by Kevin Hartford

Created on: February 15, 2010   Last Updated: February 17, 2010

The secret to producing a great objective to a resume is to focus the objective to the actual job opening.  Nothing will turn off potential employers than an unfocused and wordy objective that does not answer the central question.  Of course, that central question is why the resume was sent in the first place.

When it comes to resumes, there is too much advice and much of it in contradiction.  But everyone agrees that a focused objective is a must, they just do not agree what a focused objective is.  In the end, focus is about being clear and concise and conveying the information needed.

To create this focused the objective, the job seeker needs to determine what exactly they want to do.  They need to choose the position.  There are many different types of positions, many called by different names.  The best way to determine the name of the position is to use the one found in the job announcement, that way it is clear to the hiring manager.  It does no good for the job seeker to say he or she wants to be an operations manager, when the organization has no operations managers; but they have program managers.  It may seem like a simple thing, but in truth it is the simple things that count.

After the position is nailed down, the job seeker needs to determine the level.  There are essentially three levels: senior, mid-level, and entry level. A good rule of thumb when it comes to level is the number of years experience that the job seeker has.  An entry-level position could be anywhere from zero to five years depending on the industry. A mid-level position is about five to ten years and a senior level position would need at least ten years or more of industry experience. 

The last thing is the industry.  This lets the hiring manager know that you have focused your resume to his or her needs and that the resume isn't going to be an unrelated blob of words.  Many job seekers have a plethora of experiences, some match exactly what the position is; some experience needs to be molded to fit the requirements.  Some industries are interchangeable, some have there own secret code to enter.  It is important for the job seeker to let the hiring manager know that the industry is understood.

A sample objective would be something  like: Senior Logistics Planner in the ground transportation industry.  This is all that is needed, but a job seeker could add qualifiers to the objective.  Most targeted resumes do not need those qualifiers, because they are in the body of the resume somewhere; either the summary, accomplishments, or job descriptions. 

The bottom line on objectives is to keep them focused by being clear and concise.  It is also important to target the position, level, and industry to make sure the hiring manager understands what the job seeker wants. 

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