Stating Your Objective

        An objective demonstrates you are focused. For that reason most resumes should have an objective. Objectives do little good, however, if they are too general. Using an objective that states: “Position utilizing my people skills.” is simply too general. It really doesn’t say anything, and just won’t give the employer a clue as to what you’re looking for.

        The following objective is a bit general, in that it lists the desire for a job utilizing certain skills, but for some people it might provide just the right information. Objective: Seek a position utilizing my administrative, customer service, and project management skills.

        While most resumes should have an objective, avoid the common mistake of trying to cram too much into the objective with statements such as, “Seeking responsible accounting management position with a large progressive firm offering opportunity for growth and pro­­motion, where skills in human relations and effective written communications will prove beneficial.” These types of objectives are trying to combine an objective with a qualifications summary, but the combination simply does not work. The objective sounds trite. It’s better to use a simple objective and then get creative in producing an effective qualifi­cations summary.

        Before starting your resume, write out your objective. Later you can change or delete it, but having an objective will keep you focused while you write. Objectives such as Bookkeeper, Chemist, or Construction Superintendent can be very effective.

        Stating an objective on your resume demonstrates focus. People naturally respect you if you know what you want. A resume that says, “I’ll do anything, just give me a job,” will get you nowhere. If your objective states Sales Represen­tative but you have never been one, everything that follows must demonstrate your potential for that position.

        Simple objectives usually work best:

        Computer Programmer
Senior Accountant
Flight Attendant
Secondary Teacher — Drama, English, ESL
Sales Manager

        In the above cases, the people knew exactly what they were looking for and so they used an exact job title. If this is your case, and the title is recognized by all people in your field, use a specific job title. However, if you are considering one of several positions which are all closely related, you might try something like this:

        OBJECTIVE: Office Manager/Administrative Assistant/Executive Secretary

        In this example, all three types of positions—Office Manager, Administrative Assistant, and Executive Secretary—are similar. A person who is qualified for one is often qualified for all three. In fact, what one company calls Administrative Assistant, another might call Executive Secretary. This person just wants a good job with a good company, and would enjoy any of the three types of jobs. If only Office Manager is listed as the applicant’s objective, however, an employer with an executive secretary opening might overlook the resume.

        You should never pair unrelated job titles such as Secretary/Sales Represen­tative, Teacher/Real Estate Agent, Flight Attendant/Bookkeeper. It’s okay to be looking for both positions at the same time, but you would need two resumes with two different objectives to do so.

        Instead of a specific objective, some professionals will do nicely with an abbreviation or acronym after their name which quickly indicates the type of position they are seeking. For example:

        Catherine Toopsly, CPA

        Jerald Riggins, CMA

        Dehlia Bohannon    MPH

        Jihan Refelda    PE

        Those receiving these people’s resumes will quickly recognize that Catherine is a certified public accountant, Jerald is a certified management accountant, Dehlia holds a masters degree in public health, and Jihan has been certified a professional engineer. While a more specific objective might work better, simply using professional designations such as these can work quite well.

        In the above examples Catherine and Jerald separated their names from their professional designation with a comma. Dehlia and Jihan simply put extra spaces after their names.

        Another technique works quite well:

Tom Wells

International Marketing Professional

 

2398 Saxon Drive

Birmingham, Alabama  35209

205/876-9867

In this case it is immediately clear what type of position the person is seeking. Here, as in any objective, you must decide whether it works best to specify a job title, or as in this case, simply indicate the career field that is desired. The job titles Tom Wells has held will then indicate the level he is seeking.

Entry-level

        Some people must decide if they will use a phrase like, “Seeking entry-level chemistry position.” This is almost always appropriate for a recent college graduate. It is one way to demonstrate that you are realistic about the types of positions that recent grads are considered qualified for. Don’t, however, use this phrase if you believe that you might qualify for a position that is considered a step or two above entry-level.

        If you are making a career shift and you have virtually no experience in the field you are now pursuing, it can make sense to state you are seeking an entry-level position. It is your way of saying, “I recognize that I’m making a career shift and that I cannot command the same salary I had in my previous profession. I want you to know that I’m flexible and willing to pay my dues, even if that means starting off with an entry-level position.”

When Not To Use A Job Title

        Sometimes an exact job title is not advised. This is particularly true in management. If you are currently a personnel manager considering positions such as Training and Development Specialist, Director of Training and Develop­ment, and Vice President of Human Resources, you might want to create an objective which incorporates all of these titles, such as “OBJECTIVE: Human Resource Management.” Using the term management does not limit you to a specific job title, while Human Resource is specific enough that it is clear you have focus.

            Use an objective if your goal can be easily stated with a job title or a descriptive phrase. Occasionally you will find it better to omit an objective and let your cover letter and the tone of your qualifications section indicate your goal. I use an objective for approximately 85% of the resumes I help people write. I frequently recommend multiple versions of a resume when a person is pursuing several distinct job titles. In such cases, often the only changes needed occur in the objective and in the qualifications section. For example, if you were interested in both sales and marketing, you would have two versions of your resume, one with a Sales objective and the other with a Marketing objective. One resume would be directed to sales managers and the other to marketing managers.