The objective on a resume provides a brief explanation of your professional goals to potential employers. Learn more about resume objectives and how to use them effectively.
A resume objective is a one- or two-sentence summation of your most immediate career goals. While you don't need to include a resume objective every time you apply for a job, it may help a recruiter or hiring manager understand who you are, what you鈥檙e looking for, and why you鈥檇 be worthwhile to interview.听听听
In this article, we鈥檒l go over certain scenarios where it may be worthwhile to include an objective on your resume, and templates you can follow to help you capture your unique story and career aims.听
When you apply for jobs, a resume objective is a tailored synopsis that helps explain what you're looking for. It's a way to answer the question: "Why this job?"
Strong resume objectives tend to include the following information:听
Who you are
What you want to achieve with your next career move听
The value you鈥檒l add to a position or company听
Put simply,听resume objectives look forward听补苍诲听resume summaries look back. Resume objectives briefly state your experience and skills so you can highlight your career goals, whereas resume summaries are an opportunity for you to share your career accomplishments without going into your larger career goals.
Read more: How to Write a Resume Summary + Examples
Resume objectives tend to follow certain conventions. For example, many applicants write in the third person, but you can also write in the first person or jump straight to explaining your career goals.
Let鈥檚 take a look at a few examples that employ the information mentioned above: 听
Third-person emphasis: Social media coordinator [who you are] with agency experience [value add] looking for a position managing social media strategy, planning, and execution for a major health care brand [what you want].听听
First-person emphasis: I am an agency-trained social media coordinator [who you are] seeking a social media manager position [what you want], where I can apply my health care brand knowledge to grow audience awareness and engagement [value add].听
Position emphasis: Seeking a social media manager position at a health care start-up [what you want], where I can apply my three years of social media experience using tools like Hootsuite and Buffer, and strong interpersonal skills, to assisting patients [value add + who you are].听
Adjust your resume objective by determining which format鈥攖hird-person, first-person, or position emphasis鈥攂est fits your particular needs, and by changing how you present the three key pieces of information expected in an objective.
For example, to create a more concise description of who you are, use an adjective that grabs a recruiter鈥檚 attention, like 鈥渟avvy [job title]鈥 or 鈥渙rganized [job title].鈥 Instead, you can summarize your experience, like 鈥淸job title] with X years of experience.鈥澨
A resume objective isn鈥檛 always necessary because it can take up valuable space that might be better served in another way, such as clarifying the impact you made in your most recent role or listing out any extra technical skills you have.听听
But there are certain scenarios where it can be more helpful to use a resume objective than others, including:听听
If you don鈥檛 have any experience
If you recently graduated college听
If you鈥檝e held many different types of roles
If you鈥檙e interested in changing careers or industries听
If you鈥檙e interested in career advancement
If you鈥檇 like to relocate听
Each scenario listed above might benefit from an explanation of what you hope to achieve in your next role, thereby providing recruiters with valuable information that can help frame the information on your resume.
Depending on how you format your resume, it鈥檚 best to put a resume objective near the top of your resume, either underneath your header or to the right of it. Take a look at for recent graduates as an example:听
In two sentences max, a resume objective needs to say a lot about who you are and what you want. To make your resume objective as effective as possible, consider the following tips:听
As part of your job search, take note of any keywords that come up in various job role descriptions, and see if there鈥檚 a way to integrate a few of them into your objective. For example, if a job description mentions attention to detail, mention that quality when you describe yourself or your experience: 鈥淪uccessful UX designer with strong attention to detail.鈥澨
You鈥檒l want to make sure you tailor your objective for each role, either by updating the job title you鈥檙e looking for, the goal you aim to achieve, or your desire to work specifically for that company.听
After you draft your objective, go back and look for opportunities to replace words with action verbs and powerful adjectives, and identify places where you can specify your experience.听听
For example: Instead of Professional and talented financial advisor with several years of experience, get specific while still being succinct: Skilled financial advisor with significant experience guiding clients on major product decisions.听
A resume objective states what you want, but it鈥檚 also important to convey what you have to offer a company. Try to connect your objective鈥攃areer advancement or relocation鈥攚ith unique skills that will make your value clear to a recruiter or hiring manager.听
Beyond the type of role you鈥檙e seeking, make sure to include any specifications, such as part-time work, remote work, or relocation, so that recruiters understand what you鈥檙e looking for right away.听
Below, we鈥檝e drafted a number of resume objective templates depending on the scenarios noted earlier and included tips to help you shape your story.听听
Since you may not have a title to add to the description you craft about yourself, describe some of your greatest strengths. Use the first-person or third-person format to showcase some of your strongest transferable skills:听
Organized, detail-oriented individual seeking an entry-level position as a customer service representative at [Company Name] to sharpen my communication and sales skills.听
I am a collaborative team member with terrific soft skills. I鈥檓 looking for a part-time barista role where I can learn more about customer service and share my passion for coffee.听听
Highlight your high school diploma or college degree in your objective, and connect what you learned with the position you鈥檇 like to hold:听
Recent graduate with a degree in computer science seeking a position as a web designer at an innovative start-up. Experienced in HTML/CSS, graphic design, and major CMS platforms.听
To obtain a position on [Company Name鈥檚] product team, where I can apply my MBA, and contribute my knowledge of strategy, consumer research, and user experience (UX) design.听听
Call attention to the transferable skills you鈥檝e developed along the way and how that experience will serve the direction you鈥檙e interested in moving next:听
Collaborative, quick learner who is skilled in communications, research, and design, and would like to apply that multidimensional experience to a role in sales for a luxury retail brand.听
I鈥檓 a seasoned communicator with experience in data analysis and design looking to apply that varied training to a marketing manager position at [Company Name].
Advancing in your career sometimes means applying for bigger roles and explaining why you鈥檙e interested in taking on additional responsibility:
Successful project coordinator with five years of experience overseeing eight direct reports seeking to become a project manager for an industry-leading fintech company.听
Established cybersecurity analyst with experience in multiple frameworks and intrusion detection looking to become a security architect for a global company, where I can implement key design features to safeguard critical data.听
It鈥檚 important to explain the reason behind your desire to change careers, and the skills you believe will help you make the pivot:听
Savvy data analyst with experience growing customer insight and retention in the education tech sector. Now interested in finding a role as financial analyst for a major banking institution, where I can strengthen my knowledge of trend spotting and forecasting. 听
Driven social media manager with over seven years of experience in consumer research, audience engagement, and market strategy. Interested in pivoting to a marketing manager position and leading the broader marketing efforts of [Company Name].
Whether you're about to relocate or already have, a company may want to understand your larger plans.
I am an experienced graphic designer relocating to Denver in February, and I鈥檓 eager to find a position at [Company Name]. I have over four years of experience in website design, and I鈥檓 trained in Adobe Creative Suite. 听 听
Innovative business intelligence analyst with experience contributing data-backed insight to three Fortune 500 companies. Seeking a position at a leading product engineering firm in Chicago, where I鈥檒l be relocating in April.听听
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