How to Write an Objective for your Resume
Writing an objective on a resume is a must-do.
A resume’s objective is a critical part of the presentation.
Without one, you are leaving it up to the potential employer to try to figure out what it is you can do, want to do, and will do. Unless you have focused all your studies, certifications, and employment endeavors on ONE FIELD your whole career (like dental hygiene), you MUST include an objective on your resume.
Even if it is not specific.
You can’t depend on your cover letter to explain what it is you want to do now in your career because often times your cover letter gets separated from your resume during the “forwarding” process of your materials at corporations. Maybe you addressed the cover letter and the resume to one person in particular at the organization. Then that person sends just your resume to another person (along with 40 other resumes) – yours is the only one without an objective and now it is also cover letter-less. Thus leaving it up to the new reviewer to figure out if you want to do what is stated as your most recent experience on your resume (telemarketing), or if you are applying for a job with their company in the field where you earned your degree (business marketing).
Include an objective on your resume.
It should be ONE line – with ONE end mark (a period.) Writing anything more than one line transforms it into an “executive summary” or a “professional summary” – and that’s something different.
Here’s an example of a poorly-written and ineffective objective:
I want to get a job with a Fortune 500 company where I can advance in my career and gain experience in my field.
Here’s why it’s a weak objective:
1) It includes the personal pronoun “I” which does not belong anywhere on a resume – save that for the cover letter.
2) It mentions the type of company (Fortune 500) where the person wants to be employed. That’s unnecessary. Simply SEND your resume and cover letter to the (types of) company(ies) where you want to work. If you only want to work at a Fortune 500 company, then only send your resume to Fortune 500 companies.
3) The whole gist of the objective here is geared toward what the potential employee wants and makes no reference to what the potential worker bee can and will do for the company. Remember, employers are thinking “What can this person do for my profit margin?” and not “How can I help this person learn his field and then move on to another, bigger company?” If you want a job where you can get promoted AND YOU STATE THAT in your objective – then obviously you DON’T want the job to which you are applying – you only want to use it as a stepping stone. That may be true, and that may be ok, BUT DON’T WRITE IT in the objective. (And don’t mention that fact/goal in the interview).
Here’s an example of a strong objective:
To secure a challenging position where my successful experience in initiating and developing long-term business relationships while maintaining the loyalty of established accounts will be fully employed to deliver professional and profitable results.
Here’s why it works:
1) The adjective “challenging” suggests that the job seeker is solution-focused and is ready and willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.
2) It states “successful experience” which implies that the potential employee has proven success in the field and is not seeking employment to get that experience.
3) The job seeker obviously has exceptional communication skills because he/she can not only secure new business for the employer, but also keep the clients he/she has already established. That’s impressive and not something everyone can do.
4) Finally, the objective states what the results will be – FOR THE EMPLOYER – profitable and professional.
Write an objective. Place it on the top of the resume just under all your contact info.
And while you are at it, write an objective for your life. It will remind the reader (you) what it is you want to do, who you want to be, and what you want to accomplish in your life.
