How to write the perfect resume objective using examples

All the good resumes have one basic thing in common; they give the applicant’s objective in the resume, even if it has already stated in the cover letter.  While they are certainly not required by any means, they usually help you out and give the recruiter some insight keen insight on why you decided to apply for the position.  Now what is a resume objective you might ask?  There is actually a pretty straight forward answer to that; an objective statement is pretty much a sentence or two that summarize and  describes why you are applying for a position and what you hope to gain from said position.

Different Ways to Approach the Objective Statement

Now, that is not to say that all objective statements are the same.  For instance, you will not be seeing all objective statements saying “I want this job so I can become a better so-and-so.” Rather you will see people mixing it up, sometimes saying things such as “I wish to use my skills of programming to benefit one of the largest tech corporations in the world” in an application to Microsoft.  Or if you are applying for a well-known private school, you can use something like “[t]o use my experience gained from teaching three public schools to use to benefit the students at this prestigious private school” or something along those lines.  You basically want to put what skills you have to offer and what you want to use them for.  However, that is not the only way to write an objective statement.

Sometimes you want to be completely honest and admit you do not really have much to bring to the table yet, but are willing to learn.  You can do this by saying something along the lines of “to quickly gain experience in the field of technology at one of the fastest growing technical companies in Silicon Valley.” This is effective when you do not have enough experience on your resume to get that job, but want the employer to know that you are willing to learn and eager to put your skills to the test as you learn it.

Some people simply put what position they want, which is not always the best idea.  Objectives that only state what position you are applying for, such as “to get a position as an account executive at one of the largest media conglomerates in the country” make for a weak objective statement, and thus a weak resume introduction.  This is week for two reasons.  First, your resume or application alone, it should be obvious what position you want.  Thus simply restating in your objective statement is redundant.  Second, it shows the recruiter that you do not have any skills that you deem worthy of flaunting, and thus will not grab the recruiter’s attention.  Even if your only skill is being eager to learn, that should be enough to put in your objective statement to make sure you grab the attention of the employer.

As stated above, objectives are not required, and sometimes unnecessary if you think your cover letter will already do justice.  However, the times when you certainly need an objective are: when you are not sending in a cover letter, when your cover letter does not list any skills you can bring to the company, or when there is a certain position you know you can fill with your skills and want the employer to know or notice that when they look at your resume.  Making a good objective statement can be hard, but here are three specific tips to make it a little bit easier.

Know Your Target Audience

First of all, you should try to know who you are addressing.  If you are writing for a startup tech industry, they probably do not want to read a cover letter or a long objective statement and want you to be direct and straight forward.  That would be a good time to just say “I want this position and this is what I can do”.  However, if you are applying for an English teaching position, you may want to show that you know how to write very well and also have experience working with children.  Something along the lines of “To gain a position an English teaching position at Hazel Valley Elementary School where I can utilize my degree in English and my experience working with children during my Teachers of America trip.”

Make it Unique

Secondly, make sure you make each objective statement unique to the company you are applying for.  You do not want to use the same statement for each one because if it works every time, it is probably too generic and needs a bit more specificity.  Take time to think of an objective statement for each resume you send it, do not let it just be something you throw together, because believe it or not, people will be able to tell.

Complement, Not Copy

Finally, do not repeat your resume in your objective statement, add to it.  You do not want to write something like “I am good at programming and using Microsoft Office, and would want to use it to help your company.”  You don’t want to be so straightforward about it – add it without making it seem like you are just repeating your resume.  Something similar to “using the abilities I have learned in school in programming to help create a new product for your company”.  Although, like previously stated, you want to make it more specific to the company and the job.

Making your resume can be tough and thinking of an objective statement can be a real brain cruncher, but if you use these tips you will be able to create the perfect objective statement to land you the job.  The key points to remember are to not just throw one together but to spend time on it, know who you are addressing, do not reuse objective statements unless it is literally for the same job, and do not repeat everything you use on your resume.  If you do this you should be fine and you can expect to have an objective statement that will win the crowd over.