Is there any difference between "Aim" and "Goal"?
I often seen while filling the Resume or Bio-data, there were two fields as:
Aim:
Goals:
In general, aim, goal, objective can be considered synonyms, but consider these Google Books results:
long-term aim 197,000; short-term aim 32,500
long-term goal 255,000; short-term goal 471,000
long-term objective 115,000; short-term objective 161,000
I think what that tells us is that aims tend to be more general, vague, non-specific, long-term, compared to goals, which are more likely to be specific, short-term targets (objectives are somewhere in between, or more accurately, they simply have no relationship with this distinction).
Thus, you're more likely to have a long-term strategic aim/objective which is broken down into component goals in pursuit of that aim, rather than a goal which is achieved by meeting several subsidiary aims. But this distinction is nowhere near a "rule", and few would see anything odd in reversing the usages.
In the context of a resume or curriculum vitae, I'd probably use objective, if for no other reason than it sounds a bit more formal/professional.
EDIT: Regarding the point about goals being more associated with short-term aims, I think it's worth pointing out that a goal in ball/puck game contexts (soccer, say) is just one step towards the aim / objective (to win the game). A bit like Winning the battle not the war.
I'd probably use objective
But that has a different meaning. Objectives are concrete goals/aims, whereas goals and aims can less specific. Always be careful using 'fancy' English, because words often have a slightly different connotation.
Commented
Oct 27, 2014 at 12:18
From my computer dictionary(WordWeb):
Goal
- The state of affairs that a plan is intended to achieve and that (when achieved) terminates behaviour intended to achieve it
- The place designated as the end
Aim
- Move into a desired direction of discourse
- Intend (something) to move towards a certain goal
- The action of directing something at an object
Goal is the target that I want to achieve
Example: I wish to become an engineer.
Aim is determined course I set to achieve my target
Example: I plan to get B.E. degree to become an engineer.