his travel goals with his career choice.

You need to have a good understanding of yourself and your values to readily analyze your current or future situations. Tim had his aha moment regarding his values when he was in high school. His 11th-grade English teacher, Mr. Rubenstein, helped facilitate his interest with British and American literature. Tim often asked him questions about the readings after class, and Mr. Rubenstein happily provided Tim with additional stories and articles to read in his spare time. The mentoring relationship between Tim and Mr. Rubenstein created that aha moment. Tim learned that he valued helping others, continuous learning and influencing people. He finished his Ph.D. in literature, teaches at a California university and mentors a group of students who want to become teachers and faculty members. Tim is happy and fulfilled, and he enjoys his career.

Why it is important to understand and align your values with your career? Your values give you a sense of purpose and are guideposts to what fits you best. If you are working in a role or organization that is not a good match for your values, your “symptoms” may vary from mild to strong. On the mild side, you might feel a general sense of discomfort or a lack of connection with your situation. Feeling a lack of motivation and constantly wanting to take a day off are other indicators that there could be a mismatch. On the extreme end, a misalignment between your career and your values could make you completely miserable, trigger depression or even cause you to become physically ill.

What if you don’t know what your core values are? Where do you begin the process of understanding what you truly value at work and in your life? You can find numerous resources to help you on your self-awareness journey.

If you prefer to explore through books, you have multiple options. Each of the following tackles the subject of work and life values in a different way: Return to Your Core: Principles for a Respected and Purposeful Life by Jay C. Rifenbary, Unwrapping Your Passion: Creating the Life You Truly Want by Karen Putz, and Know Yourself, Grow Your Career: The Personal Proposition Workbook by Anne Marie Segal.

You also have numerous options if you want to take your core values journey via websites or article. For a running list of values to trigger brainstorming, consider this article by Allison Doyle or another by Dawn Rosenberg McKay. This blog post by Anne Loehr explains her journey and how she lives by her values.

More career-focused and detailed assessments can be found in other resources. The MyIDP tool for scientists offers multiple self-assessment tools, including a values inventory. Social science and humanities graduate students and postdocs can find a similar tool at ImaginePhD .

Another popular website for individuals in all career fields is O*Net OnLine . This site is a comprehensive resource for detailed job descriptions. The descriptions are cross-referenced by multiple systems including the Classification of Instructional Programs and the Occupational Outlook Handbook. The website’s advanced search function allows you to browse jobs by work values and other categories.

If you don’t know what your core values are yet, start the work to get those answers. Once you know your values, consider how your career meshes with your values. You may already have a great fit between values and career, or there could be a mismatch. It’s never too late to better understand your core values and align your career to them. Your career satisfaction and happiness may depend upon it.

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Home — Essay Samples — Life — Professions & Career — Career

Career Essay Examples

Crafting an engaging and informative career research essay is a crucial step for students and professionals alike who are navigating the complex landscape of career planning and development. These essays serve as a bridge between one's academic pursuits and professional aspirations, offering insights into various fields, the skills required, and future job prospects. They provide a structured way to explore and articulate career goals, understand industry trends, and reflect on personal strengths and interests in relation to the job market. Whether you're a high school student contemplating your future, a college student selecting a major, or a professional considering a career change, delving into a career research essay can illuminate the path ahead.

For anyone looking to embark on this enlightening journey, exploring research essay examples can be an invaluable first step. It offers a glimpse into effective strategies for structuring your essay, choosing relevant content, and engaging your readers. Below, find a list of 10 popular career research essay topics that span a diverse range of industries and interests, reflecting the broad spectrum of career opportunities available today:

