I have been asked many times by concerned clients, “Where is the Objective on my resume? How is the potential employer going to know what I want to do without an Objective?” This is a valid question since resumes of the past all started with an objective. But, that is the past and there is good reason for moving away from the “Objective”. Objectives no longer have their place on a resume and here is why.
An Objective tells the reader what you, the candidate, are looking for or what the employer can do for the candidate. The goal of a resume is to sell your skills and accomplishments to the employer; to convey to the potential employer what you have to offer. By starting a resume with an Objective you are using up valuable space on your personal “advertisement” and may lose your reader while you are busy with your demands.
Instead, I recommend starting the resume with a summary of qualifications or accomplishments where you express your achievements and accomplishments. This conveys to the reader what you are capable of and why they should continue to read on and see what value you can add to an organization. As quoted from a Forbes Magazine article, “Ten Resume Red Flags” by Erin Joyce, “For the most part, objectives sound insincere and, worse, can limit your options. Let your cover letter do the talking when it comes to why you want that particular job. And remember, each cover letter and resume should be individually tailored to a specific job posting–not just a specific field. Taking an interest in the specifics of the job makes you look professional and focused and not like you are mass-emailing anyone who might hire you. Desperation is no more attractive to an employer than it is to a date.”
The importance of the customized cover letter is stressed above as well for those who are concerned that the employer won’t know what job they are applying for if there is no objective. Read more about writing an effective cover letter in some of my other blog posts.