How To Write A Resume Objective Statement With Examples

Parts Of A Resume

Resume (or career) objective statements are one of the most overlooked pieces of otherwise stellar resumes.

It’s not that every resume out there needs one — it’s just that the ones that really do need them typically never think to include them.

That can be a real issue when someone goes to read your resume, gets distracted, and moves onto the next person halfway through.

You want your resume to stand out and be as clear as possible — so if that’s something you struggle with, you’re going to want to add a resume statement.

But just how do you go about doing so?

Fortunately, your friends here at Zippia have put together a guide to help you figure out just that.

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In This Article

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What Is a Resume Objective Anyway?
How to Write a Resume Objective Statement
Update Your Resume Now To Get Your Next Job Faster
Career Objective Examples
What To Keep In Mind For A Resume Objective Statement
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What Is a Resume Objective Anyway?

Simply put, it’s a statement of the outcome you’d like to occur as a result of your turning in your application. Career objectives, traditionally, were just you telling a hiring manager of your long-term goals and what you hoped to get out of applying for the job, but doing so in a manner that was easy to read and remember. They want to be able to tell who you are at a glance, and to be able to recall most of the important things about you at a moment’s notice should they need to remember why they’re reading your resume, or even talking to you in person.

You might be thinking, “But all I want is to get the job.”

Well, yeah. Resume objective statements are pretty much that simple.

Of course, even knowing all of this, the process of writing a career objective yourself can be a little more involved.

How to Write a Resume Objective Statement

You see, employers these days don’t necessarily just want to know what YOU want anymore.

They’re a bit more interested in getting whatever it is that THEY want.

Think about it — they’re going to be looking through dozens, possibly hundreds, of resumes, and the first thing they’re going to see on each one of them is the career objective. Assuming that it’s actually, you know, there, this is the main area that a recruiter is going to be scanning in order to figure out if they want to hire you.

Here are some things to keep in mind while writing your resume objective statement:

The recruiter wants to know what’s in it for them — that means that, while it’s important to mention what you hope to get out of the deal, you should frame your objective in such a way that it makes the most important thing the stuff that you are able to offer a new employer.
Keep your objective statement as specific as possible — otherwise, what’s the point? — but don’t go too far off the rails. Keep it short.
Make sure you change up the objective statement for different job listings. It’s a big mistake to keep things the same every time, as you’re missing an opportunity to better tailor your experiences to the needs of a new position.

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Career Objective Examples

You want to make sure that more than anything, your objective statement filters your real goals through the worldview you believe that the company you’re applying to is going to be looking at your resume through.

To that end, we have a few ideas of what career objective statements for the same position could look like depending on the sort of workplace that you’re applying to:

Green Company

seeking a position with a ecologically-conscious company in order to enhance my knowledge of how my job can be applied to fields related to environmental awareness.

Problem solving position

To better learn how my problem-solving skills can be applied more specifically within my field.

Team Focused Position

To enhance my occupational skills within the context of a larger, dynamic team structure.

What To Keep In Mind For A Resume Objective Statement

That’s all for this one! Just keep in mind:

When deciding whether or not you should include a resume objective in the first place, don’t forget about your third option — the resume summary statement.

Rather than talk about what you hope to accomplish with your resume, it can often be more helpful to simply summarize the resume itself in a few short sentences.

It’s important to note that these options aren’t interchangeable and serve different purposes, but you’ll find that by going through resumes related to your industry, you should be able to see what the expectation is for your job in particular.

Best of luck!

Parts Of A Resume

Author

Ryan Morris

Ryan Morris was a writer for the Zippia Advice blog who tried to make the job process a little more entertaining for all those involved. He obtained his BA and Masters from Appalachian State University.

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