• The Evolution of the Software Developer Role in the Tech Industry : Exploring the dynamic landscape of software development, including emerging technologies and the skills needed to succeed.
• A Day in the Life of a Healthcare Professional : Investigating the roles, responsibilities, and challenges faced by healthcare workers, from nurses to surgeons.
• The Future of Renewable Energy Careers : Analyzing the growth of the renewable energy sector and the types of careers that are becoming available.
• Careers in Digital Marketing : Understanding the impact of digital marketing on business and the variety of roles within this fast-evolving field.
• The Role of Data Science in Business Decision Making : Examining how data scientists contribute to strategic decisions in business through data analysis and interpretation.
• Legal Careers in the 21st Century : A look at the changing landscape of the legal profession and the skills modern lawyers need to possess.
• Entrepreneurship and Innovation : Exploring the journey of becoming an entrepreneur and the impact of innovation on creating new business opportunities.
• Careers in Education Beyond Teaching : Investigating the diverse roles within the education sector that contribute to shaping future generations, from administration to curriculum development.
• Engineering the Future: Careers in Civil Engineering : Understanding the role of civil engineers in developing infrastructure projects and the challenges of modern urban planning.
• The Psychology Profession: A Deep Dive into Mental Health Careers : Exploring the various specialties within psychology and the importance of mental health professionals in society.

Each of these topics not only presents a rich field of study but also reflects the vast array of career paths available to individuals with different interests, strengths, and passions. By exploring career research essay examples, you can gain insights into how to approach these topics effectively, making your career research essay both informative and engaging.

Career Essay Topics and Outline Examples

Essay title 1: navigating your career path: strategies for successful career planning and development.

Thesis Statement: This essay explores effective strategies for career planning and development, emphasizing self-assessment, goal setting, skill development, networking, and adaptability as key components.

• Introduction
• Self-Assessment: Identifying Interests, Strengths, and Values
• Goal Setting: Defining Short-Term and Long-Term Career Objectives
• Skill Development: Continuous Learning and Skill Enhancement
• Networking: Building Professional Relationships and Leveraging Connections
• Adaptability: Navigating Career Changes and Challenges
• Mentorship and Guidance: Seeking Career Advice and Support
• Conclusion: Empowering Individuals to Shape Their Career Paths

Essay Title 2: The Future of Work: Exploring Career Trends in the Digital Age and Preparing for Industry Disruptions

Thesis Statement: This essay examines emerging career trends in the digital age, including automation, remote work, and gig economy jobs, and discusses strategies for preparing for industry disruptions.

• Digital Transformation: Impact on Traditional Careers and Industries
• Automation and Artificial Intelligence: Job Displacement and Upskilling
• Remote Work: Advantages, Challenges, and Future Workforce Trends
• Gig Economy and Freelancing: The Rise of Independent Career Paths
• Reskilling and Lifelong Learning: Staying Relevant in a Changing Job Market
• Adapting to Uncertainty: Developing a Flexible Career Mindset
• Conclusion: Preparing for the Shifting Landscape of Work and Employment

Essay Title 3: Balancing Work and Life: The Importance of Career Satisfaction, Well-Being, and Achieving a Fulfilling Life

Thesis Statement: This essay discusses the significance of achieving career satisfaction and work-life balance, highlighting their impact on overall well-being and the pursuit of a fulfilling life.

• Career Satisfaction: Defining Fulfillment in Professional Life
• Work-Life Balance: Strategies for Managing Workload and Personal Life
• Mental Health and Stress Management: Coping with Career-Related Challenges
• Family and Relationships: Nurturing Personal Connections Amid Career Demands
• Passion and Purpose: Aligning Career Goals with Personal Values
• Life Goals and Achievements: Pursuing a Fulfilling and Meaningful Life
• Conclusion: Striving for Career Success while Embracing Life's Joys and Challenges

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Why Writing Skills Are Important for Every Job—and How to Improve Yours

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Why Writing Skills Are Important for Every Job—and How to Improve Yours was originally published on The Muse , a great place to research companies and careers. Click here to search for great jobs and companies near you.

Have you ever sent an email no one seemed to understand that ended up derailing the timeline for an entire project? Or written a report that you then had to explain verbally to everyone after they read it?

Even if you’re not in a job where writing is a core component of your professional duties, you probably use your writing skills every day to communicate with others through text (whether it’s over email or Slack, in a monthly or quarterly report, in the form of a project update, or otherwise). If fact, strong written communication skills are one of the top attributes employers look for , regardless of the job they’re hiring to fill.

