Catch an Employer’s Eye Immediately
Posted by ayeshawrites4u on May 27, 2009
When you send out your resume, you have less than 30 seconds to catch the eye of your potential employer. There is one sure fire way to do this – have an objective!
When most people hear the word objective, they think back to the old two column style resumes where the objective would be a simple one-liner such as “Seeking system operators position in a fast-paced company to utilize programming and communication skills.”
This objective has one mistake – it’s all about you, you, you! The position you want. The type of activities you would like to partake. The kind of company you’d like to associate with. And as the employer is reading this and about to toss it into the garbage pile, he’s thinking, “Who cares?”
We will not make that mistake!
An objective is simply an employer’s way of knowing that when you sent out your resume it was meant for the position being advertised. It lets the employer know you are focused, professional and not just arbitrarily sending out your resume to every opening posted on Careerbuilder.com.
So how do you create an objective?
It’s quite simple. In this case, your objective has nothing to do with what you are seeking and more to do with what qualifications the employer needs. Your objective will be transformed into what is sometimes called your headline.
Example headlines:
Ten year elementary educator experienced in collaborative planning and cooperative groupings.
Five year award winning human resource professional proficient at research, recruiting, and analysis.
These headlines are eye-catching because they immediately let an employer know:
- The employee’s experience in terms of years and position
- The employee’s top selling credentials
- The employee is not self-centered and is not focused on his needs, but on the needs of the employer
So who do you think will get the job?
Obviously, those of you who create employer based headlines over employee based headlines.
As always, good luck with your job search.
Sincerely,
Ayesha Long
Step Up to a Better Career with Professional Resume Services
Jill Higgins said
What kind of objective would you recommend for a first-year teacher? I am a mid-career changer, just finished my teaching cert and I am looking for a job in elementary ed. I am trying to emphasize my “real world”/life experience as setting me apart from younger educators. Any suggestions?
ayeshawrites4u said
Hi Jill,
Thanks for the question. I’m not sure what industry you are transitioning from but you can address your career changing status directly in your objective.
For example:
20 year nursing veteran transitioning into elementary education utilizing skills in communication, teamwork, and management.
Or you can simply highlight your graduating credentials and leave your current occupation as a separate section on your resume.
For example:
Graduating elementary education major with strong background in classroom management, differentiation, and utilizing the highest levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Then have two sections on your career history – one highlighting your teaching experience and the other highlighting your non-academic work experience.
Five Tips to Creating a Job-Winning Resume « Stepping Up To A Better Career said
[...] there. However, an objective is also not a list of things you are looking for as an employee (See Catch an Employers Eye Immediately [...]
Follow Up Your Interview « Stepping Up To A Better Career said
[...] http://www.AyeshaWrites4u.com [...]
Michael Hearne said
Hooray! Finally someone else who understands what an objective statement (and the whole resume really) is for. It is NOT a document about you. It is a document meant to answer the employer’s big question, which is “What’s in it for me?”
When was the last time anyone saw an infomercial that said things like “WE really want you to buy this because WE….” or “WE think this is a great product because…” The reason is that it doesn’t work. It doesn’t sell, and that’s what the resume needs to do – sell you.
The objective especially is your opportunity to let the employer know how you are going to meet THEIR need, fill THEIR gap, scratch THEIR itch. But how do you know what itches? Simple: Read the job posting!