Objective or No Objective?

There are varying arguments both for and against the inclusion of an objective, which is a brief statement about the type of job you are looking for, on the top of your resume. Both arguments have their valid points. Check out these pros and cons below to see if using an objective makes sense for you:

No Objective

If you include an objective statement on your resume, then you’re limiting yourself to being considered for that type of position only. Perhaps a recruiter sees your resume on a job board, thinks that you’d be a great candidate for the position, but then doesn’t contact you because of your objective. By not including an objective, then, you can keep yourself more available to consideration for all types of positions.

Critics of this is also point out that what type of career path you are pursuing should be obvious based on the professional experience you include in your resume.

Objective

If you have little to no experience in the field you’d like to pursue, however, an objective can be a great option for you to consider. Perhaps you’d like to have a position in sales after you graduate, but you don’t have a resume chalk-full of sales experience. Then it may be best to tell employers specifically that you are planning to pursue a sales position by including an objective.

Also, including an objective lets employers know that you are confident in what you are looking for in a position and passionate about finding it. This helps prevent you from looking like a job seeker that randomly responds to job postings in bulk without even reading them.

Simply stating your objective and short-time career goals can also be a great way to start your video resume. In doing so, you are able to set the tone for understanding your previous experience and provide context about what types of positions you feel you would be a best fit for. If you haven’t yet, signup for a free Jobma job seeker account and start creating your video resume today!