Despite its name, your resume Objective is not supposed to state your objective. At least not exclusively. Like every other part of your resume, the Objective should demonstrate the value you can bring to the employer. Don't waste valuable resume space with a generic Objective about wanting "…a challenging opportunity in a growth-oriented company," or a self-centered wish list for "a fun and creative position in a firm that will respect my unique ideas." Use it to sell yourself!
Here's a before-and-after example to illustrate how you can take a boring Objective, apply the four steps, and turn it into a strong marketing tool:
Before
OBJECTIVE: A responsible administrative position in a non-profit organization
After
OBJECTIVE: To transfer the office management expertise gained during eight years in a corporate setting to a managerial-level position for an established non-profit that needs fundraising and event-planning talent
I'm about to give you the easy four-step system for building an impressive Objective that will contribute to your real objective of getting an interview and getting hired. But first consider this: Do you even need an Objective on your resume? Many job seekers don't. If you've already established a career path and you're not veering from it, skip the Objective and use a Summary of Qualifications instead.
You only need an Objective if your career goal is not obvious from your work history, as is the case with most students and entry-level applicants, people switching careers, or those returning to work after an extended absence. If that's you, read on.
Your "Objective" in 4 Easy Steps
Choose one option from each of the four sections. Fill in the blanks. Edit as needed. Put them all together, and you'll have a solid Objective that helps make your case.
1. Opening
• To contribute [or "transfer" if you're changing careers]
• To apply
• To build upon
2. Relevant Experience
• X years of progressive experience in the ____ field
• a solid X-year education in X, along with ____
• the expertise and skills gained during X years in the ____ industry
3. Job Type and Level
• to an entry-level ____ position
• to a ____ position in ____
• in a responsible role as a ____
4. Type of Organization
• with an organization that values ____
• in a growing business than can benefit from ____
• for an established firm that needs ____
The beauty of this system is that it's flexible. Mix and match, play around with the wording, and customize the Objective to match specific employers' terminology. For more ideas, check out Purdue University's Online Writing Lab (OWL), one of my favorite online writing resources.
Any other thoughts or questions about resume Objectives? Add a comment!
I am a hiring manager and I honestly ignore objectives. I really like resumes that summarize the candidate's strengths and attributes at the top of the resume. Tell me what you have done that you will replicate for me and the company. "Increased sales 78%". I will read on for this if I am trying to hire a sales person. Decreased defect rates 7% in assembly". When I was looking for a manager of our assembly line, this was the line that kept me reading, got the person the interview and I might say, the job also. A good hire who is successful makes me look good.
Great insight, Michaela. It's so helpful to know the viewpoint from the other side of the interview desk.
I still think an Objective can really help clarify the applicant's career direction when their skills come from different areas, or if they have no relevant work experience or education in the field.
A NOTE TO PONGO USERS: If you want to eliminate the Objective section from your resume and substitute a Summary of Qualifications, click the "Headings" button in the upper-right menu bar when your resume is open. Unassign the Objective heading, and assign Summary of Qualifications from the dropdown menu. Be sure to move the new heading to the top of the list using the up/down arrows or it will appear at the bottom of your resume instead of the top!
I'm a hiring manager also, and I usually ignore the objective on a resume. In most cases I see meaningless cliches for objectives. I get much more and better information from a person's employment summary than I ever do from their objective.
And if you have a lot of information to put into your employment summary, dropping the objective off the resume is a great way to free up some extra space for more relevant information.
And speaking of space, Julie, maybe you can do a future post about the myths of the "one page" resume? Some people feel strongly that a resume should never be more than one page in length. In several cases, though, it's not possible to do depending on one's work experiences, education, etc.
Jan, Good points, especially about freeing up space. I think the bottom line is that if you HAVE "relevant" qualifications to summarize, then use a Summary, not an Objective.
But a well-written Objective (for students or career changers) can tell the reader, "I haven't done this job before, but I want to, and here are the things that will make me good at it."
Then again, you're the second hiring manager who tends to ignore OBJECTIVE, so maybe we should just call everything a SUMMARY? Food for thought!
Thanks!
-Julie