How To Write The Best Career Objective Statement for a Resume

Your resume is all ready to be shot out to various recruiters. Isn’t it an understood thing that your motive for writing the resume is to get a job?

Of course, it has more layers to it but the underlying goal is to get that job. This is known to the recruiter as well, else why would you be applying to the job in the first place? In this case, why are the resume objectives necessary?

Let’s try to understand whether we need a career objective statement in our resume or not and some killer ways to write it!

The career objective statement sums up your motive as to what you want next and where are you currently in your career journey. It’s more like your elevator pitch where you’re pitching yourself in less than 3-4 lines about what you are and what you want. This has the power to really make a mark if you are able to write this well.

Your objective could be one of the things you can work on, to make it stand out from the zillion other resumes. This was the case, previously. Nowadays it’s become obsolete and people now prefer adding a summary statement instead.

How’s it different?

The summary statement is a summary of your qualifications and aptitude. It’s for branding yourself and ideally written for candidates having a few years of experience.

A lot of experts argue that writing this objective is just a waste of space and not a good use of it at all. They say the risk of writing a bad objective outweighs all the benefits of writing a good one--which is true. You can’t risk your impression with a badly written objective. It’s a decision for you to take.

Although opinions are mixed about the inclusion of a career objective statement, it’s up to you to figure what’s best for your resume. You can consider including an objective if you're a fresher just out of college, if you’re switching career paths, or if you’re focusing on a particular job and really hope to get it. In these cases, the objective might help you set your tone and introduce you to the recruiter. It will tell the reader what you’re seeking and outline your current status.

How to write an impressive objective?

1. Customize it

It needs to be tailored according to what you want and the job you’re applying for. A common, powerful statement found from samples on the internet will not do the trick for you.

• Keep it clear, brief and direct
• You may include some of your strengths
• Use specific objectives for targeted positions
• Use general objectives for a wide variety of positions matching your skills
• When applying for a targeted position, refer to the keywords mentioned in the job advertisement to optimally align your objective with the profile
• Do not use personal pronouns.

2. Support it

You can’t possibly mention you’re an achiever or that you’re performance-oriented without backing them up later in the resume. Be careful of writing such terms in your objective unless you’ve enough proof to show.

3. Don’t Brag

Be grounded in your writing and speaking. Don’t use too many boasting adjectives that portray you as someone you’re not. Choose the right action words that will enhance your skillset.

4. Don’t Write a Story

This is not an essay and you don’t have to put your career story out here. You just need to be very brief and to the point while writing the objective.

5. Be Honest

Just for the sake of writing a brilliant pitch, don’t outdo yourself or lie. It will not help you in the later stages. Honesty is the best policy!

Some Sample Career Objective Statements

1. To obtain the position of HR manager in an organization of repute where skills of people management, payroll administration, and recruitment activities may be utilized.
2. Highly motivated marketing students seeking opportunities in the marketing domain. Interest in leveraging social media experience to positively contribute to an organization’s objectives through my knowledge and ability.

Do not write: “I want to get a product manager position in the retail sector with Fortune 500 company”

Instead write: "To obtain a product manager position in the retail sector with a Fortune 500 company”

Do not write: “To work in a managerial position for mutual success”

Instead write: “To work as a human resource manager in the domain of training and development. OR “To work as marketing manager in an FMCG company. (General suitable for unsolicited resume)

Resume writing is something many jobseekers find nerve-racking as it can be a very overwhelming job. But, it is one of the most important things that we write about ourselves as it can change our lives in a day. So, it is very important to know about its dos and don’ts.  Check out our Free Resume Builder Course for freshers, students, and everyone. Learn about how to write a resume - its formats, action words, skills, and the best sample templates used for resume writing. Take this course and create a perfect resume for the job of your dreams.