Many a job seeker has spent many an hour staring at the blank page or blinking cursor, trying to articulate a resume objective that will demonstrate to potential employers that he or she is, indeed, just the candidate that employer has been looking for. And, of course, in an attempt to help these job seekers, many a job coach, resume guide, and resume help website have dedicated a great deal of space to tips on writing resume objectives and/or resume objective samples.
The problem is, however, that these objectives can become so formulaic and clichéd – or worse, so transparent – that they are rendered pretty much meaningless. After all, what does the objective “to obtain a position in ABC at XYZ company” really tell an employer? They already know the applicant wants to work for them – that’s why he or she is applying!
In recent years, some job seekers have abandoned the resume objective statement and opted instead for a brief summary of their job skills, intended, of course, to reflect the skills required for the position. This tactic has two distinct advantages:
- A summary of skills allows job seekers to demonstrate exactly how their particular skills and experience align with those the company is seeking.
- A summary of skills allows job seekers to highlight those elements of their resumes they feel are most relevant and/or most impressive.
In addition, a resume summary of skills can be more instructive for prospective employers. Whereas a resume objective statement will, at best, offer the applicant’s broad career goals, a summary of skills presents the applicant’s actual accomplishments. Certainly, given the choice, employers would rather hire a candidate with a proven track record than one with ambitious goals.
Drawbacks of the Resume Objective Statement
Perhaps the biggest drawback of the resume objective is that it is a self-centered statement – it tells prospective employers what the job seeker wants, not what he or she can do for the employer. As unfair as it may sound, employers are more interested in how job seekers can serve the company, not how the company can serve the employee.
Another drawback is that objective statements can limit how the candidate is perceived. This might keep prospective employers from considering the candidate for positions other than the exact one being applied for. And what if the employer had another position that turned out to be the candidate’s dream job?
Advantages of the Summary of Skills
Aside from the advantages mentioned above, perhaps the biggest advantage of the summary of skills is that it is employer-centered and results-oriented. In a few short sentences or bullet points, a job seeker can show a prospective employer exactly what he or she can do for the company, as well as demonstrate his or her successes to date.
Furthermore, a job skills summary allows job seekers to pack more information into the top of their resumes, thereby quickly communicating to employers how their experience best suits the company’s needs. Given that most employers dedicate only a matter of seconds to reading a resume, this ability to communicate so much so quickly can be the difference between getting an interview and not.
Although some resume experts still argue that a well-crafted resume objective is a beneficial, if not an essential, part of a resume, the job skills summary offers job seekers greater opportunity to quickly and effectively demonstrate their previous success and their fit with the company’s needs.
Emily Jones - Emily Jones began her writing career by practising the alphabet on her mother's newly papered kitchen walls. She was promptly given a ...
