Resume Objective Examples That Get You Hired
Communicating your professional history and career is the purpose of a resume. Usually, candidates will include a brief summary of their professional background alongside their contact information. It's a brief snapshot of their career goals.
The problem? The conventional resume summary is backward-facing, focused primarily on the candidate's past achievements. Resume objectives are all about your future goals – what you want to achieve in your next position.
Considering most companies dream of hiring proactive candidates with a can-do attitude, it's strange that summaries are the standard and not objectives. Why is this? When should you use one or the other? And how should you structure your objective statement? Find resume objective examples and writing tips below.
In this guide:
⟩ Resume Objective vs. Summary vs. Headline
⟩ When Should You Add a Resume Objective?
⟩ How to Write a Job-Securing Resume Objectives
What is a Resume Objective?
A resume objective is a short overview of your professional goals going into a particular position. It should cover why you're seeking the job in question. Like resume summaries and headlines, it's included just below your contact information in the standard resume format.
Remember: recruiters spend seven seconds or less, on average, reading your resume. Most of that time is spent scanning through the work experience and educational background. Your resume objective is the only chance you have to provide an insight into who you are and what you want in your own words.
Think of your resume objective as your advertisement. In just a few short words, you sell your personal brand. While it's usually somewhat future-facing, you can also highlight any quantifiable results or skills you've achieved.
Resume Objective vs. Summary vs. Headline
As you draft the initial section of your resume – objective, summary, or headline – think about how to make a compelling first impression. In most cases, the resume won't get you the job; it gets you the interview. You want to be interesting enough to meet in person.
We detailed what a resume objective is. Here's a quick overview of the other two options:
Resume Headline: This is a brief, bold statement at the top of your resume that encapsulates your professional identity. Think of it as the title of your professional story. A well-crafted headline is akin to a newspaper headline, designed to grab attention and entice the reader to learn more about you.
Resume Summary: This section offers a concise overview of your key accomplishments, skills, and experience. It is backward-looking, summarising your professional history in a few impactful sentences. Ideal for seasoned professionals, the summary showcases your track record of success to potential employers.
As a general rule, the summary format is the standard. But it doesn't have to be. Summaries are good because candidates with lots of experience want to showcase their skills. It's understandable. However, there's something to be said for a candidate who talks about what they want to achieve at a particular company.
Nevertheless, objectives tend to be used for entry-level candidates and career changers who lack the professional experience necessary for a summary.
When Should You Add a Resume Objective?
The big question is when to add a resume objective statement as the headline item. There are a few options (some of which we've mentioned briefly).
Entry-Level Candidate
The most obvious answer is candidates who are new to the job market. Graduates, in particular, face an uphill battle to secure their first position. With little experience to your name, you can talk about what you hope to achieve in your first position. Such objectives tend to be a little generic, so if you can talk in specifics, it helps massively.
Take a look at these two entry-level candidate resume objective examples:
Newly graduated with a Bachelor's in Marketing, eager to apply my internship experience and passion for social media strategy at Creative Solutions Inc. Aiming to develop skills in digital marketing and campaign management to effectively contribute to business growth and brand visibility.
Eager to begin my professional journey as a Digital Marketing Assistant at Creative Solutions Inc., leveraging a B.A. in Marketing from Cityville University. With hands-on experience from a six-month social media campaign internship at TechForward, I aim to enhance your team's digital presence and engagement metrics through innovative content strategies and robust data analysis.
The former is non-specific and, frankly, a little bland. However, the latter option is more punchy, passionate, and precise. It says exactly what the candidate wants to achieve at the new company.
Career Changer
Going for a career change is a giant leap. You've got to prove why someone should hire you over a more experienced candidate. It's not impossible! Companies (especially recruiters) often take a chance on career-change candidates because of their immense passion. After all, people usually jump careers to something they find more interesting. You can teach someone the basics of their job, but passion is priceless.
These resume objectives should explain why you're changing industry, what you hope to accomplish, and a little about how your past experience gives you a leg-up on the other candidates.
Here's a career changer resume objective example:
Seeking a Cybersecurity Analyst position at CyberSafe Innovations, transitioning from a successful 10-year career in financial auditing to pursue my passion for technology and security. Armed with certifications in Cybersecurity Fundamentals and Network Security from TechCert Academy, I am ready to apply my analytical acumen and exceptional attention to detail to strengthen your cybersecurity defences and manage digital risk effectively.
This objective statement gets right to the point. It establishes what the candidate wants, why they're swapping careers, what credentials they have, and what they can do at the new company. It even highlights a couple of the translatable skills from their financial auditing background.
Moving City
An address in a different part of the country can confuse recruiters. If you're moving to a new region, add a line to your objective explaining why you currently live out of town. It doesn't have to be long. However, if you fail to mention this fact, you could be automatically disqualified.
How to Write a Job-Securing Resume Objectives
Your resume objective shouldn’t beat around the bush – get to the point. It's the first thing your prospective employer is going to read about you. What do you want them to know? Why are you after this position? What makes you worth taking a chance on?
