Resume Objective or Summary: You Need One, but Which?
October 07, 2008 (10:00AM) by Rick Saia, CPRW
Should you lead your resume with an Objective or Summary that briefly describes your skills and background? In a word, yes. However, if you were to poll 10 recruiting experts on this question, you might get 10 different answers. That's because so many Objectives and Summaries are just plain bad. If they’re properly written, they can be the hook that pulls the reader into your resume.
These points were driven home clearly two weeks ago when I reviewed several resumes at a Women for Hire event in Boston. About half of them went straight from the name and contact information to the education and professional experience details.
From what I saw that day, the Objective/Summary issue usually spawns these questions from job seekers:
1. Do I even need one?
2. If so, which one? Objective or Summary?
3. Isn’t this best left for the cover letter?
4. What should I say?
5. How long should it be?
Let’s tackle these questions.
1. Do I even need one?
I’m on the “yes” side of the issue for this simple reason: The Objective or Summary helps describe the value you can bring to a would-be employer through your skills and experience. It’s much easier for a hiring manager to find that value in a short paragraph than to try piecing it together from a lengthy history of professional experience and education. A strong, well-written Objective or Summary that's tailored to the position you're targeting can spur the hiring manager to read more of your resume.
2. If so, which one? Objective or Summary?
You’re better off with a Summary, unless you fall into one of these three categories of job seekers:
• You’re just entering the workforce;
• You’re re-entering the workforce after an extended absence; or
• You’re changing careers.
Those who fall into these categories are usually the only ones who do need an Objective. Most other people's career objectives are easily determined from their work histories, so a Summary works better.
3. Isn't this best left for the cover letter?
Well, there are also differences of opinion on whether including a cover letter with your resume makes sense (however, 86% of executives say “yes”). Sure, you might say something similar in the cover letter, but if the company doesn't accept them, or the hiring manager doesn’t bother to read it, at least the resume can communicate your value.
4. What should I say?
Too many job seekers continue to write Objectives and Summaries that focus on what they want their next jobs to do for them. But frankly, most employers don’t give a [insert word or phrase here] what you want. It’s all about the employer: What can you do for them? So, your statement must focus outward, showing hiring managers what they stand to gain by hiring you.
Pull out the most relevant highlights of your professional history and present them in a brief, high-impact statement. Avoid personal pronouns (I, me, my) and remove unnecessary words. And don't write complete sentences.
Compare the following two Objective statements, and notice how the employer-focused Objective is more likely to grab attention:
WRONG: Job Seeker-Focused
OBJECTIVE: A position in corporate procurement in the retail industry that can utilize five years of negotiating and research skills and eventually lead to a management-level role.
RIGHT: Employer-Focused
OBJECTIVE: A position in corporate procurement that can utilize skills in research and negotiating gained from 5 years of experience in another industry, helping a retailer cut costs and improve its competitive position.
Here’s an example of a well-written Summary statement that says a lot about the value the candidate brings to the table.
PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY: Corporate procurement professional with 10 years of experience in the high-end retail apparel industry. Highly skilled at performing due diligence on potential suppliers around the globe, negotiating contracts, controlling corporate risk, and minimizing costs. Fluent in French and Spanish.
5. How long should it be?
No more than 50 words. You want to be succinct and straightforward. Anything longer might make the hiring manager stop and not bother to read the rest.
Today, the onus of career management falls on you — the worker — not the employer. You must be effective at communicating your value and marketing yourself. That begins with knowing yourself and understanding what you have to offer, how that fits with the employer's needs, and how to “sell” your skills and potential. Your resume Objective or Summary lies at the heart of that effort. Excel at it and you won’t have a problem convincing someone you’d be a great hire.
Got any questions about the Objective or Summary? Post them below.
... Really helpful information when we are posting a CV! Thank you!
Any suggestions on how to write objectives for job seekers who have little job experience?
This information is quite helful. Thank y'all!
Yaaa hooo! Just exactly the info I was searching for! Thank you Rick for being brief and to the point!
Thank you for all information. I've been searching at Pongo all night long and learning a lot! Getting my resume resume ready for the "job competition word"
One question please: Because at the "objetive" part you talk about what you want and at the "summary" part you talk about what you offer. Could I write both of them on my resume?
Hi Adriane!
You pose a good question. Here's my take:
(1) If you prefer an Objective, don't write a summary that appears like an objective; in other words, a couple of sentences that summarize your skills and what you offer to an employer. If you need something to summarize your skills, try something like a SUMMARY OF SKILLS section and list your skills in bullet points, such as:
* Ten years of management experience at a mid-size IT company. * Project management professional. * Highly effective at working with professionals with a wide range of abilities and backgrounds.
Stuff like that.
(2) If you have a lot of relevant experience and you're not seeking to make a major career change, I'd stick with a narrative Summary that promotes your skills.
Hope this helps! ~ Rick
I'm re-entering the workforce after a 7 year abscence. My previous experience is only clerical support/customer service. I just wanna grow and advance with a company. I do have skills and am an intelligent person. How can I give it impact without sounding bored? My objective statement, that is.
