Get The Job You Want: Writing An Effective Objective

One of the most important aspects of your resume is an effective, well-written, and original statement of your objective. Sometimes referred to as a career objective this is simply a statement of your goals. This can often be the hardest part of the whole resume to write. In one or two sentences, you must convey your expertise and expectations, and your career goals with the organization to which you are applying.

The simplest thing to do is to ascertain the exact qualifications fro which the employer is searching, and tailor your objective to fit in with what they want. The best use of this, however, is to use your objective statement to grab a potential employer's attention by showcasing the unique skills and abilities you can offer in this position.

People often make the mistake of not listing a personal, career objective on their resumes. Those who use a Chronological or Combination Resume sometimes feel it is not necessary. Though not a required element, a well-written objective can tell a prospective employer what you are looking for, and whether you will be a good fit for their organization.

Another common mistake in writing an objective, is to write so general an objective that it really says nothing concrete about you and your goals, as in the vague, but oft used objective statement that follows:

"To obtain a position with this organization, where my skills and experience can be utilized to their fullest, in positions of increasing responsibility"

Take a close look at that statement. It may have a nice ring the first time through, but if you look closely you'll see it really doesn't say very much at all. This kind of statement will only show a potential employer that you really have no valid objective in mind.

ere are some strategies that will help you create the kind of objective that will help you lnad that all-important first interview:

• Make you career objective personal, not just a re-hash of what everyone else has said, or what you think the employer wants to hear. Your resume is really a sales tool, a commercial for you. Your objective is your opening "pitch" to your potential employer, to let them know where you want to go
• Be sure of what you want from your job, and be clear in stating that. Your potential employer needs to know that you aren't just applying to them just to get any job, or to get out of a job you dislike
• State your commitment to getting this specific job, and outline what actions you are willing to take to achieve your goals
• Be specific about what you are looking for in your job. Simply saying you are looking for a "challenging work environment" doesn't really tell your potential employer anything - what may be challenging to one employee may be a walk in the park to another

Keeping these things in mind, we can now restate the sample objective to more clearly reflect what we actually want, and what our potential employer can expect from us in terms of working towards that goal:

"To obtain a position of assistant manager in retail sales where I can utilize my leadership and organizational skills, with an opportunity for performance-based advancement"

Now we have made a clear, professional statement that tells any potential employer exactly what you are seeking from your new position. It also tells them what you bring to the table, and what you are willing to do to achieve that position within their company. We have just written a winning statement of objective for your resume.

© 2010, Text by Imelleda, All rights reserved