US News hates objectives on resumes for the following reason:
I've never seen an objective that made me more interested in hiring a candidate, and I've seen plenty that actually hurt a candidate's chances. At best they're neutral, so why risk it?
Isn't the objective for every resume to get you the job that you're currently applying for? If so, why list something (usually vague) that the interviewer may see as a match with the current job or may not see it as a match? I'm with US News -- I don't think it can help and it can hurt, so why put it on? Personally, I've never used one and I've never had an interviewer ask me why it was missing. (FYI, I have had them ask me what I wanted to be doing in 10 years, and I had a prepared response for that.)
In addition to the above advice, US News lists what most interviewers want from a resume:
A concise, easily scanned list of what you've accomplished, organized chronologically by position, plus any particularly notable skills. That's it. Don't use the resume to talk about what you're looking for, or for your own assessment of your strengths. Present factual information about what you've done.
I want to especially highlight the last sentence. Give them tons of accomplishments -- power-packed examples of how you've delivered results in a variety of ways. This is what will impress interviewers (along with great responses to their questions.) And if you don't have any major accomplishments, turn your minor ones into major ones. If you can't do this, then get some major accomplishments before you try to get a new job. And if you can't do this, maybe a career in the quick service restaurant business is for you...
I agree.
I used to work at an employment centre where we would screen applications for employers. The "objective" usually worked against the applicant because they would more often than not be some generic line (ie. seeking full-time employment withing your company). We would be looking for reasons to not pass someone through, and a lame objective would guarantee a toss into the recycling bin.
What was more effective was a 'highlight of qualifications' where the applicants listed, in bullet form, four or five skills that they had, which were tailored to the job they were applying for. This list would be placed just beneath their names, so it would be the first thing we'd look at, and make us want to look at their employment history... and if we'd get that far, they'd be more likely to be selected for an interview.
After all, it's the resume that gets you the interview; and it's you that gets you the job.
Posted by: Dotty dot dot | March 19, 2009 at 10:39 AM
I agree with the objective but I can't seem to take it off. My resume looks "wrong" without it on there. Maybe I will for my next job ;). However I would disagree with the statement from US News about the "list of what you've accomplished, organized chronologically by position". I've always listed my accomplishments by A) the importance of the project/accomplishment, and B) by relevance to the company I'm applying for.
Typically I work on relatively minor things when I start out at a new company and gradually work my way up to bigger and more important projects. I usually put the ones that saved the company money or generated money first, then the ones that might be appealing to the company I'm applying to and finally anything else that is noteworthy that I did.
Posted by: Ben C | March 19, 2009 at 10:49 AM
Ben --
I took the "organized chronologically by position" to mean that your positions were in chronological order, not your accomplishments. I agree that the accomplishments need to be ordered with the best at the top and lesser accomplishments following in order of importance.
Posted by: FMF | March 19, 2009 at 10:55 AM
I disagree. But the keys for an Objective Statement is to say specifically what you will do for your new company and to write it with active verbs.
For instance, the objective on my resume reads as follows:
To contribute a love for technology and excellent skills to design and build web, n-tiered, and distributed applications using Java tools on Windows and Unix/Linux operating systems.
The rest of your resume should be able to back up your objective statement.
Posted by: Servius | March 19, 2009 at 11:10 AM
I agree on the objective, and haven't had one on my resume for several years.
I do agree with the first commenter's "qualifications summary"... I used one for a while. My impression is that its more common overseas, or in certain niche industries.
Posted by: Colin | March 19, 2009 at 12:57 PM
It's a bit frustrating to hear all of these resume experts say things like no objective, no photo in your CV, etc. when at the end of the day it's all about relationships.
A really bad resume will not get you an interview, but having an objective or a photo in your CV will not make or break you getting hired.
Joe
Posted by: Joe | March 19, 2009 at 01:11 PM
While i am not a fan of the "Objective Statement," however, if it is an ultra-condensed cover letter (no two statements ever being the same), it could make a nice intro to the resto of the resume'.
Posted by: Greg | March 19, 2009 at 01:52 PM
I've been told the opposite, (when I was at a career fair) to include an objective. I think if the objective is about what you can bring as oppose to "I want a job in blah" it sounds fine?
But of course, my resume is somewhat different, littered with internships and class projects.
Another interesting is if relevant classes should be listed when you are in college... when I don't list them I get asked about them but whn I list them it feels like a waste of space lol.
Posted by: SJ@6bubbles | March 19, 2009 at 01:52 PM
Objectives on resumes are so 90s
Posted by: Moneymonk | March 19, 2009 at 04:54 PM
Long time reader, first time commenter.
I run a site aimed at helping new graduates find Entry Level Jobs. I've always found that objective statements do no more than state the obvious. Given that you have a fixed amount of space to work with, why waste it with information that won't help you stand out from the crowd?
Posted by: Trevor Wilson | March 19, 2009 at 11:26 PM
Check this info from an experienced IT recruiter. Half way down or so he gives a small bit of advice on objectives. In my opinion they can be useful but should only be 2-3 lines max and well thought out and worded. Remember the recruiter needs to see the meaty stuff and cannnot spend more than a few seconds reading the objective. The spate of crap cheesy generic objectives vhave probably put many recruiters off them but depending on the job sought they may be interesting enough for a quick read and overview.
http://www.trainsignaltraining.com/it-job-interview-tips-2/2008-04-22/
Posted by: JohnD | March 20, 2009 at 05:14 AM
Easily scanned are the key words in this article. Most recuiting companies, etc are currently scanning resumes into a computer. The computer then looks for key words and sorts them by that. And by key words I mean a specific computer program or years experience, not a objective statement. A human doesn't even look at your resume until the very end so you have to make it computer friendly. Unfortunately this means that someone who may be very capable of doing a job gets overlooked because they didn't have the word "Pro-E" on their resume (fill in a program that is used in your field here).
Posted by: Kristen | March 20, 2009 at 04:10 PM
The great thing about elements of resumes like objectives is that you'll get lots of opinions pro and con about them. Many times the person who's writing isn't telling you how ALL employers will respond, they're saying how they themselves exclusively as an employer would react.
Another personal favorite is the inclusion/exclusion of hobbies. People who say to put them on resumes proclaim that will make you look like an interesting well-rounded individual. People against them will say, "Are you here to goof off or are you here to work?"
Want to know what I do? I completely avoid resumes altogether. If I find a job I like, I find out who's in charge and present documents that demonstrate I can do what they need done. That way I don't have to worry if they're pro/con objectives, pro/con hobbies, or even pro/con resumes. What I want is an employer who's serious about doing the job that needs doing now, not the job I did for other companies years ago.
Debating about resumes is pointless. Showcasing how you'll do the job if hired, now that's worth discussing and even arguing about, professionally speaking!
Posted by: Robin | April 04, 2009 at 08:40 PM