Information states "no complete sentences", yet periods have been used in examples. What about bullets or some other indication of a separate idea? Thank you
Hi Holly!
I'm not totally clear on what you're asking, but let me call on my inner grammarian.
If the thought does not contain a subject and verb, then, technically, it's not a complete sentence and you don't need a period at the end. I would indeed use bullets to list your accomplishments and skills. In a professional summary, if you don't want to use the paragraph format (with "complete sentences"), listing your skills and potential value in bullet points is acceptable.
Good luck! Let me know if I can be of further help! ~ Rick
What would be better for someone who has had several jobs and gaps in employment? Should I use an Objective or just the Summary. Currently, I have both since I am seeking positions within a general field such as customer service or sales?
In the comments given above, there are many places that a good proof-reading would be most helpful! Check your spelling and grammar before submitting your pitch!
I have had more than 2 years of working experience in a non-technical field I did not graduate in, so if I want to move into the technical field same as I graduated in and want to apply for a job in the same field, what would be best for me? An objective or a summary? If a summary, then what should it be like and what all should I mention? Will my past non-technical work experience be of any worth in the summary? I appreciate your effort for putting up this post. Thanks a lot.
I think an objective is not really necessary. a summary of skills is likely to be useful-you can put them under a section called Proficiencies as bullet points.
@ Bruce -- It seems as if you need to blend in your previous non-technical work with anything you have learned or done on the technical side. If you have some knowledge (e.g., coursework, volunteer work) on the tech side, I would try to include that in a summary. Something like "Working knowledge of <technical field here> with two years of experience in <non-tech field here>." Describe some of the things you've done on the job and that would make you a worthwhile hire in the technical field you're targeting. To get a good idea of the specifics you can offer, look at job postings for yor desired positions and note common words and phrases that describe the skills and qualifications they're seeking.
Let me know if I can offer further help.
@ Job seeker -- In most cases, you're right. A summary in bullet-point form can be useful if you don't like the idea of writing a full paragraph. But as I note in the post, there are situations when an Objective is a better idea.
I am having a problem with writing my summary. I am a homemaker/clerk at our family business. My husband and I have a Smog Business and during down times, I have taken quite a few online college courses to become a teacher. I have not recieved my degree yet, I have 45 required college units and alot of volunteer work. Last Spring I applied for a position as a substitute teacher at a private elementry school. I was hired ! During summer I was requested to be a full-time teacher for the 2008/2009 year. I was so excited and I accepted the position. I enjoyed my job and was excited to begin a second year there, this fall. However, child enrollemnt was very low and I was told by my superintendant chilld enrollment was down and they could not afford to keep me as a teacher. Now I am collecting unemployment and volunteering at my daughters school as a teachers aid. How can I make my summary and Resume, appeal to my next possible employer. I am applying for a teachers aid and or tutor. I will be attending college next Spring. Thanks for your time. sophia
@ Sophia - I'd probably start with "experienced elementary school teacher" and really examine the things you like about that role that you can include in the summary. Something like "Experienced elementary school teacher who is patient with children, creative, and spontaneous ..." Those, I believe, are the chief qualities schools would be seeking. Don't forget to stress the volunteer work if it applies to any of the roles you want to fill.
Good luck!
Hi Rick- I am trying to figure out the best way to realistically show my skills. I am 7 yrs out of college. I took a professional job for 4 years straight out of college, where I wore so many different hats and obtained a diverse range of skills. I worked insane hours (12 hr days- 6 days wk if not more at times). I loved my job (adventure travel biz), but was so burned out on a personal level. I moved to Colorado to be a ski bum for a season. One season turned into three, and a page worth of odd jobs later (server, bartender, yacht stewardess, catering assistant, nanny, promos/marketing, PT sales rep...go-to random job person), here I am trying to update my resume. I have excelled at all these jobs, but...... I am bright, creative, educated, hard working....all the buzz words...that's me. Please point me in the right direction. I have a gazillion versions of my resume and want to get my professional career back on track....Sales is my hopeful focus. Thanks~ Kara
@ Kara - Well, you can't say your life has been boring since you left college. My suggestion: Look at all those jobs and ask yourself what you liked most about them. Without knowing you more, I see a couple of common threads in your roles in adventure and travel, and as a server, bartender, sales rep, yacht stewardess, marketing, and nanny: You're creative, like interacting with people, and you have patience. I think those characteristics help position you well for a role in sales.
Think harder about what you loved about all those roles. Then, try to envision yourself in a job in which you do what you love.
Good luck! Feel free to hit me with more questions.
Please help!! I am a stay at home mom going back into teaching. I have 4 years exprerience as a fifth grade teacher. I also have my elementary and special education certification. Can you suggest how to start my summary?
@ Amy - As long as your certifications are current, you could open with something like: "Experienced elementary-level educator with special education certification ..." and work from there.
To fill it out, here are some questions for you to answer:
* What parts of your classroom work did you enjoy most? * Is there anything you did as a stay-at-home mom that can enhance your qualifications? (Organizing field trips?) Experience such as that can change a parent's outlook on life (speaking as a parent myself) and your approach in working with school-age children. * Did you earn any honors or awards while in the classroom that you can drop into your summary?
