One of the most commonly asked questions when it comes to resumes is whether or not to include an objective statement. Boilerplate and sample resumes have auto-included an objective for years without anyone questioning the practice. To consider if we should include an objective in our resume, let’s first take a look at what an objective actually is.
Defining an Objective
The word ‘objective’ in the context of a resume is synonymous with the word ‘goal’. In a sentence or two an objective describes what the candidate is seeking to do, or what their professional aim is. An objective will also often include a few noteworthy things to say about it’s author as well as describing how they hope to achieve their goal. If successful, an objective should: (A) tell the employer exactly what you’re applying for and why you’re applying, and (B) mention skills or experiences that coincide with the position for which you are applying.
Here are a few sample objectives from About.com:
- Obtain a position at XYZ Company where I can maximize my management skills, quality assurance, program development, and training experience.
- Marketing position that utilizes my writing skills and enables me to make a positive contribution to the organization.
- To secure a position with a well established organization with a stable environment that will lead to a lasting relationship in the field of finance.
Why the Objective Falls Short
Objectives have become synonymous with resumes, and like many parts that become intertwined with their whole, the objective has outlived its necessity. Resumes have become objects of efficiency and need to provide useful and straightforward information in every section. The objective is simply an inefficient use of space on most resumes.
While objectives can be useful to state future intentions, they do not convey a message of experience and know-how. Most people compound the mistake of using an objective by placing their education as the next item on their resume. This means that an employer may not get to any job relevant information until more than half-way down your resume!
Ultimately, the objective takes up too much valuable space on your resume in exchange for what it provides you in value.
Professional Summary – A Better Objective
When you ditch the objective, you have a few options on how to proceed in replacing it. If you have a varied employment background without a specific direction, you may want to skip straight to a bulleted skills and qualifications list. This will help to show the employer up-front what you are bringing to the company.
If you have a more consistent industry background with a somewhat similar theme of job duties throughout, a professional summary will be a better option. A professional summary is a brief paragraph that describes your abilities and key skills. Your summary should give the employer an idea of what you are all about. The summary sets the tone for the rest of the resume and will often introduce key skills and abilities that are later highlighted under other areas. Don’t be afraid to double up on skills. Re-name them if you have to. When skimming resumes, employers can miss a lot.
It is also crucial to change your professional summary for each job you apply to. While different jobs may involve different skill sets, pay attention to how a job listing describes skills and techniques. You will want to match the vocabulary of each company in your professional summary.
If you are having trouble coming up of what to say and job listings haven’t provided much help, it may be a good idea to review your resume more closely. If you handed someone a piece of paper with your skills, work history, and education on it, what conclusion would they come to? What summary would they write about your professional career? Ask yourself these questions. You may need to re-work your entire resume before writing a proper summary.
As an example, here is the professional summary I use for my LinkedIn profile:
I am an education minded professional who is passionate about helping others seek out employment opportunities in a variety of career fields. I am experienced in building strong resumes, offering assistance to job seekers, and developing job appropriate skills and abilities. I’m also technologically inclined, with dynamic abilities in web development, social media marketing, professional development, and teaching introductory computer skills.
Having experience as an instructor and helping people with their job search, I can use this summary (with tweaks) if I was to look for a position that involved any work in that industry. I cover a few specific skills that would help me in the specific job, but I also give more vague ideas (helping people with employment opportunities) to set an overall tone of what I’m looking to accomplish. Think of this section as an even more condensed ‘elevator speech’ or personal commercial.
You can check out my video tutorial series here, where we detail objectives and professional summaries.