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Resume Objective Tips
How to make your resume objective work for you
A resume objective comes at the very top of your resume and is often one of the first things a prospective employer reads about the job seeker. That’s why resume if properly written can serve a hook that pulls the reader into it. Here are 7 steps to make a powerful and unique resume objective:
Step 1
Write down a name of the job like Marketing Manager, Retail Sales Assistant or Management Position. Recruiters are busy folks so they immediately see what position they should be considering you for.
Step 2
Review the job duties of the position you’re applying for to get the sense what the employer is looking for. Using that information think of what you have to offer to make the employer's business better. Point out at your strong professional sides, your most useful skills and abilities – this way you'll answer the most important questions for the prospective employer: 'What do they gain by hiring you? Why are you the answer to their problems? Include keywords from a job listing as your potential employer will be looking for them.
Poor resume objective example: "Seeking a challenging position in the sales department with an opportunity for advancement" because it means:
1) you don't like dull work and that the employer should think hard of what can be challenging for you;
2) you want a job where the pay is good and keeps getting better.
Kevin Donlin, a professional resume writer, suggests avoiding such phrases as: "seeking a chance for advancement" or "where my skills will be utilized" or "where I can further my career" – each of these on resumes are usually badly hampered.
Good resume objective example: "Management position where 10+ years of experience and ability to lead others in high-demand situations will increase productivity and company profitability"
Step 3
Make your resume objective specific not vague and meaningless. It shouldn't sound like this "Looking for a position where my work experience and skills will be fully utilized" – What position? What experience? What skills? Such an objective tells nothing about who you are.
Step 4
Express a desire to learn from and grow with the company. It’s very essential for the employee to see your commitment to long-term growth.
Step 5
Keep it short and simple. Resume objectives that go on a paragraph or two are not going to be read by the hiring managers up to the end.
Step 6
Make it interesting, unique and memorable. Put it in your own words, don’t copy words from other people's resumes. Hiring managers read hundreds of resumes and get tired of trite statements. Look at such objective examples:
- I'm looking for a company where I can make their computer network run on all four cylinders
- Ready to deliver products and services on schedule as your project manager (By the way what a clever thing to say even before coming to the body of your resume that I'm the right person to be a project manager)
Make your own and you'll immediately stand from the crowd.
Step 7
Tailor your resume objective to each individual application because a minor modification in your objective can change the way your entire resume looks and reads.
Here are resume objective examples that proved to work:
- Position with computer hardware development company creating, refining and training about network security where a strong background in networks, effective communications skills and complete knowledge of operating systems can be used to improve operations;
- SEO position where 5+ years of experience and excellent SEO skills will help increase site traffic organization;
- A Systems Engineer position where 7+ years' experience and excellent analytical problem solving skills can enhance Lockheed Martin Corporation's bottom line;
- Professional alignment with the Animal Foundation in a position that will benefit from my marketing skills, community and educational contacts, and commitment to wildlife conservation and education;
- Seeking position requiring excellent business management skills in an office environment. Position should require a variety of tasks, including office management, word processing, and spreadsheet and database program use;
- Program Development, Coordination, and Administration especially in a people-oriented organization where there is a need to assure broad cooperative effort through the use of sound planning, strong administration, skills of persuasion to achieve goals.
And one more point, while writing a resume objective try to think of it as a log line. Like those we hear about a movie or a book – a simple sentence that shows the main appeal of the movie or book. In the same way try to show you’re a perfect fit for the job.
Objective or Summary?
That's a sticky question that divides career experts into 2 groups: those who prefer objective for resume and those who stand up for summary which can be called Profile, Career summary or Qualifications summary.
What's the difference?
The main difference (and advantage) is that qualifications summary or profile does not only state your career goal but also includes the most relevant highlights of your professional history and presents them in a high-impact sentence. It can work perfectly well for those who have a rich background and powerful achievements.
Tip. In your summary use quantifiable examples of how you: saved the company money, increased effectiveness by XX%, improved X process that completed a project faster. Figures are always persuasive and work well.
Here are some summary examples for you to consider:
- Creative, results-proven event/program management professional offering over 7 years of experience in PR, communications, event planning and program management activities. 20 success leading integrated campaigns to promote events and meet objectives of client companies. Polished, persuasive communicator, able to translate complex issues into easily understood statements for the general public.
- Innovative professional with 9+years of leadership experience. Strong relationship builder capable of partnering with clients, staff and administration. Team Player, well organized and able to adapt to new situations. Able to implement winning strategies through creative methods and demonstrated expertise in promoting business goals and objectives.
- Skilled 3D Modeler creating high quality models with exact reconstruction of reference materials. 5+ years' experience combining school work independent projects and professional employment. Versatile with skills in rigging and concept design. B.S. and A.S. Degree in Computer animation. Vast knowledge of anatomy, muscle dynamics and kinesiology that support correct character modeling.