Good luck!
I have owned and managed with my husband a very successful landscape architectural design build firm in the Caribbean. Due to the economic downturn I want to lessen my involvement in the firm and do a Masters in Disaster, Risk and Crisis Management. As I don't have a degree I have to show that my life's experience is sufficient to attain the degree. Everday of working in the Caribbean has afforded me to deal with some time of crisis or avert disaster (on a minute scale). I just don't know how to emphasize this part of my work.
@ Laura -- It seems as if you need to state this experience as part of a letter of application to a graduate program. The same principles for writing a summary would apply here. In hopes that I'm capturing your details accurately, I'd simply say something like this:
"Adept day-to-day management of crises and interruptions that caused company to alter deadlines," then mention a couple of specific situations.
Does that help? If not, please write back! ~ Rick
I have just finish a cores in the IT field, what you think i should put as my summery and objective.
@ Delroy -- If you can send me more detail regarding your background in IT, that can help me provide the advice you're seeking.
Its a computer service technician diploma, and i have my A+ certificate.
I have various amounts of experience in numerous different areas, spanning from data entry, inventory, cooking, factory work, and sales. I am presently trying to return to the work force and have recently realized I need to re-do my resume. With experience in so many areas I am having difficulty with my objective. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!
@ Delroy -- OK, that's a good start. Have you used any of that in your work? And what kinds of success did you have with the diploma and A+ certificate? (P.S. If you'd like to discuss this privately, please e-mail me at rsaia@pongoresume.com.)
@ Jamie -- Look at job postings for 3 or 4 positions in which you would like to work. Look at the skills and qualifications the employers are seeking, and see which of those match up with the skills and qualifications from your previous roles. It's in those "matches" that should help you put together your summary or objective. Remember it's not so much about where you've been but rather where you want to go!
I am a nanny applying to Graduate School to get my Masters of Social Work. How can I make being a nanny look good and useful? I'm stumped :/
@ Kim -- Sounds like you can start with your listening skills and being patient. Those can serve you well in the field of social work.
Best of luck!
Hello Rick! Your topic and comments are so helpful. However, I am confused how to package myself, as are so many others. I have a BFA in Graphic Design - the dinosaur method...you know, by hand, no computers. Yes, the LAST before the University converted to digital. My work history has always involved a creative aspect: Management of special events, venues and all the advertising involved; Advertising sales (not my cup-o-tea); Editing, designing, writing in-house publications; Retail management/promotion; and the childhood dream: 10years as owner/trainer of racehorse. Then back to reality in Retail with the crash in racing. How should I pull this together in an Objective or Summary? I hope to get back into AD/PR and am going to update graphic/web skills. A good job to help fund this would be a bonus for sure. Suggestions? Too much;too little space!
What if the reason for a gap is not so "nice". My mom had a surgery, was in too much pain to work and quit. She then suffered and dealt with pain and depression and has not had a job for a number of years...I want just ti thanks aall of you for your information.Thus type of information is really helpful in career building...
Hello Rick ! i need advice on my objective part on my resume... I always been working in sales and customer service department and i have a associates on Massage Therapist, i need your help
An open-minded, with a flexible approach to work, which enables accommodation of change. Able to work well with a group or on own initiative. Willing to take any responsibilities and assignments, regardless of the challenge. A Self-reliant individual with the ability to pick up new ideas and concepts quickly. I enjoy learning new skills and methods of working. Takes pride in producing excellent work and can accept constructive criticism. Very organized and can work under pressure in a busy environment.
@ Susan -- Thanks for dropping in!
What you wrote covers what just about ANY employer would want to see in an employee. What you need to figure out is what makes you better than everyone else who's interested in the particular job or jobs you're applying for. To that end, focus on your skills, what you accomplished in your previous roles, and how all of that can benefit the next company you work for. Start with what you wrote, though, and think of specific times when those qualities shined. For instance, ask yourself: "When was I able to pick up new ideas and concepts quickly, and how did that help me shine in my job and help my employer? Or this: "What were the best results I produced when I was under intense pressure in a busy environment?":
Hope this helps! Feel free to ask another question on this issue.
What if the reason for a gap is not so "nice". My mom had a surgery, was in too much pain to work and quit. She then suffered and dealt with pain and depression and has not had a job for a number of years...I want just ti thanks aall of you for your information.Thus type of information is really helpful in career building...
@ gute -- That shouldn't be an issue as long as she explains it and allays any concerns about her being able to do the job.
Great info! Excellent examples of objective & summary differences. Validates what I tell my classes. As a Job Search Facilitator, have always advised that employers don't give a rat's pa too tee about what you want. It's what can you do for the employer...what are you bringing to the table. Must incorporate a powerful "hook" summary statement w/o sounding gimmicky.
A concise, well written, visually appealing resume/cover letter will compel the reader to keep reading. Make it an "easy" read that suggests a good fit & you should get that interview!
@ Jackie -- Thanks! It's nice to have valuable views from another expert in the field.
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