The purpose of a resume - To use or not to use an objective...

To continue off of the last post, which objective should you use? If you don't remember, here is an excerpt from the last post. 

"Which one should you use?

Objective: To obtain a position where I can utilize my skills and experiences.

or

Objective: To obtain a position as a Personal Trainer with Pump Yourself Up Gym Corp."

If you are looking to get into the job market for the first time after college or graduate school, we recommend that you use an objective specific to the employer and the position in which you are applying to. An objective can't be as general as stating that you want to utilize your skills and experiences for growth in their field. When you send out your resume to the employer, it has to be personal to the employer. The objective is the first thing that the employer reads when they want to get to know a potential employee and find out what he or she truly seeking. If you haven't guessed yet,  Objective: To obtain a position as a Personal Trainer with Pump Yourself Up Gym Corp  is the correct answer. 

For those who already have some full time experience in the job market: Today, the objective is an optional and rarely used part of your resume. Why do we say that? Today's professional job market is looking for those employees that can do the job and then-some. As you continue to read, you will learn what to use in place of the objective.

The objective has been replaced by a Summary of Qualifications and Skills. What is a Summary of Qualifications and Skills? A Summary of Qualifications and Skills is a very short summary of your resume with a mix of your skills inserted. This eliminates the skills section of the resume because it's included in the summary. The summary is located at the top of you resume right under your name and contact information. 

What does a Summary of Qualifications and Skills look like on a resume?

It looks a little some like this:

Summary of Qualifications and Skills:

• 12 years of experience in banking. 
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint. 45 WPM
• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• Experience with diverse populations. 

Do you get the "jist" of what the Summary consists of? You are pretty much combining the most important parts of your resume and summarizing them into a quick view for the employer. This assists the employer in looking through 50 to 100 resumes at a time. 


Your resume should start looking something like this:

John Doe

123 Happy Street

New York, NY 12345

212-555-1234

john.doe@mymail.com

Summary of Qualifications and Skills:

• 12 years of experience in banking. 
• Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook and Powerpoint. 45 WPM
• Bilingual in English and Spanish
• Experience with diverse populations. 

Now, it shouldn't be exactly like what is portrayed because it is your resume and it is under your discretion what you put in you summary but it should look really similar to it. 

Remember if you have any questions about anything that is posted, please feel free to leave comments. 

Up next: Work Experience...