Gone are The Days of ‘Objectives’

Resume writing is basically and essentially an art. It is by no means the simple listing of credentials to inform prospective employers what you have done, but it is the creative and skillful presentation of that information in a manner which tells the reader that ‘you’ are the candidate whom they need in order to grow professionally.

The Objective section: Its demerits

One of the biggest mistakes that most people make while writing their resumes is to have an ‘objective’ section. The contents in this section are generally intended to tell employers ‘your’ aim in joining the company; ‘your’ interests; ‘your’ plans for growth; and so on. So where have you gone wrong? Look carefully. You have missed out on by far the most important thing that should have been your primary concern – ‘The Company’!

While there is nothing ethically wrong with the objective section, it tends to negate the interests of the employer and the requirements of the company – the very reason that you are there to fulfill. This section gives the hint that you are more concerned about your own needs rather than the company. Moreover, it has its place at the head of the resume and in just a glance an employer gets the wrong idea. Hence, you need to be very careful at not being misunderstood, and one of the better ways to inform employers about your aims would be to include it in a subtle way in the cover letter instead of the resume. Why? The cover letter is one where you communicate with the reader at a more personal level. It is where you make a connection and your aims are understood better.

A ‘Summary of Qualifications’ or a ‘Profile’ section

In the resume, it is highly recommended that instead of the objective section, you could use a ‘Summary of Qualifications’ or a ‘Profile’. These are sections which highlight your skills, throw light into the fields you are best in and your level of expertise, as well as speak about your uniqueness and what you have that could make significant contributions to the company. In short, these sections make it clear to the employer that you have something that they require and could utilize for development and growth. This may be the only section that the employer might read for short-listing your resume.

An exclusive ‘Summary of Qualifications’ or a ‘Profile’ could include:

* A powerful phrase describing your job or profession.
* The number of years and range of experience in a career field and setting.
* A statement of expertise and skills.
* Additional strengths.
* An outstanding personal trait.
* A positive character statement.

If it is the Summary of Qualifications you chose to write, remember to have it in the bullet form. A profile is generally in the paragraph form of not more than 5 to 6 lines. Make sure you use highly effective words to demonstrate your worth but it is damaging to be verbose. The use of simple words presented in a powerful manner has a greater impact upon a reader. Short and directed statements maximize the effectiveness of these sections, so it must be remembered to keep these sections brief and easy to skim with the focus on relevant key words.