A job seeker asked, "Should you put a career objective statement on a resume?" Here's my answer:
Your entire resume is a career objective statement.
Your resume's objective is to get you a job -- not just any job but a job you want and are qualified for. So your resume's task is to quickly and clearly communicate your career objective (aka, your job objective).
How to Make a Career Objective Statement on a Resume
Your challenge is to figure out how to communicate your career objective to a recruiter or employer during her initial read of your resume. Depending on your situation, one of the following five options should do the trick.
Option #1:
Write a very brief career objective statement near the top of your resume.
For example, in this resume for an Employment Specialist, the job seeker put this very concise job objective statement right under his resume heading:
OBJECTIVE: Position as Employment Specialist
Don't include "fluff" like "looking for a challenging position with a growth-oriented company" or "where I can utilize my skills and experience." Use the minimum number of words to say what type of work you want.
Option #2:
Put your professional title near the top of your resume.
For example, on this resume for an E-Commerce Project Manager, the job seeker used this professional title instead of a job objective statement.
E-COMMERCE PROJECT MANAGER
Not only is this concise -- it's a very confident way to communicate your value. By not using the word "objective" the job seeker says, "I am," not "I want to be." This can only be done if you've earned the right (through paid or unpaid experience) to say that you are that professional.
Option #3:
Use your professional title as the heading for your summary section at the top of your resume.
Instead of calling your summary section "Summary," "Profile," "Highlights" or something like that, use the name of your profession as the heading for that section.For example in this resume for an Organization Development Consultant, the job seeker created his Summary section like this:
ORGANIZATION DEVELOPMENT CONSULTANT
with more than 10 years in management. Expertise in:
- Program design and implementation
- Team development and facilitation
- Crisis management and prevention
- Communication planning (writing, speaking, and media relations)
- Customer needs assessment
Option #4:
State your line of work at the beginning of your Summary.
For example, in this resume for an attorney, the first bullet point statement of the Summary section says what areas of law he specializes in.
SUMMARY OF QUALIFICATIONS
- More than 15 years’ legal experience handling a diverse civil litigation caseload, 9 years’ practice as a mediator and over 3 years’ experience as an adjunct law professor.
Option #5:
Do none of the above.
This option works only if one of the following situations applies to you:
- You're staying in the same field and your goal is to have the same or similar job title as your most recent job title. In that case, the recruiter or hiring manager who's reading your resume will correctly assume your job objective from your work chronology.
- You're writing a CV (curriculum vitae) for an academic or scientific position. In that case, place your Education section near the top of your document, and that will essentially declare your job objective.
If you're trying to change careers or make a significant vertical career move, use the first option.
The Bottom Line:
If your resume quickly communicates your career objective, it doesn't matter which option you've used.
Do you have another resume technique for achieving that goal? Tell us how you did it.
