Objectives
The problem that most of my students are having is putting together a resume with a unique objective. The suggestion I make is to scope out the company and find what it is that they are looking for in an employee, cross reference it to their list that they made about themselves and see if there are any similarities. If so, incorporate those qualities in their objective. I have my students make a general resume most times unless there is a specific place they want employment. I have a page or two on creative words/skills that the students can pick through but I like to wait and see what they come up with. I heard that there are programs out there that practically create the resume for you including objective. I don't know how unique that would be. Any thoughts?
Hi Deana
Sounds like the exercises you have students go through helps them get to know themselves. The build up some conversation that can be useful in face to face interviews. We don't think that creating creative objectives is really necessary on a resume. What is important is to be brief and to the point. That's what we think employers want to see. Everything else can come across as fluff. And these are entry level jobs. So creativity isn't really necessary. It's about the skills and knowledge needed on the job. As to resources you might try www.jist.com or www.datafrenzy.com Best wishes, Susan
We ask the students write the objective to pertain to their field of study. We send their resumes out to employers also, so we want to be sure it doesn't list a specific employer.
Hi Kerrie
Interesting idea about students writing objectives. How do you use this exercise. Is there discussion and feedback so the student really understands their objectives and how to implement them for success? Thanks, Susan
Objectives on resumes are the only thing on the document that says what you WANT and not what you CAN DO. Normally objectives are out today, however if you are working with a student population that wouldn't be able to produce a Summary Statement then I recommend what I call a "Broadcast Statement". For example if you have a student finishing up as a Medical Assistant ... say boldly at the top of the page MEDICAL ASSISTANT. This acts like a heading in a newspaper alerting the reader what is to follow.
Great idea James. And to the point. Most employers like to get to the details as quickly as possible and often by pass the fluff. We think that talking about Objectives is fine and useful during an interview. Thanks, Susan
Instead of an Objective, I usually have the students to right a Summary. Everyone already knows the objective, which is to get the job. A summary can pin-point the students skills and abilities.
Good point, Jere. We also generally find the Job Objective section kind of useless. You are right that an effective summary can give a good snap shot of the candidate regardless of experience. And the exercise for the student to write the summary is an excellent task. It helps the student think about him/herself and what makes each person unique. Thanks, Susan
Hi Jere, I encourage the summary as well; it helps to give the resume a focus and pinpoints skills, right in the beginning, that an employer may wish to know.
Career objectives such as "Seeking a profesisonal position with a progressive company..." or "Seeking a future-oriented position that will allow me to use my skills..." are basically worthless.
Thanks,
Jay Hollowell
MaxKnowledge
Hi Jere,
I agree with you as well. Sometimes it's best to leave the objective out and just encourage a summary. My students find it difficult to create an objective but have no problem with a summary of their qualifications.
HI Rhona and Jere, We find that the more basic the resume, the more effective for grads with little experience. Sometimes even a summary might pigeon hole a student. The experience and education needs to speak for itself. That's our opinion anyway. Thanks, Susan
I agree with focusing on the experience and education especially when it comes to specialized training.
Crafting resumes for those with limited experience is always a challenge. Helping grads gain confidence to have a successful interview knowing their limitations is an art.
I find most objective statements useless and somewhat dangerous. The most common and offensive element is the mention of "potential for increasing income" or some similar reference to salary. Less offensive, of course, is a reference to potential for increasing responsibility.
I tell students that employers do not care what the employee wants, they care about what the employee can do for them. For this reason, I ask them to use an objective statement only if they can phrase it in terms of their contribution to the company. For example, "...use my electronic troubleshooting skills on behalf of a customer-oriented repair station..." If that doesn't work, then a skill summary is preferred.
HI Lois, I agree that most employers don't want to see Objectives or even Summary statements. They want to see what the job seeker knows, the skills, and knowledge, and if they ever used these on the job. So if the students are new to the work place it takes a bit more work to show what they can do as learned in the class, lab, or on an externship. Thanks, Susan
I have my students create a short to the point objective about what they can do for the facility and not what they expect to gain. I also have them bullet their skills, so that the employer can see them plainly.
We like bullets and short and to the point resumes also, Mindi. We agree that some resumes get too wordy and full of fluff. Employers simply want to see if you have the skills. We think that employers spend about 30 seconds on a resume looking for exactly the experience and skills they want to see. So we also recommend resumes that are short and to the point. We also believe that about transmittal letters. Too much explanation may say that that the applicant doesn't have enough experience. Thanks, Susan
I just starting using this suggestion myself, the students also find that a summary comes more naturally to them then the objective, because like you said isn't the objective employment.
Hi Maureen, Your comments made us think that a student's resume is going to look different compared to someone who has some work history. While we are all instructed to have objectives and summaries on our resumes, maybe not needed for new grads. It's a great class exercise as it helps students understand what direction they are going in and their own goals. But people who hire and review resumes just want to see what the student has done or what they have learned. The student can use the objective and summary exercise as talking points during the interview. Thanks, Susan
Also we have found sometimes employers are interested in the graduates short term object/goals and long term objective/goals.
