| v> | | | | Market Researcher Level I. |
| | | | Experienced specialty carpenter seeking a supervisor |
| Writing an Objective | | | | title -- |
| A growing trend in new resumes is to give short shrift | | | | Desire to obtain a Carpenter Shop Foreman position |
| to or eliminate the "objective" heading altogether. Here | | | | utilizing extensive trade skills and experience in the |
| are some compelling reasons to include this very | | | | theatrical and special events industries.Finally, when |
| important career statement in your resume and a | | | | writing a career objective, resume writers should |
| top-10 tips list for writing a memorable one.Seizing an | | | | consider the potential employer's point of view. In a |
| opportunity to submit as many applications as possible, | | | | competitive job market, where hiring personnel sit |
| some job applicants are omitting the traditional | | | | behind stacks of non-descript resumes, the inclusion of |
| objective statement element within their resumes. | | | | a little "self-promotion" is critical. Ask yourself, "what do |
| Rewriting objectives to accommodate every possibility | | | | I have that this company wants?". Is it doing whatever |
| seems challenging, while including over-generalized | | | | it takes to get the job done? Is it attention to detail? |
| statements seems to do more harm than good. | | | | Then write, "dedicated" or "quality-conscious". Consider |
| Nevertheless, when one considers the real purpose of | | | | terms that describe your work habits while offering |
| an objective, the inclusion of it appears to be | | | | something positive for the employer. Composing a |
| mandatory. | | | | good resume requires focused time and effort. Never |
| Whether written as "Career Goal", "Objective", or | | | | try to hurry the process by leaving out the who, what, |
| "Position Desired", the time honored first statement is | | | | and why of your employment search. By utilizing the |
| still worthy of its place in a successful resume. When a | | | | following top-10 tips list as a guide for developing your |
| cover letter cannot be submitted, the objective | | | | objective statement, you will be well on your way to |
| statement may be the job seeker's only chance to | | | | creating your own job winning resume. |
| introduce himself. Traditionally, the objective statement | | | | The Top-10 Tips List for Writing a Winning Objective |
| has served two purposes. The first obvious purpose is | | | | Statement: |
| to state clearly for the record, what type of position an | | | | 1. Choose two adjectives to describe your work style |
| applicant desires. Second, this introductory sentence | | | | such as, "Dependable and conscientious student |
| suggests to the potential employer what type of skill | | | | seeking..." or |
| set or qualifications the applicant has. A third purpose | | | | "Detail oriented and quality conscious accounting clerk..." |
| for an announced career goal, one that is frequently | | | | 2. Inform your potential employer of "what is in it for |
| misunderstood or under utilized all together, is the | | | | them", such as, "...seeking to utilize 10+ years |
| implied employer benefits, or the "what's in it for my | | | | experience in the industry..." or "...proven sales record..." |
| company" angle. Stating your career objective should | | | | 3. One sentence is good, but making sense is better! If |
| include a real job title whenever possible. Sentences | | | | warranted, two sentences or in some cases a short |
| that skirt concrete job names, such as, "...seeking a | | | | paragraph will improve an objective statement. |
| position in marketing...", suggests two things to the | | | | 4. If you know the job title for which you are applying, |
| reader; one, the applicant has no idea about what | | | | use it. There is nothing to be gained in trying to define a |
| types of jobs may be available in marketing and two, | | | | new position for yourself. |
| the applicant is desperate, and willing to take any job. | | | | 5. If you have read the job description in an |
| Eagerness is good. Desperation is fatal. Defining the | | | | advertisement, try to mirror one or two of the words |
| position desired is much more effective when the | | | | listed. For instance, if the job announcement has |
| company's own job titles are used, such as, "...seeking | | | | indicated a desire for a self-starter, then experiment |
| a Sales Management position..." or "...pursuing an | | | | with using the same term or one with the same |
| entry-level Public Relations Specialist position...". If you | | | | meaning, such as in this case, "self-motivated" or |
| are responding to an advertisement that you have | | | | "self-directed". |
| seen, use the terminology in the ad, otherwise, do a | | | | 6. As always, grammar and spelling count! It is |
| little digging. A business's website can be very helpful | | | | expected that resumes will have short sentence |
| for locating job title information specific to the | | | | fragments, abbreviations, and little punctuation, but your |
| company with which you want to apply. Admittedly, it | | | | career objective should be written without error. |
| takes a little more effort to customize and rewrite | | | | Proofread! |
| each objective to match a potential employer's need, | | | | 7. Avoid being too general in your statement. It is better |
| but the benefits will outweigh the time spent. Capturing | | | | to do a little research with the company and uncover |
| your qualifications in a one or two sentence resume | | | | some of what they may be looking for than to write |
| objective can be a challenge, but by using the identified | | | | an over-generalized objective that essentially says |
| job title combined with a descriptive term such as, | | | | nothing to the employer. |
| "experienced" or "certified", the challenge is easily met. | | | | 8. Ambition is nice, but statements such as "work my |
| Think about your skill set in broad terms. Are your | | | | way up to..." will impress no one and may undercut |
| employment skills developed in areas of | | | | your credibility. |
| administration? In sales? Perhaps you have been | | | | 9. If possible, experiment with writing an objective |
| employed as a carpenter. Are you skilled in cabinet | | | | without the use of the word, "I". It can be done! "I", is |
| making or exterior framing? Identifying your general | | | | more appropriately used in a cover letter. Using "I" and |
| abilities will give you some good leading sentences for | | | | "my" too frequently may loose a recruiter whose |
| your career objective, even in cases where you are | | | | context and focus is on what the company can gain |
| looking to change careers. Consider the following | | | | from a new hire. |
| examples: | | | | 10. Do not promise more than you can deliver! If you |
| Recent high school graduate, previously employed in | | | | are chronically late, then describing yourself as punctual |
| fast-food service industry, and aiming for a new | | | | will only undermine your credibility later when it is |
| position -- | | | | discovered that you have misrepresented |
| Dependable and enthusiastic student with experience | | | | yourself.Copyright © 2005, Lisa Casey Perry, All |
| in sales and public contact seeking opportunity as a | | | | rights reserved. |