The objective statement should include the following details:
Your background (either educational or previous career)
Your reason for applying or career change
Your career goal
Your skills, qualifications, or professional experience (as relevant)
Let's take a look at how these details come together to form an objective statement:
Environmental scientist with a Master’s in Environmental Science and five years of experience in urban sustainability, seeking to transition into renewable energy management at SolarTech. My goal is to apply my expertise in project management and regulatory compliance to drive sustainable energy solutions. Skilled in data analysis and team leadership, I am eager to contribute to impactful energy projects in a new, dynamic environment.
As you can see in this resume objective example, these four details form a brilliant structure for writing your objective statement. Use this as a guideline when drafting your own statement.
Alongside this structure, you should follow this advice:
1. Keep It Simple. Recruiters are pushed for time. They don't have hours (or even minutes) to spend casually perusing your life story. (Remember the seven-second rule.) Ensure your objective is short and strong, leaving no room for useless details or so-called weasel words. That being said, you shouldn't write your objective this way. Start with a rough draft of everything you want to include, gradually whittling down into a purpose-built statement. Remove filler words, such as "a," "the," and "like," to focus on the key statements and reduce the word count.
2. Write It For a Role. At just a handful of sentences long, there's no reason why you can't write a personalized objective for each role you apply to. You'll notice I mentioned the company in each of the resume objective examples above. Doing so ensures your statement aligns with the company's culture and criteria. The more personalized you make it, the better your chances of securing a job. Alter the skills or experience you mention, your overall career goals, and even your reason for applying, depending on the position.
1. Play to Your Strengths. Pack your objective with your most impressive achievement or attributes. Here is the chance to talk about your certificates and awards. But your strengths aren't just hard skills (aka quantifiable achievements). You can also add soft skills in just a couple of words. For instance, in the example above, maybe you're not just an "environmental scientist" but a "Dedicated and experienced environmental scientist." It sounds small. However, these little additions add a flourish to your resume and expand upon your character.
2. Always Add Value. Companies don't hire employees out of the goodness of their hearts, unfortunately. Even when they take a chance on a person, it isn't charity. Securing a position means the company thinks you can add value. It's about what you can do for them. With this in mind, talk proactively about how your skills, experience, and education will help your prospective employer. What will you do that other candidates can't? What aspect of the company will you "build," "strengthen," "contribute to," or "enhance."
3. Communicate with Clarity. Every word of your resume objective should serve a purpose. Use action verbs and precise language to convey your intentions and capabilities. For example, instead of saying "responsible for managing," use "managing." Also, avoid jargon and generalities. Cite specific examples that directly relate to the responsibilities and goals of the position. If you "boosted staff retention rates by 25%", say so. Don't write "helped in long-term staff retention." Quantifying achievements provides greater clarity and helps you stand out.
4. Sprinkle in Keywords. Resume keywords are terms and phrases companies search for using an Applicant Tracking System (ATS). It might sound unnecessary; however, applicants who don't mention these terms may struggle to get an interview. Usually, the terms are pretty generic or industry-specific. Spend some time researching resume keywords for your industry and add two to three to your resume objective statement.
Resume Objective Examples
Okay. We've gone over some helpful tips, cleared up the confusion between objectives and summaries, and even provided a couple of resume objective examples. But how do we bring all this advice together for your specific industry?
Use the following resume objective examples as inspiration when you sit down to write your resume. Keywords are written in bold lettering for emphasis.
High School Student Resume Objective
Motivated high school student with proven leadership skills and a strong academic track record. Seeking a part-time position to leverage my communication and time management skills while contributing positively to the team. Eager to apply my enthusiasm and learning agility in a real-world setting to gain practical experience.
Internship Resume Objective
Current college student majoring in Information Technology seeking an internship to apply my knowledge in software development. Committed to learning and excelling in fast-paced environments. Aiming to utilize my strong problem-solving skills and technical acumen to contribute effectively to your team's projects.
Academic Resume Objective
Aspiring academic professional with a Master's in English Literature seeking a position at a forward-thinking university. Aiming to use my background in research and critical thinking skills to enrich students' learning experiences. Dedicated to fostering an environment of intellectual growth and contributing to curriculum development.
Banking and Finance Resume Objective
Finance graduate with internship experience in investment banking seeking a full-time position at XYZ Bank. Skilled in financial analysis, risk assessment, and utilizing cutting-edge financial software. Committed to supporting your team in achieving financial strategies and client satisfaction.
Customer Service Resume Objective
Customer service professional with over three years of experience in a high-volume call center. Skilled in conflict resolution and relationship-building. Seeking to leverage my customer relationship management (CRM) and problem-solving skills to enhance customer satisfaction and loyalty at ABC Company.
Healthcare Resume Objective
Compassionate nursing professional with a Bachelor's in Nursing and hands-on experience in pediatric and emergency care. Seeking a position in a healthcare facility where I can bring my patient care skills and clinical knowledge to improve patient outcomes and support a team of healthcare professionals.
Information and Marketing Resume Objective
Detail-oriented Digital Marketing Specialist with a strong background in content creation and SEO optimization. Eager to join Marketing Inc. to drive brand awareness and digital engagement using innovative marketing strategies and data-driven insights. Committed to enhancing online presence and customer interaction.
Sales and Marketing Resume Objective
Dynamic sales associate with a proven track record in lead generation and market expansion seeking a role at Creative Marketing Solutions. Ready to apply my persuasive communication skills and strategic planning abilities to increase your company's market share and customer base. Passionate about delivering exceptional sales results and client relations.