Quintessential Careers Press: The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By Chapter 1: The Perfect Objective to Sharpen Your Resume's Focus Page 10 Resumes generally should not include personal pronouns, such as "I," "me," and "my." If there is one place on the resume where an exception can be made, it's the objective statement. However, it's still best to avoid these pronouns. The default assumption about any job you are seeking is that is a typical full-time job. Therefore, don't waste words in your objective statement stating that you seek a full-time position. Describe the nature of the position only if it differs from a normal full-time job. Examples include part-time, freelance, contract, internship, and summer-job positions. A good objective statement answers questions: What position(s) are you applying for? What are your main qualifications? What can you bring to the organization? What is your professional identity? Whenever an objective statement offers an "or" option, try to eliminate the "or" according to the job you're targeting. For example, consider this objective statement: "Technical position with customer-relations and troubleshooting opportunities in the [plastics or specialty chemicals] field." If you apply for a job in the plastics field, the objective should read: "Technical position with customer-relations and troubleshooting opportunities in the plastics field." And, obviously, if you apply for a position in specialty chemicals, it should read: "Technical position with customer-relations and troubleshooting opportunities in the specialty chemicals field." If you are working with a recruiter, leave in both possibilities (without the brackets, of course). Any time an objective statement (see samples at the end of this chapter) mentions "your company," "your firm," or "your organization," remember that you can substitute the specific name of an organization to target your resume to that employer. Headlines and Branding Statements A "headline" atop your resume usually identifies the type of ad you seek. A branding statement is a punchy "ad-like" statement that tells immediately what you can bring to an employer. The headline and branding statement are often used in combination, as shown in some of the examples that follow. Previous Page Next Page Back to Words to Get Hired By Index Page