Career Change Objective Statement
The objective statement at the outset of a resume provides an opportunity to not only introduce yourself to the potential employer, but to also suggest how your entire resume should be read. This is particularly important if you are attempting to make a career change. Your opening statement can give the reader a framework for understanding and evaluating your work history and other experience in relation to the job you seek.
Other People Are Reading
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Be Brief
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The objective statement must always be brief. The goal is to convey some information about your background, to state that you are interested in the job for which you are applying and to state that your background makes you qualified for the job. Kim Isaacs, Monster Resume expert, suggests that you explicitly state that you are highly motivated to make the career change and to contribute in the new capacity.
Mention Relevant Experience
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Highlight your most relevant experience. If you are looking to move to a teaching career and have experience doing training and other presentations in the business world, be sure to mention it. Experience needn't all come from your formal jobs. Any experience that is relevant and will help you land the job should be included.
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Emphasize Transferable Skills
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The resume experts at Career-Tests-Guide point out that it is important to focus on your transferable skills. Your past successes and personal characteristics that qualify you for the job you seek need to be emphasized. Make use of your best writing to keep it succinct. A well-chosen opening adjective can help a lot. Something like "Results-oriented marketing manager seeks entry-level job in human resources" is a good way to begin your objective statement.
State Your Career Change Goal
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State the new career goal explicitly. You don't want the reader to become confused when he reads that you have been a marketing manager when you're looking for a job in human resources. If necessary, use an additional sentence of elaboration about how your experience makes you a good person to hire in human resources.
Be Clear
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Kim Isaacs emphasizes the importance of clarity. It is particularly important to follow the rules of good writing. Avoid the passive voice and inverted sentence construction. Say, "I'm interested in contributing to your teaching staff," rather than "A teaching position is what I seek." Keep your sentences short even if the ideas you are expressing are complex. If a sentence goes longer than two typed lines, look for a way to turn it into two sentences. Ideally, you should have someone else read over what you've written before you decide it's ready to go public at the top of your resume.
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References
Resources
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