There are a few different types of writing skills, and with practice you can strengthen them—and show them off in your next job search.

Why Are Writing Skills Important?

If you’re in a writing-centric or writing-heavy role—for example, marketing—you might already be aware of how your writing skills help you daily. But even if you aren’t in one of these jobs, “Writing is an essential skill in the workplace, especially today with more and more people working remotely,” says Muse career coach Jennifer Smith , founder of Flourish Careers . In an increasingly online world, “There’s less face-to-face interaction and more written interaction.”

Strong writing skills help you to communicate with others without having to schedule a meeting or phone call. They ensure readers understand the key points of what you’re trying to get across, come away with the ideas and impression you want them to, and, in many cases, take action to do whatever you’re hoping they’ll do.

“Most professionals have to craft business emails,” says Muse career coach Tara Goodfellow , owner of Athena Consultants . Emails might be how you update your team on a project, request information from a colleague, or how you follow up on a meeting with clear next steps. And in some instances, an email is how you make your first impression on a new person. For example, if you’re an account executive reaching out to a prospect via email or LinkedIn, “A well-written sales pitch to a critical client will increase your credibility and help you land the new client,” Smith says.

You likely also use writing skills outside of email. Maybe you put together presentations that incorporate text or need to write a report on the results of something you did or researched. Or perhaps you’re going on vacation and you’re writing up what you need your teammates or reports to know or take care of while you’re out.

Writing is something others can refer back to at any point—as opposed to verbal communication, which might have to be repeated and requires both parties to be available at the same time. Written records can be particularly helpful when you’re trying to standardize how your team or company handles recurring tasks or training new coworkers to take these on. “Clearly writing and documenting new procedures can allow for future consistency and improved quality control,” Smith says, even if you’re not available to meet with and explain the processes to each new person taking them on.

Examples of Writing Skills

There are several types of skills that combine to make someone a strong writer, including:

Before you write a single word, you need to do your research about the topic you’re writing on. Gathering information that’s up-to-date and accurate is a key part of writing, and the process may help you figure out what content to include. Depending on what you’re writing, research may involve learning about your target customer—whether it’s an overall target market or individual company—evaluating sources for strength and credibility, talking to experts, reviewing and analyzing data, or talking to other members of your team.

Planning and/or Outlining

An outline is a pared-down sketch of what points or topics the document you’re working on will cover and how you plan to structure the information, which can give you a roadmap to follow as you write. Creating and following an outline ensures you’re incorporating all the important information in the right order and not being repetitive or straying too far from your point. It’s often easier to get outside input on an outline than to write an entire report or similar only to find out key information was missing. Outlining skills can also be used to map out a non-writing project ahead of time or plan a process, which can be especially helpful if you’re delegating to or collaborating with others.

Grammar and Clarity

Grammar is the set of rules governing language usage. It’s what guides everyone to communicate in a similar way and, as a result, understand each other more. There are many rules of English grammar, and you should definitely know the basic ones. But unless you’re a writer or editor, knowing the obscure little quirks of grammar usually isn’t necessary. What is necessary is knowing how to construct a clear, easy-to-read, and understandable sentence so you can communicate in writing.

Revising and Editing

Editing is the process of correcting and changing a piece of your own or someone else’s writing to strengthen it. You can revise or edit by making significant changes to the structure, organization, or content of a piece. Or you might proofread a piece of writing, checking for any misspellings, grammar mistakes, or typos. In other cases, you might be tweaking sentences or paragraphs to flow better or reflect a certain tone. Strong editing skills can be useful in a wide range of professional situations—from looking over a report or presentation for a teammate to spotting an error in an email you’re about to send the entire company.

Communication Skills

Even if writing isn’t a core part of your job, you’ll likely use it to communicate in the workplace. This might mean composing an email , messaging someone on Slack or Teams, giving feedback, creating a meeting agenda , or giving an update on a project. Being able to communicate clearly through writing will help your work go more smoothly, increase the chances you get what you want and need from others, prevent misunderstandings, and allow your colleagues to feel informed and included—ultimately strengthening your professional relationships.

