| Back to Home > Bulletin Board > Beginner Issues > Topic: Resume Objective |
Topic: Resume Objective
| Author | Message |
| Bee News | Posted – 8/30/2007 12:11:37 PM | show profile I am currently updating my resume and applying to new jobs. I am curious what the standard rule of thumb is for objective statements. Personally, I feel that if you are applying for a job then you obviously want to work in that area or field. Am I off base? Is it best to always list one on a resume? If so, how general is too general? |
| writesonwater | Posted – 8/30/2007 1:09:00 PM | show profile Personally, I feel the objective is out of date. I recommend a summary instead. The summary talks about you as a candidate -- it takes the focus off what you want (a job at whatever) and puts the focus on what the employer wants that you have. Experienced editor with background in trade publications, strong layout and design skills, excellent editorial judgment. Thorough understanding of all aspects of ... blablablabla. |
| jesseileen | Posted – 8/30/2007 4:28:31 PM | show profile Yuck, I hear you. The objective is out of date, but a summary also seems pointless. If your resume is designed well, a prospective boss should be able to get a general idea of what you've done within 5 seconds or so. Besides, a summary just takes up precious, precious space. Leave it for the cover letter. |
| jesseileen | Posted – 8/30/2007 4:35:48 PM | show profile One more thing: summaries generally read terribly, for example: "Motivated copy editor with excellent people skills..." Instead of listing a bunch of adjectives at the top of my resume, I highlight super relevant experience in the cover letter, using concrete examples to showcase the few truly great things I've done on the job. |
| Bee News | Posted – 8/31/2007 3:19:27 PM | show profile Thanks for the suggestions!! I think I am going to just leave off the objective, unless anyone else has any input or objections :) Any other job hunting advice? Thanks again for your help! |
| HisGirlFriday | Posted – 8/31/2007 4:45:44 PM | show profile I had hiring people telling me not to put an "objective" section on my resume almost 15 years ago. I ditto what the pp said about writing a good cover letter. |
| Bee News | Posted – 8/31/2007 5:03:22 PM | show profile Cover Letter Any specific advice on cover letters? I always feel so weird when writing one. I know we are supposed to talk ourselves up, but sometimes I just don't know how much is too much or not enough. I really appreciate all this advice!! |
| foodlit | Posted – 8/31/2007 6:32:04 PM | show profile | email poster Cover Letters Best advice I can give you, as one who receives hundreds of resumes regularly (am in hr and work as a headhunter). Don't EVER send your cover letter as an attachment. Paste it into the body of the email. If you send it as an attachment, it won't be read. Cover letters, especially via email, should be short and sweet. You want to get right to the point and tell them why your background is a fit for the job. Do this well, and we'll race to click open your resume. :) Seriously. All you need is a few lines stating how you meet the qualifications. For instance, let's say it's a marketing manager position where they'd like an MBA and the industry is online media. You will really get their attention quickly and will help them do their job efficiently when you state that "I have an MBA from XXXX and 5 years experience with XXX (an online media company that competes with the one you are applying for.) So, that's an ideal scenario, when your experience is perfect for the job....if it is, say so in the cover letter and you're in. If your background is more of a stretch, that's okay, still list where you do match up. Good luck! Pam |
| HisGirlFriday | Posted – 8/31/2007 8:14:51 PM | show profile I'm not sure if this is still true but I always won raves for my cover letters that I wrote like I'd write a news feature. I started with a snappy anecdote about my childhood roots in reporting - literally like 2 or 3 sentences and then went right into my qualifications. "And since that first-grade newsletter, I've been uncovering corruption for some of the best small papers in the midwest." Another idea I always liked was to highight some info on what your stories accomplished. "Ten years ago the town of Podunk hired only squirrel lovers as police officers. After I dug up documents that proved their squirrel bias, they changed their hiring practices and the first non-squirrel lover was hired in 2004." I'm not sure if these would still work - when I was looking for staff jobs it was pre-internet and everything was done on paper. God I'm old. |
| Bee News | Posted – 8/31/2007 10:18:55 PM | show profile Salary requirements Thank you very much! This all is encouraging advice. I apologize for all my questions. I have only been out of college for a short time (a little over a year) and am pretty new to all of this. I just want to make myself as marketable as possible. :) One last question - I promise (well, sorta). Salary requirements: Where is the best place to state your salary requirements and is it okay to say negotiable? |
| Cyrus | Posted – 8/31/2007 11:47:50 PM | show profile First off, avoid salary requirements altogether unless a posting specifically asks for them. That issue is best dealt with in an interview, where you can sometimes get a better idea as to whether your requirements mesh with what they're willing to pay. As far as your original question, objective statements are not really required anymore. I doubt you'll ever fail to land an interview from not having one. ------ Cyrus Afzali Astoria Communications www.astoriacomm.com |
| Bee News | Posted – 9/1/2007 11:23:05 AM | show profile What if the posting states that salary requirements must be included? |
| Cyrus | Posted – 9/1/2007 11:50:00 PM | show profile If the ad/posting specifically asks for salary requirements, then give a range that you feel will be what you would like to have but also meet their requirements. ------ Cyrus Afzali Astoria Communications www.astoriacomm.com |
