You Had Me At Your Resume Objective!

Every resume needs an objective. It’s that first statement at the top of the resume that tells the reader—your potential employer, what it is you seek. Even if you are open to different roles at a company or just aren’t really sure which job you want, your resume still must have an objective. Although that objective can be broad, it eliminates the reader from having to guess how you can benefit the company. Although you may have stated in your cover letter exactly the role you are seeking, many times the cover letter does not follow the resume when it finally reaches the person who will be interviewing you.  

There are right ways and wrong ways to write your objective.  

When you actually use the word “objective” on the top of your resume, you must begin the statement that follows it with the infinitive “to” and then a word like “secure” or “obtain” should follow it; for example: “To secure a rewarding position…” You can replace the word “rewarding” with “full-time” or “part-time” or “volunteer” or “challenging” or whatever other adjective best fits your particular goal for a position.  In addition, you can replace the word “position” with internship if you are looking to gain experience before (or just after) you graduate from college.

Further, your resume’s objective should share some particular skills you can bring to the company; for example: “where my ability to embrace new challenges” or “where my ability to make independent decisions while working as an integral member of a team” might work for you. If appropriate, your objective might also include some reference to your particular training, certification, or formal education; for example, “where my advanced degree in business administration” or “where my certification as a Scuba Diver Instructor” might work.

A strong, effective objective might read something like this: “To secure a rewarding position where my exceptional work ethic, ability to initiate and develop long-term business relationships, and formal education will be fully employed to deliver positive and profitable results.”  While this does not state a particular position, like–a manager, an auto technician, or a bookkeeper—any of these roles could use this same statement and it shares some specific, great bits of information about the person.   

What your objective should NOT include is the type of company where you would like to work.  There is no need to include in your objective that you want to work at a Fortune 500 company because, if that is your desire, you ought to be sending your resumes to those types of companies. Another phrase your objective should never include is that you “want a role where you can learn new skills” and better yourself. Stating that you are seeking a position where you can improve yourself doesn’t say anything about how you are going to benefit the employer. In addition, your objective should never include that you are looking for advancement with a company. Although this may be true for you, by stating it directly in your objective might prove to be too intimidating or threatening to the person who is interviewing you. Once you land the  job, you can demonstrate through your initiative and work ethic that you are an ideal candidate for advancement.

Just like your cover letter, your resume’s objective should change according to the type of job you are seeking. Taking the time to be sure your objective matches the type of role you would like with each particular employer you contact will increase your chances of being called in for an interview—which is, after all, the whole point of a resume.