9 Tips to Improve Your Writing Skills

“Good writing can help you stand out and get ahead,” Smith says. So how do you improve your writing skills? Here are a few tips:

1. Brush Up on Grammar Basics

If you’re already feeling your eyes glaze over, don’t worry. Unless you’re a writer, editor, or similar, you don’t need to know whether it’s who or whom or when to use an em dash vs. a semicolon (and to be honest, editors don’t always know all these things). But you should know the basics: how to write in complete sentences rather than fragments or run-ons; how to use quotation marks and commas in typical scenarios; and when to use there, they’re, or their, to name a few.

There are a number of free resources online you can use to brush up on your grammar skills or answer individual questions, such as Grammar Girl and the content many dictionaries put out on their blogs. Or you might look into paid courses on platforms like LinkedIn Learning and Coursera. You can find plenty of free quizzes (like this one ) to figure out your current level of skill and discover areas for improvement. There are also a number of books you can check out: The Elements of Style by Strunk and White is a classic—but still widely used and, more importantly, short—overview of the most important grammar rules, and Woe Is I by Patricia T. O’Conner is a more modern guide written in a lighter tone.

2. Read (and Study) the Type of Writing You Want to Improve

One of the best ways to improve your own writing is to read a lot . Note what writing resonates for you and look at that writing closely to see how it’s put together. Is it using a lot of technical words? Is the tone conversational or more serious? Does the writer use a lot of short sentences, mostly longer sentences, or a mix of both?

Reading of any type can help you get a sense of the different ways all the elements of writing can combine effectively. But it can be particularly helpful to focus on the same types of writing you want to improve. Reading Shakespeare is great if you enjoy it, but it’s unlikely to improve your emails. If you want to level up your marketing copy, technical reports, or written sales pitches, those are the types of writing you should be studying most closely.

3. Pick the Right Format for the Situation

You have to quickly update your boss on what you’ve done in the last week. What’s the best way to do it? Are you going to open up a new Google doc and write a five-page report covering every detail? Probably not. You’re likely going to type up an email with a few short paragraphs or bullet points that hit the key points in a way your boss can read quickly. 

On the other hand, if you’re detailing the findings of weeks of research, that five-page report might be necessary for your immediate supervisor or a teammate who needs to know about your process. But if you’re sharing those results with another department, it might make more sense to convey only the key takeaways or action items in a PowerPoint presentation with a few bullet points or short summary on each slide.

Knowing and choosing the correct format for a given piece of writing—based on your goals and intended audience—will give you the appropriate amount and type of space to share what you need to, and it’ll set your reader expectations correctly as well. Going back to the earlier example, if your manager sees a Slack message, they’ll expect that to take at most a few minutes to read, but if you send them a long document, they’ll be prepared to receive a lot of information (and might hold off on reading until they have the time they need to digest it).

4. Outline Before You Write

Especially when you’re writing something longer or particularly important, outlining beforehand can lead to a stronger finished project and make the process smoother. The best way to outline will depend on your personal preferences and what you’re writing. 

In most cases, you’ll want to divide your outline into sections (whether those sections indicate chapters, paragraphs, slides, or anything else) and note what the purpose of each section is. Why is it being included and what question is this section answering for your reader? Once you know that, you can quickly note what information needs to go in this section of your piece. As you’re outlining, check that the order of your sections makes sense. Would someone need a bit of info or context currently slated for a later section to understand what you’re saying here? Move that info or section up in your outline.

If you have a number of points you’d like to hit but don’t know in what order or how they go together, an outline can be even more helpful. Write out each key point in a way that’s easy to move around—for example, a bulleted list in a Word or Google doc or even individual index cards—and start by grouping similar and related points together. Then, organize these groupings in a way that flows logically. If you’re not yet sure what your key points are , you can do the same exercise with all of the smaller pieces of info you want to include and form your key points once you see how all your information goes together.

5. Be Aware of Your Audience and the Appropriate Tone for Your Writing

To communicate well through writing, it’s important to understand who will be reading and what sort of language is appropriate.

