The Objective Question - For Or Against?

In the world of professional resume writing and consulting, there has been much discussion over the last few years about the advantages and disadvantages of including a career objective in a resume. It has traditionally been part of a standard resume, but in recent times has fallen into disfavor among some experts.

Let's take a look at the arguments both for and against including an objective in your resume.

Argument for the objective

A well-written objective statement lets you tell a potential employer, quickly and succinctly, your career goals and what you want to do for the organization. It can be quickly and easily tailored to match each specific job application you submit, allowing you to customize the message that each potential employer receives. Many organizations expect to see an objective on a resume, and they can be put off if it is not there. They interpret the lack of an objective as meaning the job seeker does not really know what they want to do, or that the job seeker is unfocused and imprecise.

The objective statement can be a powerful tool for the job seeker to communicate his or her ambitions and aspirations to a potential employer. If you have a specific career goal that you are interested in pursuing, an objective statement is often the best place for you to write that information and be confident that it will be read and understood

Argument against the objective

Most objective statements, however, are not very well written. Job seekers are often afraid to limit their job possibilities too narrowly so they compose an objective that is so vague as to be meaningless. Some employers, too, view the objective as very limiting and if a job seeker's objective statement does not match their needs, the resume will be screened out right away.

The temptation for many job seekers is to write the objective strictly, in terms of what they want to achieve for themselves. This is okay to a point if you want to communicate your ambition to a potential employer, but the objective should present this information in a way that clearly lets the employer know what benefit they will receive from hiring you.

Summary

The decision of whether or not to include an object statement is entirely up to you. If you choose to include it, make sure it is specific, concise, and communicates what the employer can expect to gain from hiring you. If you choose not to include it, then you should instead provide a summary section where you outline your significant skills, attributes, and the benefits you would bring to the employer.

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