Replace your professional resume objective for a career statement that showcases your value to employers.

If it's been five or 10 years since the last time you looked for a job, you may recall carefully crafting a resume objective statement for your job applications. This little blurb told the reader all about the type of position and company you were hoping to find. It probably said something like, "Hardworking and dedicated professional seeking long-term employment in a thriving organization that rewards innovative thinking with the opportunity for growth and advancement."

Sound familiar?

The point of that statement was to make it clear you were a go-getter who wanted a company in which you could settle down in, shine, earn and receive advancement in pay and position for your contributions. Nothing wrong with that, right?

Wrong!

In case you haven't heard, the professional resume objective has gone the way of the flip phone. It still appears from time to time, but when it does, it affects whomever brandishes it with the taint of obsolescence. This does not mean job seekers no longer have objectives. Of course they do - and often these objectives still communicate a desire to work at a great company and spend the next 10 to 20 years there. There are also job seekers who are looking for the perfect job for the short-term. Regardless of your objective, do not state it on your resume. This section is now reserved for what resume writers refer to as the career statement or professional summary.

A career statement highlights what you have brought, and will continue to bring, to the table. For example: “Seasoned supply chain and logistics professional with over 10 years managing on site and remote teams to perform at top 2% rankings for five consecutive years, with an emphasis on continuous improvement and well- versed in lean systems.”

Plain and simple, a career statement talks about what you will do for your employer, whereas a professional resume objective talks about what you want them to do for you. When you opt or a resume objective statement in today's job-search climate, you're sending the wrong signals to prospective employers. These include:

  • A lack of understanding about current job-search etiquette or tech savvy, which could date you and leave you open to becoming the victim of age discrimination.
  • A self-serving attitude (It's all about what you want).

A career statement, on the other hand, can showcase you to your best potential by doing the following:

  • Articulates in a few brief and memorable sentences, right at the top, the best things you bring to your employer.
  • Focuses on what you want to give, not on what you hope to get.
  • Neatly avoids the issue of whether you are looking for a 20-year term, or a stepping stone.

So if you are starting fresh, or updating an older version of your resume, pay particular attention to your new career statement and get that objective out of there and into the tar pits where it belongs.

Need help with your resume? Our TopResume writers can help!

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