Consider how formal your language is—if you’re Slacking a teammate, you might be able to be more relaxed in your tone and word choice than when you’re emailing a client or preparing a presentation for stakeholders. In most professional situations you should skip the emojis and avoid using multiple punctuation marks unless the situation really calls for it. “Rarely is ‘!!!!!!’ needed,” Goodfellow says. And don’t write in all caps unless you actually mean to yell.

Before you write, note the knowledge level of your audience as it relates to the topic. “If they are aware of the situation, they [may] not need a great deal of detail,” Goodfellow says. For example, if you’re updating other members of the engineering team on a feature you coded, you can use tech jargon and skip the background, but if you’re writing about the new feature in a blog post for customers, you might need to explain things a bit more thoroughly, choose more common words, and explicitly state why it matters to them.

Before finishing any piece of writing, take the time to reread it while accounting for the audience’s point of view. “Keep in mind that how you intend the email may not be how it’s perceived,” Goodfellow says. Tone is difficult to convey over text, especially humor—and you don’t want to imply an attitude you don’t mean. If you’re responding to an email chain, writing a comment on an ongoing thread, or in any way continuing a conversation, try to mirror the tone of the messages before yours, Goodfellow says.

6. Pay Attention to the Mechanics of Your Writing

Here are a few basic guidelines to keep in mind that will help make almost anything you write easier to read and understand:

• Don’t use complex words when simple words will do. If it looks like you used the thesaurus function every few words, it’s likely to distract your reader or make them lose focus. You’ll also end up with a disjointed tone, and you run the risk of someone not understanding the point you want to get across.
• Vary your sentences. If all your sentences are a similar length or follow the same structure, your writing can become a slog to read. “One common issue I see is every sentence starting with ‘I,’” Goodfellow says. Think: “I want [x]. I need [y]. I’d like [z].” It gets repetitive, and it’s easier for the reader to lose their place if everything looks the same.
• Use specific words and phrasing. Whenever possible, state exactly what you mean rather than using vague words like “things” or phrases like “and so on.” This practice will make your writing stronger and easier to follow.
• Don’t repeat yourself. When writing and speaking, it’s common to say the same thing multiple times in a slightly different way. Repetition can unnecessarily pad your writing and cause people’s attention to waiver.
• Eliminate filler words and filtering language. Words like “just” and “that” are often unneeded to get your point across and weigh down your writing. You should also take a look at any adverbs and adjectives you use to see if a stronger, more specific noun or verb will do the trick. Similarly, filtering language like “I think” or “it seems like” can weaken your message and make you sound less confident. The use of filtering language is especially common for women , who have been socialized to soften their opinions so as not to offend.
• Guide your reader through each of your points. As you move from one topic to the next, transition smoothly. If you spent the last paragraph talking about a project you completed last week and then you jump right to describing an upcoming project without a transition, your reader is likely to get confused. And for every new point, make sure it’s clear to your reader why you’re bringing it up and how it connects to the overall topic.

7. Get Feedback on Your Writing

If you’re looking to improve your writing skills, getting opinions from others about how you’re currently doing can be extremely helpful. You might not realize you tend to use the wrong form of “your” or that your sentences are way too long. But someone else might. It’s also common for individuals to use the same words and phrases over and over without realizing it. Similarly, you might think your writing is clear and to the point, but a reader might feel like there’s key context missing. As you get feedback from multiple people or on multiple pieces of writing, pay attention to any comments or critiques you’ve gotten more than once and focus on that area first.

Ask a teammate, manager, or someone else whose opinion you trust to look at something you’ve written and ask what would make your writing stronger. (If it’s someone you work with, it might be easiest to ask them for writing feedback on something they have to read anyway). 

Depending on what kind of writing you’re looking to work on, you might also be able join a writing group or community where people trade writing and critique one another, Smith says. You can find writing workshops (both online and in-person) through universities and other community programs—they often cost money but come with an experienced instructor or facilitator—or you can find (usually free) writing groups online. Meetup.com and professional organizations are great places to start your search.

