A resume objective (also known as the career objective) is a one-to-two line statement that describes your career intent, your professional goals, as well as the reasons why you’re looking for employment.
So, why does something like that matter? Well, that’s because an eye-catching resume objective that highlights your professional skills, experiences, and achievements would help make your resume stand out in addition to explaining why you’re a right fit for the position!
Including a resume objective helps, especially if you’re a fresh graduate with little to no experience prior to entering the job market. If this is the case, including a career objective helps outline your career plans, allowing hiring managers to see how you align with their available openings.
If you’ve decided to make a change in your career path, having such a statement helps clarify your goals and reasons as to why you’re making the switch.
If you’re planning to relocate to a new city, area, or country, noting your plans in your career objective will alert your hiring managers that you’re serious about moving out of town. If your goals are highlighted in a clear and precise manner, it will help you to avoid being disqualified for the job, solely because you’re living out-of-town.
Most employers are looking to hire candidates who are qualified for the job based on its description. Hence, you’re undoubtedly going to do well if your resume objective is one that has been tailored according to the job you’re applying for. When you clearly state the kind of career you’re pursuing, as well as the skills and experiences that you have to support your job, it will undoubtedly catch the eyes of your potential employers.
When you’re writing your resume objective, it’s best to emphasise the specific skills and experiences you possess that have a high correlation with the job. The more detailed and concise you are in your objective, the higher the chance your potential employer will consider hiring you.
Aside from the skills and past experiences you have related to the job, it would be advantageous if you also considered highlighting your overall strengths as an individual (both the soft and hard skills). For starters, if you’re a highly organised person, you should consider describing that attribute about yourself in your resume objective. Listing down any professional licenses, certifications, or awards would also help tell your employers that you’re not limited to the job itself, and that you’re very versatile in assisting your company as a whole regardless of your role.
Hiring managers care about what you can provide for them, more than what you want to get out of their company. It should be clear by now that when it comes to getting the job, your priority is to focus on how you can add value to the organisation you’re applying to. So, consider listing down your ambitions, work ethics, history of successes, and skills with explanations on how these things can bring value to their company.
If you’re new to writing down your resume objective statement, don’t worry, we’ve sorted out some examples for you to refer to!
“A highly motivated fresh graduate from [name of university/college], seeking a full-time position in [your field of expertise] where my knowledge of market analytic skills will be able to contribute to improving your organisation’s profitability.”
“A highly driven and motivated team player with proven communication skills, seeking to grow my knowledge of the [your field of expertise] industry as a [desired position] for your [industry’s name] company.”
“A well-organised and disciplined graduate from [name of university/college] with great communication, problem-solving skills, and excellent academic achievements seeking to grow alongside your company in [industry’s name].”
“An accomplished individual with great leadership and market communication skills, seeking a new career path with [name of the new company]. Currently looking for an opportunity to apply my passion for [the new desired position] and professional experience in hopes to contribute to the community.”
“A dedicated and experienced individual in [your current field of expertise], with proven success in managing [past-projects] for a mid-size commercial organisation seeking for an opportunity to use my past experiences to serve the [desired industry] company.”
“An accomplished [your current field of expertise] individual seeking to apply my decade of experience, along with the leadership and communication skills I’ve built up in the [the new desired industry] to ensure further expansion of your company.”
“Experienced [current position] relocating to [new location] in [the month that you’re relocating] and am currently seeking new employment with an expanding start-up. With my [number of years] experience in [your current industry], I believe I can help grow your start-up at a fast pace.”
“A [current position] with more than [number of years] experience in [your current industry] seeking to begin as a [current position/new position] when I relocate to [new location] in [the month that you’re relocating]. I’m eager to apply my skills and experience as a part of an established company.”
“A dedicated leader in the field of [your current industry] seeking for an opportunity to apply my [list of hard and soft skills] to help establish a start-up company. I bring more than [number of years] of experience in [your current industry].”
“Organised and driven [current position] with more than [number of years] experience in the [current industry] seeking for an opportunity to apply my management and leadership skills as an [advancement position] in your fast-growing company.”
“An ambitious professional with a proven track record at increasing the number of sales in the [current business industry], I am currently seeking a position as a [advancement position] with a fast-growing [industry’s name] company where I can apply my sales strategies and management skills to grow your company’s profitability further.”
“As a [current position] with nearly [number of years] of experience in the [current industry], I am seeking the opportunity to serve as a [advancement position] in an established organisation. I’m eager to apply my leadership and team management skills to continue the [desired company’s vision and mission] and help contribute to the company’s future success.”
Below are just some examples of resume objectives that have been tailored specifically to a particular job role, so that you can have an idea of what to write for yours:
“A knowledgeable software engineer with extensive coding and computer programming, as well as object-oriented designing experiences looking to obtain a position that allows me to fully utilise my communication, quick thinking, and problem-solving skills that meets all the goals and objectives outlined by the clients.”
“A member of the management team with 10 years of experience in managing the entire product development process in an established organisation, currently seeking an opportunity to integrate my development strategies to expand your company.”
“A dedicated and skilled individual with nearly 8 years of managing experience in the direct sales department. Currently seeking a position that allows me to apply my developmental, brand portfolio production, organisation, communication, and leadership skills when interacting with internal teams and clients.”
“An enthusiastic marketing graduate with a passion for graphic designing and copywriting seeking a digital marketing executive position at a relevant company. Previous projects from university years include garnering up to 8,000+ likes for the club’s Facebook, as well as 5,000+ followers on our Instagram account.”
“A results-driven business development team leader with more than 5 years of professional experience in development management, channel management, as well as change implementation. Currently seeking a position as a Business Development Manager to lead a team of salespeople to increase the sale of your products and services.”
“A business student graduate from the name of your university] seeking an opportunity to work as a business analyst at a start-up. Proven to have good academic qualifications, I’ve also successfully consulted more than 10 real-life business cases from my internship at [name of the internship company].
“A highly organised individual with strong interpersonal and communication skills who can help handle and build relationships as well as influence stakeholders. With a total of 5 years experience in managing and developing an organisation’s social media coverage and creating content to optimise community engagement levels, I’m currently looking for an opportunity in a community manager position.”
“An approachable, dedicated, and hardworking human resources coordinator with good interpersonal and communication skills seeking a position as an HR manager. I have a total of 4 years of experience in managing and implementing strategies to improve employees’ satisfaction and work performances.”
Want your resume to make a good first impression on your behalf so that the interviewer's interest will be piqued, and you'll score that coveted face-to-face session? Then here's your chance to shine, and make sure that your words pave your way right up to the interviewer's desk!