Basic Resume Objectives

An effective resume objective grabs a hiring manager's attention.

A strong resume objective is one of the best ways to capture a potential employee's attention. The resume objective appears near the top of the resume and states the candidate's career trajectory and professional goals. A good resume objective demonstrates knowledge of the field and outlines the job seeker's skills in a clear, succinct manner. Resume objectives should be specific to the job for which you are applying.

Targeted

A targeted resume objective is a highly detailed statement in which the candidate details the position and company at which he seeks employment. In this objective, the job seeker calls attention to his skills by listing his strongest traits, such as his communication, organization or research skills. The candidate must keep in mind the skills and knowledge a potential employer desires. A targeted objective might read as follows: "Administrative assistant position at Smith and Smith Law firm where I can maximize my communication, organization and research skills."

Generalized

A generalized objective that does not detail a specific position is primarily for inquiry letters. In this objective, the candidate lists her strongest qualities, such as creativity and self-motivation, as well as her purpose, which is to reach a large international audience. This resume objective works well when sending a resume to multiple destinations because it highlights the candidate's strongest traits and demonstrates her ability to grow with the company. The use of action verbs and strong adjectives makes for a compelling objective. An example of a generalized objective might read, "Creative and self-motivated worker seeking a chance to develop website material to reach large, international audiences."

Specific

In a specific objective, the job seeker matches her experience in a specific area to an employer's potential need. She further clarifies her career objectives by specifying the geographical location in which she wishes to work. By including specific information in this objective, the hiring manager will not have to search her resume to guess what her career objective is--she has done the work for him. Her statement is succinct and conveys a clear career trajectory. By providing a brief description of her skills combined with an outline of the position she desires, the candidate successfully describes a resume objective. A sample specific objective could read as follows: "Elementary school teacher with ESL experience who is interested in a position in the Fort Lauderdale area."

References

• Rockport Institute: How to Write a Masterpiece of a Resume
• Career Owl Resources: Qualifications Summary
• Duke Law Career Center: Creating a Resume
• Rogers Resume Help Center: Resume Objectives - Why are they so important?