The goal of an objective statement

[Reyed Mia (Apprentice, DIU)]

The goal of an objective statement

- Does your current resume have an objective? If not, why did you decide not to use one? It's true, resumes can be very subjective, but the debate about whether to include an objective on a resume or not is important to discuss. While there's a strong argument to be made that objectives are a thing of the past, an objective can have value if done correctly. Because resumes are so customizable it's important to consider the target of your resume before you create it. If you are changing careers or early in your career with little to no experience, an objective can help to focus the reader and gain a better understanding of why you are applying for this particular job.

You may also hear that no one reads an objective. Well here's a funny thing about that. If you write it, expect someone to read it. When working as a recruiter, I would always read an objective. Why? Because I would hope that person was going to use it to tell me why they applied to the job. If they did, I would get the feeling of, yes, I'm going to keep reading because this person may have what I need. If they didn't, I might stop reading right there. In the exercise files, I've included three examples of objectives from actual resumes I've received in the past.

I didn't edit them in any way so let's take a look. Starting with the first example, which reads "To obtain a consultant position that promotes growth "in an environment that I can contribute my safety "management and leadership skills and continue "to develop experience in a professional community." Example two: "Implement or improve standard "operating procedures, timekeeping systems, " workplace organization, company policy, "hazard analysis and critical control point "guidelines, goals, safety training, "expectations, and effective team building.

"By reaching these objectives, we can be proactive, "accurate, and increase productivity in operations." And example three: "A proven leader in the safety "and health industries, safety driven, and goal "oriented, I am seeking a challenging opportunity "to manage and lead large projects where my "advanced skills, education, extensive training, "and many years of experience can be fully utilized." Now my question to you is, which of these three objectives would you use? Do they get the point across? Let's go one example at a time.

Example 1 is the traditional understanding of an objective: define the role you want to apply to and add a few notes about your skills. Pretty simple. Example 2 is an example of a bad objective. This person doesn't truly understand the point of an objective is to focus the reader and tell them why you applied to the job. He gives information that really belongs in a summary of qualifications, which we'll discuss in another video.

And then he ends with a sentence that tells the reader he has no idea what an objective is for. It was also really difficult to read. Example 3 begins with information that may be more applicable to a summary of qualifications but it does something important. It provides the reader with parameters for what this person is seeking without pigeonholing him into one role. It might be a little too vague for some people but it mentions the things that he wants the reader to focus on: his advanced skills, training, and experience.

It tells the reader he's seeking a management role so it also helps prevent him from being called for opportunities where he won't have the ability to manage. No time wasting here. An objective works well for those who are making a career change or who don't have as much work experience because you are giving the reader some direction; however, if you have many years of experience, a summary of qualifications will work best for you. Are you reconsidering using an objective or are you now confident in your current choice.

https://www.linkedin.com/learning/writing-a-resume/the-goal-of-an-objective-statement