Great Resume Objective

Creating a statement that serves as your employment objective not only helps focus your resume but also keeps your career on track by providing a clear direction toward an outcome that represents success for you. In addition, you can rephrase your objective so that it tailors your goals and capabilities to the needs of specific employers and thus makes you a more attractive employment candidate.

Organizing your objective statement

Your objective statement should express two important considerations:

Your desired outcome - the specific kind of work you want to do
The context in which you want to do it - the title or description of a specific position

The statement should also indicate the kind of organization in which you want to be employed and the benefit you expect to achieve from that experience. The more specific you are, the better. Vague objective statements often lead to unfocused resumes that do not present a clear, hard-hitting message about your capabilities and interests.

Organize the information in your objective statement as follows:

Title or description of your desired job + the kind of organization for which you want to work + the benefit you expect to derive from your effort. For example:

OBJECTIVE

A store manager position for a leader in the men's retail clothing industry where I can enhance my team-building skills and gain hands-on experience in profit center management.

Writing your objective statement

Use the following four-step process to write your objective statement:

Identify or confirm the kind of position that can best enable you to express and develop your skills and abilities. Describe the position or note its title in a few words.
Identify the context or organizational setting in which you most enjoy working. Do you prefer a high-risk/highreward start-up organization, an established industry leader, an entrepreneurial culture, or some other kind of organization? Describe the context you seek in a phrase.
Determine what experience and skills you would like to acquire in your next job. Identify capabilities that will enhance your satisfaction at work and advance your career. Make a list of those benefits.
Integrate the results of Steps 1-3 into a clear and concise objective statement. Write that statement. Placing your objective statement

When you send your resume to a prospective employer, make sure that your objective statement appears in the body of your resume or in the cover letter that accompanies your resume.

Traditionally, an objective statement shows up in the prominent position just below your contact information. This location helps to focus both the development and the interpretation of your employment record. In other words, your objective is the first section of your resume that you write and the first section that an employer normally reads. This focal point acts as a lens through which

You evaluate the various details of your work record to determine what to include and what to discard
Employers assess your potential fit with their organization and position opening By including only information that explains and supports your objective statement in your resume, you create a document with a focused and forceful message that helps employers make accurate judgments of your interests and abilities.

Space on a resume is limited, however, which means that you may have to remove your objective statement from the document. This section is the only part of your resume where you have an option to save space, and such a move is feasible only because you've used your objective as the basis for developing all the other information you've included. Indeed, only remove the statement after you complete the final draft of your resume to ensure that every detail included in the document is relevant and appropriate.

If you decide to omit your objective statement from your resume, you can still communicate this important message to prospective employers. Your cover letter, which should be a companion to every resume you send out to an employer, is an appropriate place to share a statement of your employment objective. This letter should relate your background, as described on your resume, to the requirements of the job or that specific employer's needs. To reinforce your qualifications, include your objective as a key point in your cover letter.

Translating your objective statement for employers

Your objective in the workplace is different from that of an employer. For example, your objective may be to obtain a position that would support your ambitions to be the most respected sales representative in your industry. An employer, however, seeks to fill that position with a sales representative who delivers consistent revenue and profit growth. Similarly, your objective might be to acquire a position with a higher salary, while the employer wants to recruit a candidate who can get the job done on time and within budget.

As a consequence, your objective statement must play two very different roles:

As a statement of what's important to you in the workplace, your objective's purpose is to focus the development of your resume. The act of creating an objective statement can help you home in on what's relevant and what's immaterial to the presentation of your credentials, which can tell you what to include - and exclude.
As a statement of what's important to an employer, your objective's role is to help sell your qualifications for a specific open position. A well-defined statement can differentiate you from other candidates by underscoring the close fit between your workplace goal and your employer's interests.

To play the second role, you have to translate your objective statement from its original expression of your hopes and ambitions to one that addresses the needs of an employer. Whether the statement appears in your resume or in a cover letter, this shift in focus is key to making a connection with a prospective employer's own objectives. In addition, you should tailor this revision to each employer's specific circumstances. Use the following steps to accomplish the translation:

Identify the title of the position you seek in an employer's organization. If available, use the exact title provided in the organization's advertisement or job announcement.
Pinpoint the benefits you can provide an organization with your skills and experience. To determine which benefits are of most interest to a specific employer, review the information contained in its recruitment ad or job posting. Look for descriptive terms that indicate a desired quality or outcome, such as "Looking for a fast-starter" or "Seek a manager who can control costs and build revenues." Decide which of the benefits you are most capable of providing.
Identify the organization where the open position is located. Be as specific as possible. For example, if you are applying for a position in the Engineering Division of Xerox Corporation, include the division name as well as that of the corporation.
Combine the results of Steps 1-3 into a clear and concise objective statement that expresses your goal in terms relevant to an employer. Write out your objective statement. For example:
OBJECTIVE
A sales representative position in the Xerox Engineering Division where I can apply my skills and 10 years of experience to generate improved revenues at lower costs.
Rewriting your objective statement for a specific employer has real impact, whether it appears in your resume or in a cover letter. The effort shows an employer that you
Have done your homework and identified the employer's needs
Are serious enough about your application to tailor your objective to a specific employer
Understand how to apply your skills and experience to meet the employer's needs.