Using A Resume Objective: The Pros And Cons

A resume objective is usually located in the first section of a resume and is designed to allow prospective employers to get a clear understanding of your goals for yourself in the workplace. The resume objective targets your goals and in one or two short statements allows the employer to get a brief overview of your career plans. There are positive and negative aspects to be considered when deciding if an objective should be included in your resume.

The Positives

• A clearly written objective allows the employer to preview your resume and get a snapshot of the career plans you have for yourself.

• A resume objective is important to new graduates or individuals entering a new career field. This allows prospective employers to see the direction that you would like to see your career heading.

• For people newly entering a work environment it provides additional information on the resume for individuals that may not have as much work experience or training.

• For individuals switching careers or positions in can be used as a springboard to explain the job transition in positive terms. A positive objective indicates self-confidence and professionalism.

• Clearly state the objective specific to the job application. For example, if the job is in marketing, clearly indicate your objective is related to marketing and improving sales, quotas or customer service. Be careful to avoid a vague or generalized objective. If the objective is vague the employer is not likely to review the rest of the resume.

The Negatives

• While being clear and concise is important, being too specific can also affect how much of your resume is being considered. If, as in the example above, the posting was for marketing, and the objective indicates that you would like to increase sales by 5% you may eliminate your resume from consideration if the employer was focused on increase sales by 10%.

• If the objective statement does not catch the eye or interest of the reviewer it is unlikely that the rest of the resume will be read. Unless you are very familiar with the goals of the company and can tailor your resume objective to parallel those goals you may be taking a risk of eliminating yourself as a possible candidate.

• A person that is applying for an advanced level job or who already has significant training or experience may have difficulty writing a clear objective that is brief. It may be easier to address these issues in the covering letter or in a personal profile area on the resume.

• Broad and general resume objectives may make the candidate appear uncertain of what job they would actually like to apply for. It may also appear that a blanket resume is being prepared for all job applications and that no specific attention has been given to tailoring the resume for the specific job.

Deciding when and if to use a resume objective is important. The objective is the first thing that prospective employers will see on your resume. Consider using an objective if you are new to the field or have little work experience but would like to advance. Only use a resume objective if you have researched the company and are familiar with the company goals. Tailor your objective for each job; do not use the same objective for each application.

Avoid using an objective if you are an experienced employee or are applying for an advanced level position. If you are applying to be considered for multiple job opportunities do not use a resume objective as it will be too general or may eliminate you from some jobs.

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