One of the most important parts of writing an effective resume is the objective statement. Simply listing your experience, doesn’t let your potential future employer know what your long term goals are. It also doesn’t let your employer know what type of position you’re looking for. Remember that when writing a resume first impressions count, and your objective statement is your first impression of your resume.
An Objective Statement Should. . .
* state what position you’re applying for
* briefly summarize your main qualifications
* use the company’s language when referring to the position and qualifications
An Objective Statement Should Not. . .
* be generalized
* be too wordy or too descriptive
Examples of Objective Statements
One of the most common mistakes in writing an objective statement is being too general:
“I’d like a job with your company that allows me too utilize my skills and knowledge.”
This doesn’t tell the employer anything and it requires that he read through your entire resume to figure out what position you might be interested in and in what ways you’re qualified. Chances are good that he won’t be interested in taking the time to do so. A better way to write that statement is:
“I’m seeking a position as a blogger at Families.com. I have extensive experience and knowledge in _______ and ______.”
Ideally, the ad that I’m responding to would read something like, “Families.com is seeking bloggers with extensive experience in _______ and ______. Whenever possible you should use the company’s lingo.
Another common mistake in writing objective statements is simply writing too much! You may have a lot of qualifications to share but frankly, your potential future employer really doesn’t have time to read them.
Remember, your objective statement or ‘career goals’ section of your resume gives your future boss a quick glance at who you are. If you only have so many words to give a brief synopsis of why they should hire you, make sure those words count!
Related Articles:
Mistakes to Avoid on Your Resumes
Resumes for People with Nothing to Offer
A Resume for the Electronic Age
Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.