OBJECTIVE: A professional position with opportunities for
advancement that will allow me to use the full range of my
qualifications.
Wow! Could you imagine an objective that could be any less
specific? But, as a professional resume writer, I can tell
you that such a nebulous, non-specific resume objective is
more common than it is not. This is one of the most
frequent mistakes that I see people make on their resume.
Let me ask you: If you don't know what you want and where
you are going, what makes you think a busy employer will
take the time to figure it out for you?
Very frankly, they won't and they shouldn't!
While I hear it every day, I still cringe when I pick up
the phone and prospective clients tell me that they "just
want to find a job - any job."
Using this hit-or-miss, anything-will-do strategy, even if
by some stroke of luck you land a position, the job you
land would very likely be one that you would be miserable
in! You may have the ability to do the job, but it wouldn't
be in line with your interests, your values, and your
passions.
When individuals come to me and are not able to express a
focus, I tell them very frankly that until they are able to
articulate a clear career target, hiring a professional
resume writer will be a waste of their time and money. If I
am unable to assist them in narrowing down a focus, I will
refer them to a career counselor and suggest that they
spend some time defining a focus and setting career goals
before we work together on the resume. And yet, so many
people TRY to write a resume without a clear focus. Are YOU
guilty of this?
Do you have a resume? If so, what I would like to request
is that you pull it out and take a look at it with a fresh
eye - try to look at it objectively as someone receiving it
for the first time might look at it. Is your career focus
immediately clear? Within seconds - because that is REALLY
all you have - will the recipient come away with an
understanding of your job target -of the level and type of
position you are seeking - and of exactly where you would
fit in their organization and add value? Be honest with
yourself? This is really important! If you have trouble
being objective, it may help to ask a friend or
acquaintance for their impressions after a 10 second scan.
Assuming that you do need to refine the focus of your
resume - as most people do - you may be wondering just how
to do that.
Is an objective statement the best way to focus your
resume? In the past you were probably taught that objective
statements were an essential part of the resume. Happily,
this is no longer true.
Today, profile or summary sections are used to set the tone
and focus for most resumes. Why? Well, think about it:
objectives tell the reader what you WANT from them.
Profiles or summary sections tell the reader what you OFFER
them. This is a subtle but really important difference.
Your resume needs to be employer-centered and focused on
how you will meet the employer's needs, solve their
problems, and add value to their organizations. Your resume
must be focused, but the more modern way of doing this than
an objective statement, is to create a headline statement
that is incorporated as part of your summary or profile.
Are you having trouble envisioning what a headline
statement is? Or, even what a resume profile or summary is?
There are dozens and dozens of examples for you to review
in the resume samples section of the Distinctive Documents
website.
The best job target, of course, is the well-defined one. At
the very least, you should be able to articulate and
succinctly state the job function that you want to perform
and the professional level you are targeting. But even
these two criteria are quite broad. To be really effective
you should pair those criteria with one or more criteria.
For example, other criteria might include the industry you
plan to target, the company size or type you are interested
in, or maybe the type of product or service developed or
sold by the company.
You'll be using all of this information to create a really
strong and focused headline statement and summary profile.
But don't stop there. Your resume is a marketing document!
It is not an autobiography. Your resume is, at its very
core, an advertisement of the specific benefits you have to
offer in relation to a specific type of position. Every
word and element in your resume should serve a purpose and
should support your job target. If irrelevant or extraneous
data that does not support and promote your job target is
left in your resume, you will dilute your focus and will
almost certainly confuse the reader. Don't let that happen
and don't make the mistake of thinking you need to include
everything about yourself in your resume. Once you know
your focus, carefully review the body of your resume and
eliminate or reframe everything that doesn't serve your job
target.
And, here is another really key tip: Remember that you are
writing to the future in your resume, not about the past.
Your resume content should be guided by who you want to be
and how you want to be perceived. You need to know your
goals and write from those perspectives. If you are
involved in a career transition, you need to be absolutely
honest and truthful while re-evaluating, re-weighting, and
reframing past experience to bring the transferable
qualifications to the forefront.
A well-defined target will guide you in your entire job
search - in how you prioritize your skills and past
experience as a focus for your resume and other job search
documents, the people that you contact and network with,
and the companies that you research and ultimately apply to.
So, go ahead. Take some time right now - today - to make
certain that your resume is clearly, accurately, and
immediately conveying your focus and your job target to the
reader. This simple step will dramatically enhance your
resume and the results it generates. And, as always, don't
hesitate to ask for professional resume writing help if you
need it.
----------------------------------------------------
Nationally certified resume writer and personal branding
strategist, Michelle Dumas is the director of Distinctive
Career Services LLC. Through Distinctive Documents
http://www.distinctiveweb.com and her Executive VIP
Services http://www.100kcareermarketing.com
Michelle has
empowered thousands of professionals all across the U.S.
and worldwide. Michelle is also the author of 101
Before-and-After Resume Examples
http://www.before-and-after-resumes.com
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