“Death to Resume Objectives … Really?”

Adrienne Becker brought up an interesting point within her post, How to Write a Career Objective for Your Resume, which was “others believe it [an objective] may limit you when applying for jobs.” Her comment reminded me of a Twitter post I saw some time back where a “career professional” was appalled because others were advising the elimination of an objective statement from resumes.

Certainly there seems to be a huge disconnect between the messenger and those receiving the message.

An objective statement *should not* be avoided, or purposely deleted, but rather an outdated, oftentimes bland objective statement should be morphed into another form that is much more eye-catching, keyword heavy, and focused. The use of headlines, taglines, and what some might call, commercial (selling) statements are ideal.

Messengers of the “avoid using an objective” could do a better job of explaining themselves, no doubt, and those on the opposing side should avoid building up drama, leading with criticism, and offering split-second “fact” interpretation.Let’s not forget:

“Quick-draw comments can unnecessarily frighten jobseekers and plant more uncertainty at a time when uncertainty is unproductive, and some might consider, damaging.”

Should you avoid using an objective statement within your resume?

Yes, I feel jobseekers should avoid old-style objective statements. These statements were once common elements of those in entry roles, oftentimes new graduates, while summary statements and what some called qualification statements were typically seen with those having established careers.

The use of objective statements have bled into the resumes of those with no work experience, up to those with decades of it. I suppose this is where the lines of use have blurred, so just using the words “objective statement” draw individuals’ minds to only one area of the resume.

Back in the day [yes, I'm using this term even though I'm a youthful 40], objective statements were one- or two-liners much like Adrienne mentioned. They oftentimes started out “I am seeking a position as a …”

Maybe it’s because of their simplicity, continuous use of first-person wordage, or maybe basic objective statements have been used and abused over the years so they have grown mundane, an increasing number of resume writers are putting them to rest whenever possible.

Regardless of whether you say objective, summary, or whatever, the resume still needs a “lead in.”

What are you doing to shift away from a boring, basic objective statement?

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