Job Objective

An effective resume needs a clearly stated Job Objective.  And it must be focused on the employer, not on yourself.  Let me explain.  I have seen many resumes with an objective that focuses on

“opportunities for advancement”

“contributing to the company while improving my skills”

“allow myself to grow”

“to obtain long term employment with growth potential”

“put to use my diversified abilities to advance with the company”

Excuse me?  This is all just a bunch of gobbledygook.  If  I were an employer reading this resume, I would immediately drop it into “file 13”.  Why?  Because it says nothing about my expectations as the employer.

I have a position to fill.  I want to know if you can be a viable candidate.  You have to tell me, up front, that you are.

Your job objective must be clear, to the point, without gobbledygook.  For example:

Position as Secretary/Receptionist

Entry position as programmer/analyst with a microcomputer firm

Position as Buyer, with Acme Medical Devices, Inc.

Position as Regional Operations Manager, with a focus on increasing market share through innovative marketing strategies.

Get the idea?

If you have a pretty good idea of what you want, ask yourself these questions:

What do I want to do?  Where do I want to do it?  For whom or with whom?  At what level of responsibility?

For example:

What do you want to do?  Financial analysis

Where?  In a major banking institution

For whom? For the loan department

At what level?  Entry level

If this did not help, here’s another way:

You’ve heard of “brainstorming” – you jot down everything that comes to mind in a particular subject, without any judgment or editing whatsoever. 

Try brainstorming your Job Objective.  Write down every job title that comes to mind that you think could be a viable choice for your very next job. 

After you have assembled your list, try to classify your notes by:

-jobs that you likely cannot do right now, because you need more skills or experience

-jobs that more likely fall into the category of hobbies

-jobs that you are ready for and interested in right now.

This third group includes the jobs you should look at seriously.  So prioritize those.  What’s your top choice?  What’s your second choice?  And so on.

Take another look at the top three.  Select the one you feel is the most appropriate for you to focus your job search on now.

Here’s what I want to do in my next job: __________________________________________________________________________________

That is your Job Objective.