Resume Help: Clearly Defining Your Objective

The professional world is torn between whether or not your resume should have an objective statement. Many feel that an objective, when written correctly, adds a sense of personality and purpose to your resume. However, it is universally agreed that an objective statement that has been myopically written dos not add anything to the resume, and actually takes away from it.

My personal opinion is that properly written objective statements are necessary and welcome additions to a resume, though I also feel that if you are unable to write one that falls within that description then you are probably better off without it.

Writing a Good Objective Statement

Like the rest of your resume, your objective needs to be clear, well written, and natural sounding. The most common complaint that I hear has to do with lame, uninspired objective statements that add nothing to the resume, and actually detract from it as they are generally thrown on as an afterthought. For example:

Objective: To gain part time employment.

Now, the employer already knows what you are trying to do- you made an application and submitted your resume, so it’s obvious that you’re looking for a job. What an employer is looking for is something that clearly identifies what your goals are within the company that you’ve applied to (if you haven’t realized that personalizing your resume for individual places of employment triples interview rates, take the hint).

So, let’s make it better:

Objective: To acquire an entry level position as a shoe salesmen that offers the possibility of future growth within the company.

Both of the objectives were for the same job, yet the second one really says a lot more. The first one simply says “I want a job”; the second one says “I want a job that will let me move on and advance, and I want to sell shoes”. If you were an employer, which statement would you think offered a better explanation of what the individuals goals and intentions were?

Your perspective employer doesn’t know a thing about you, so this is your chance to let them know a little bit about who you are and what you want to accomplish. You can do this by your choice of language and expression. Using positive, open language conveys energy and enthusiasm, whereas clean, professional language shows sincerity and ambition. There’s no right or wrong here, as your personality will always show in your writing, regardless of the language that you consciously chose.

To Sum It Up

Your objective is not just some throwaway piece of information that you can just scrape together and toss on the resume. Your objective is an important piece of information that tells your employer a few key things about you and your intentions. Always write your objective in a way that clearly establishes your goals, both present and future.

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