Drop That Objective Statement From Your Resume Right Now

On any regular resumes, you will likely be able to find an "Objective" statement at the top few lines of the first paragraph. The purpose of this objective statement is to provide the employer information regarding your career goals and professional interests. Interestingly, easy as it seems, this is one of the most difficult statements to compose in any resumes.

The reason for this is that many fail to bring across clearly their purpose for writing the resume in their objective. Below are a few mistakes that job seekers make when writing the objective statement:

1. The objective is not clear enough to bring across the job seeker's purpose.

2. The objective is too weak and general. Simply stating that you are looking for a "challenging and purposeful role that will make full use of your knowledge and skills" will do nothing to improve your credentials.

3. Job seekers often use the objective as a way to put across what they want from the company, BUT sad to say, most employers are not as interested in what you want from them.

For the above reasons, an objective statement is not a sure-fire way of getting your messages across in the resume. What I suggest is that you replace this objective statement with a benefits statement, i.e. what you can do for them; definitely more appealing and powerful. I call this the "Showcase" statement. It's a much better way to promote your value to prospective employers. An example of a good showcase statement is as follows:

FINANCIAL ANALYST

Utilizing Outstanding Analytical, Accounting, and Financial Skills

A highly astute and team-spirited financial analyst seeking entry-level opportunity. Accurate, precise, and highly ethical in all work-related assignments.

Notice how the above showcase statement answers the all-important question right in the bull's-eye, "why should you hire me?" Rather than spending your time identifying your skills, abilities, keywords, qualifications and listing all of them on your resume, the showcase format creates a focused way of presenting your abilities in a short and precise summary. If used correctly, it can make the hirer want to continue to read your resume, and this will definitely increase the chances of you being called up for a job interview. Below are 5 criteria for creating an effective showcase resume:

1. The showcase must clearly, quickly, and concisely communicate a candidate's core value.

2. The showcase must be reader friendly - easy and pleasant to read.

3. The showcase must address the needs of the prospective employers rather than the desires of the candidate.

4. The showcase must incorporate emotionally charged words to initiate action - a call for an interview.

5. The showcase must be supportable and defendable in all other sections of the resume.

If you need clear examples of how a showcase statement should be written, you can go to the website Benricksoh.com to download a few resume samples for reference. Learn to use the showcase statement in your own resume and you might well be receiving a call from the hiring manager soon!

Career Change - Resume Problems

What can I do about gaps in employment?

There isn't much you can do about your work chronology—what's done is done. However, there are a few ways to present your work history so that the gaps are less apparent:

- Consider including only years worked (rather than months and years).


- Place employment dates next to job titles in parentheses.


- Never showcase employment dates around large areas of white space—this draws attention to your chronology.


-Think about other activities that you pursued during your employment gaps. You might be able to "fill in" your gaps with volunteer activities, training, travel, or development of a new skill.

My recent work history makes me look like a job-hopper. What can I do?

Try to take a positive spin on your work history. If you've moved around a lot, you demonstrate an ability to work in diverse industries or environments and to step into a role and immediately make a positive impact on the organization. Also, in some industries (such as technology and construction), it's common for employees to move from position to position to take on new projects. Sometimes, not moving around is a sign of stagnation. However, if you would like to minimize the appearance of job-hopping, you might be able to group similar positions under one employment heading.

How should I approach my resume if I'm transitioning from a military to civilian position?

Many civilian employers are unfamiliar with military terminology, so try to minimize military jargon, and replace it with terms used in the corporate world. If you achieved a long military career, some of these terms might be so ingrained that you don't even realize that you're using them. If that's the case, show your resume to colleagues and friends with no military background and see if they understand your document.

Military experience offers great opportunities for training, advancement, and performance awards, and you should certainly highlight these on your resume.

How do I transition from a corporate position to the nonprofit sector?

Your passion for the nonprofit sector of your choice should shine through on your resume and cover letter. Be clear on why you are making this transition and show how your skills developed in the corporate world would be valuable to a nonprofit organization. Nonprofits are organizational structures that need dedicated workers just like corporate structures, so demonstrate that you have what it takes to make an immediate and enduring contribution to a nonprofit organization.