Categories: Resume Tips

How to Write an Objective for a Resume

-Hey, bro! What are you talking about? Why do I need to add an objective on my resume? Isn’t it a waste of time?

-OMG!!! Sorry, what?! Are you seriously?

-Yeah, I don’t understand! Why did you decide to dedicate the whole article on this topic? 

-Hmm, OK, then, please let me be your guide in the world of resumes that always convert into calls from HR. We will start from the definition of the Resume Objective.

Resume Objective is a part of a summary block of the resume that helps to make your message targeted and focused. This block is your chance to capture the attention of HR so you have to provide an argument why will you be successful in this job.

Introduction

Sometimes it can be difficult to know exactly what to say for a resume objective. So here, we’re going to focus on how to write best resume objective that will make employers want to examine your resume.

A resume for a retail store job also significantly differs for one made for an upscale career, such as something IT-related. For the former, you want to keep everything, including the objective, short and to the point. For the latter, you can make an impressive statement about your experience, abilities, and specialties.

Whatever You Do, Don’t Be Too General!

As tempting as it can be when it’s a company you’re passionate about, it can be tempting to say something like

I’m open to any position. I love everything about your company would just love to be a part of it.

While this may be very heartfelt, that’s not the purpose of a resume. The purpose of a resume is to factually show why you’d be good for the position. Remember, you’re probably competing with at least hundreds of others also applying for the job.

General Objective for Resume is a Statement about Your Job Achievements, Not Your Life Achievements!

For example, writing a resume objective like this is more appreciated by employers:

A Certified IT Specialist with 5+ years of experience in IT department management overseeing administration. I can work on both a global and local level. My experience enables me to stream and regulate new applications. 

This objective in resume demonstrates experience, abilities and specialties.

But this general resume objective is not:

Seeking a job as an ice cream server because I love to eat ice cream and know all the flavors. 

While there’s nothing wrong with wanting a job that matches your life’s passion, this doesn’t demonstrate any educated knowledge, abilities, or experience.

Flukey Objectives

Here’s an example of an old-fashioned objective:

I would like a fun job that involves an unlimited amount of roller coaster rides and pays well every month. I love the idea of helping people to get to know the roller coaster rides as well as I do. I also love the idea of a month-long vacation.

While this is very well-intended and gives you a better chance than the second example, many employers no longer consider that to be trendy. These days, employers focus on what you can bring to the job, not on you as an individual.

Re-Tailoring Your Resume

If you apply for 50 jobs, you will need to revise your resume all 50 times. You don’t need to re-invent the wheel every time so no need to stress yourself out there. Here is the example of the floral designer job description with the next keywords:

Floral Event Designer with over 4 years of experience in creating floral arrangements, bouquets, and corsets for picky customers is full of motivation and energy to work against the clock and overtime. Would like to apply my understanding of diverse color tastes to make dissatisfied clients satisfied with their flower arrangements. 

Your Basic Layout Stays the Same

When applying for the differing jobs, it is usually just the objective that you will need to revise. This is because the purpose of the objective is to show that you understand what the job is. Hopefully, you’ve perused the job’s duties as well. 

If not all of your experiences match the job, another thing you can do is something like asterisk the ones that do relate to it. You can go into further detail in your cover letter. One thing some jobs ask for is a detailed resume.

How is a Detailed Resume Different?

Detailed resumes can be up to three pages long. In it, you highlight the experiences relating to the job you’re applying to by saying a lot of details about them. You start with an introductory paragraph about your personality or work experiences. Then you typically follow with your credentials such as any special licensure or college degrees. Fragments are acceptable.

You may find it easier to add something like a table. This helps to identify your experiences and abilities in one to three words. For example, “Legal Research”.

Yes, You May Use a Summary in your
Resume Career Objective

Resume summary is a couple of lines that briefly explain your work experiences that relate to the job.

Here is an example of what employers appreciate:

Adjunct Professor of Drawing with 15+ years of teaching. Highly passionate about building rapport with students and seeking out the best for them. Seeking to capitalize on this passion to maintain a structured system as the Dean of (School).

This shows an upfront willingness to apply the experiences from a previous job to a similar one. It also shows professionalism.

What’s the Difference Between a Resume Profile and a Basic Format
We’re assuming that you already know the basic resume format. Listing the objective, your any academic degrees, and all of your previous jobs. A resume profile is basically that on steroids.

A resume profile is when you list your experiences, qualifications and education in the company’s, instead of your own, terms.

For example, let’s say that one duty for an IT job states, 
“Working knowledge of software such as VPN.”

In response, you could say something like this on your resume: 
“5+ years experience with VPN.” 

Even if You’re Fresh out of High School or College you Have to Write a Good Objective for Resume

Many people these days don’t believe that high academic achievements are worth anything in the work world. However, this is far from the truth if you know how to capitalize on them professionally. Even being in something like Theater shows organizational and creative skills.

Your career objective for resume could look something like this:

Creative and Orderly in acting and crew working. (served for three years in Thespians). Proven to be able to think on the spot. Seeking an opportunity to capitalize on this on your crew for the local symphony. I have the detail-orientation to make sure that everything is set up just right.

Conclusion

Writing a good resume objective does not necessarily have to be a short-and-to-the-point one-liner. It is a detailed objective that tends to get more attention. 

Like stated above, employers no longer care about individual passions. Instead, they care about how those passions can be leveraged on a professional basis for the job. Simply being an ice cream fiend is not what will get you a job at an ice cream shop anymore. Instead, you need to use your overall talents, such as contentiousness, to sell yourself for the job. That is why detailed objectives for resume are preferred more than ever now.

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