Quintessential Careers Press:
The Quintessential Guide to Words to Get Hired By
Chapter 1: The Perfect Objective to Sharpen Your Resume's Focus
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Arguments against using an objective statement
The argument against limiting oneself is not without merit. After all, if your career objective doesn't match what the hiring manager has to offer, he or she may not give serious consideration to other niches within the company that you might fit into.
In this high-tech age, however, fear of limiting oneself need not be an excuse to leave a career objective off your resume. Using your computer's word-processing application, there's no reason you can't have several versions of your resume with several different objectives. In fact, you might have two or three versions of your resume with different objectives and other minor adjustments tailored to different types of jobs. You could even come up with a specific, tailor-made objective on your resume for each job you apply for. With technology, resumes and objectives need not be "one size fits all."
Are there situations in which an objective statement truly is too limiting and perhaps shouldn't be used? Sure.
- Some job-seekers worry that objective statements will limit them when they post their resumes on job boards on which a great variety of employers may view the resume. That's a legitimate concern, although many job boards these days allow the job-seeker to post several resume versions.
- If you go to a career fair, where it's impossible to tailor your objective as you move from booth to booth, an objective-less resume may be the way to go.
- If you're handing out resumes in a networking situation, it may make more sense to leave your objective off.
- What if you're making "cold contacts" with employers - sending resumes and cover letters to inquire of employers that may or may not have specific openings? You could choose to leave off the objective, but even in those cases, it's a good idea to research the employers enough to know what types of positions (not necessarily vacant positions) they have and tailor your resume as specifically as possible to those positions. If your objective reflects the fact that you took time to research the employer, it will be all the more impressive. The Web site for Bell Helicopter, for example, states, "In your resume objective you can include a summary of your interests or preferences of the job you would like to be considered for. You can get a list of current job opportunities here."
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