8. Proofread

No matter what you’re writing, taking a last look to check for any typos or mistakes can save you a lot of headaches in the long run. Did you contradict yourself somewhere or leave the verb out of a sentence? Read anything you’ve written out loud if possible. Sometimes things look OK on a screen, but when you try to say them, you realize something’s not right. In a similar vein, you might also print out your writing and correct it on paper, Smith says. Often this is enough to see your writing in a different way, making it easier to spot errors. If the writing has higher stakes or the impression it makes on the reader matters a lot, try to get someone else to read it as well, Goodfellow says.

9. Use Tech Tools as Aids—Not Substitutes

There are plenty of programs and plug-ins that claim to “fix” your writing, such as WritingProAid, Sapling, Grammarly, and even the spelling and grammar checkers built into word processors. These tools can make it easier to write well, Smith says. But they shouldn’t be your one source of truth. Computer programs tend to miss key context that human readers would understand. “Spell-check can help but there are many words that are ‘correct’ but may not be what you intended,” Goodfellow says.

None of these tools should stand in for a thorough proofread. As a professional editor, I use tools like this to call attention to possible errors, but I always look at their suggestions before accepting them and consider whether they’re actually correct or clear. I also look carefully for errors the tools didn’t catch at all. Computer programs can easily miss homophone mix-ups, tense switches between sentences, incorrect word choice, and other issues. And sometimes you may need to write in a style these tools aren’t programmed to support. For instance, if you’re writing about investing, they might mark stock tickers and common financial abbreviations as errors.

Showing Off Your Writing Skills in a Job Search

If you’re applying for a writing-heavy job, you may be asked to submit a writing sample along with your application or complete a skills test at some point during the interview process. But you can showcase your writing skills at other stages as well, no matter what kind of job you’re applying to.

On Your Resume

Unless a specific type of writing skill, such as experience with social media copy or familiarity with a certain style guide, is listed in a job description or is clearly a big value add for a specific role, your writing skills don’t usually belong in your skills section —or at least, that’s not where recruiters and hiring managers will look for them. Instead, they’ll look at the way your resume is written to see these skills in action. Here are some guidelines to follow:

• Use correct and consistent grammar—no randomly switching verb tenses .
• Write clear, concise bullet points , taking care to choose specific words and strong, active verbs .
• Avoid vague or overused words. That means steering clear of contextless buzzwords, such as “passionate” and “synergized,” which might sound flashy but don’t mean anything on their own. And instead of words such as “managed” and “led,” Smith says, aim for interesting and creative—but still clear and specific—words the recruiter hasn’t seen a thousand times that day.

If you’re in a field where writing is a core component of your job, you can also link to writing samples directly from your resume even if you’re not asked for them to further show off your qualifications.

In Your Cover Letter

When writing a cover letter (and you should write a cover letter ), you’ll want to follow all the same advice as when you’re writing a resume. But cover letters give you more room to really show off your writing skills. Rather than rattling off lists of qualifications you have, use your cover letter to write succinct but persuasive anecdotes that come together to tell a coherent story about why you’re the right person for the job. Choose past experiences that are relevant to the job you want and support your overall narrative. And make sure your sentences and paragraphs flow in a logical way and it’s always clear why information is being included. You can also inject more voice and personality into a cover letter than you can in a resume to give the reader the sense of who you are as a person.

Throughout the Interview Process

Of course, interviews aren’t often conducted through writing. In fact, unless there’s a good reason for it (such as a disability accomodation for yourself or the interviewer), an all-text interview process may be a red flag for a job scam .

But you’ll still be communicating with your prospective employer via email throughout the process. “Taking the time to craft well-written email responses is a fabulous way to make a solid first impression,” Smith says. “Recruiters and hiring managers will notice a difference between well-thought-out responses vs. rushed comments.”

Remember you’re being evaluated not just for your ability to do a specific job, but for your potential as a teammate. A coworker or direct report who communicates via email in a clear and professional way will make everyone’s work easier in the long run, whereas someone who’s hard to understand in writing might seem like a future headache they’ll have to address—especially if you’ll be communicating with people outside the company through email.