With only six seconds to grab a recruiter’s attention, conventional wisdom might tell you to cut right to the chase when you write your resume, but that's not always the best way to go.
A lot of people say a resume objective wastes precious space. But if you craft it in a way that highlights your qualifications, skills, and fit for a role, an objective can actually enhance your resume by giving recruiters a sneak peek of your background which prompts them to keep reading.
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In this post, we'll teach you how to leverage a resume objective and show you some examples to inspire your own.
Skip to:
- What's a resume objective?
- When to use a resume objective
- Writing a resume objective
- Good resume objective examples
What is a resume objective?
A resume objective is a brief synopsis of your professional journey. It’s placed at the top of your resume and sets the stage for what recruiters will read later on in the document. The goal of the objective is to introduce your qualifications, establish yourself as a fit for the role you’re applying to, and encourage recruiters to read the rest of your resume.
When to Use a Resume Objective
As a general rule, you should use a resume objective when you are early in your career, have little work experience, or you're making a career change.
Including a resume objective (sometimes called a professional summary) in your resume gives the prospective employer a snapshot of your qualifications and background, especially if you have more transferable skills than directly related ones. The resume objective is the perfect place to share how you'll be a great fit for the role you're applying for.
How to Write a Resume Objective
When recruiters read your resume, they want to know three things about you:
- Whether you're qualified for the job
- Whether you've made an impact at your company in your current or previous roles
- Whether you'll make an impact on their company in the role you're applying for
If you can give them a clear answer for these questions within your resume objective, you're likely to leave a positive first impression and encourage them to read the rest of your resume.
Follow these steps to craft the perfect resume objective.
1. Use a resume objective template.
A resume objective template takes the guesswork out of customizing this section of your CV. Start with the basic one we have here and tailor it to your experience.
I am a [Descriptive Adjective] [Position Title] with [Number] years of experience seeking a challenging and fulfilling role at [Company Name]. Here, I can [contribute/do/apply] my [skills/knowledge/abilities] to [accomplish/achieve/improve] [specific goal/project/initiative]. I am a [character trait] team player with a passion for [specific interest], eager to [learn/develop/grow] within a [dynamic/collaborative/innovative] environment.
When it's filled in, it'll read something like this:
"I am an accomplished data analyst with five years of experience seeking a challenging and fulfilling role at Big Data Agency. Here, I can contribute my technical data analysis skills to improve data quality and insights. I am a trustworthy team player with a passion for research, eager to lead and learn within a collaborative environment."
2. Read the job description.
Now that you have a foundation for your resume objective, we can tweak it to match the job description.
You've likely heard that it's imperative to customize your resume to the role description for the job you're applying for. That means your resume objective statement should also be customized.
Let's look at this sample job description and isolate some of the key points we'll want to highlight in the objective statement.
Job Title: Senior Data Analyst
Job Summary:
We are seeking a skilled Senior Data Analyst to join our team. The ideal candidate will have experience analyzing complex data sets, developing reports, and communicating insights to stakeholders. In this role, you will work collaboratively with our team to analyze data, identify trends, and provide insights to help drive business decisions.
Responsibilities:
- Analyze complex data sets to identify trends and insights
- Develop reports and data visualizations to effectively communicate findings to stakeholders
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to inform business decisions
- Use statistical methods to analyze data and make recommendations for process improvements
- Identify opportunities to automate and streamline data collection and analysis processes
- Stay up-to-date with industry trends and best practices related to data analysis
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field such as mathematics, statistics, or computer science
- Five years of experience in data analysis
- Proficiency with SQL and data analysis tools
- Experience with data visualization tools
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Ability to work independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
The job summary section of this role description describes a data analyst that can not only analyze complex data sets but communicate those insights to stakeholders who can make business decisions as a result of the analyst's findings. From start to finish, this role requires ownership of the data and results, so we'll want to highlight this in the resume objective.
3. Map your skills to the job requirements.
Keep in mind that we don't have to address every bullet of the job description in the resume objective, we should lean into overarching themes. That means, if you use communication and teamwork often in your day-to-day work, and your work regularly requires analysis of complex data sets that are used to make business decisions, it's a great idea to lead with these in your resume objective.
Soft skills like teamwork and communication are good to highlight along with the number of years experience you have practicing these skills.
With these key points in mind, the resume objective we started with might look like this now:
"I am a skilled data analyst with five years of experience seeking a Senior Data Analyst role at Big Data Agency. I have experience analyzing complex data sets, reporting my findings to stakeholders, and informing key business decisions. I am a team player who is comfortable working cross-collaboratively to uncover data insights that matter to the business's bottom line."
Tips for Writing a Resume Objective
- Keep it short: Objectives should be 1-3 sentences max.
- Be specific: Get specific about the role you are applying for, your skills, and how those skills and what impact those skills will have on the organization.
- Tailor it: Your resume objective should be tailored to fit the role or company you are applying to.
To show you how to craft a compelling resume objective at any stage of your career, we’ve provided some resume objective examples that anyone from recent graduate to seasoned professional can use. We’ll also break down the structure of each resume objective so you can replicate the process of writing a resume objective.
Good Resume Objective Examples
1. The Recent Graduate
Recent double major in English and Economics from Pomona College who has completed four content marketing internships in the MarTech space. Used creative and analytical skills to craft compelling content and refine content marketing strategies. Seeking a position as a Junior Growth Marketer to help HubSpot scale freemium marketing efforts and boost free product signups.
Structure:
Are you qualified for this job?
“Recent double major in English and Economics from Pomona College who has completed four content marketing internships in the MarTech space.”
How have you made an impact during your current or previous roles?
“Used creative and analytical skills to craft compelling content and refine content marketing strategies.”
How will you make an impact on our company in this specific role?
“Seeking a position as a Junior Growth Marketer to help HubSpot scale freemium marketing efforts and boost free product signups.”
2. The Ambitious Entry-Level Worker
Ambitious associate marketing manager with two years of experience strategizing and executing lead generation campaigns. Spearhead Sigstr’s co-marketing program and drove a 25% increase in program leads last year. Seeking a position as Marketing Manager of the Lead Optimization team at HubSpot to optimize blog lead generation strategy.
Structure:
Are you qualified for this job?
“Ambitious associate marketing manager with two years of experience strategizing and executing lead generation campaigns.”
How have you made an impact during your current or previous roles?
“Spearhead Sigstr’s co-marketing program and drove a 25% increase in program leads last year.”
How will you make an impact on our company in this specific role?
“Seeking a position as Marketing Manager of the Lead Optimization team at HubSpot to optimize blog lead generation strategy.”
3. The Career Switcher
Experienced journalist considering a career switch to content marketing. Spent five years digging up and breaking stories about business and technology for The Boston Globe. Hoping to apply my grasp of journalism and storytelling as a Staff Writer to strengthen HubSpot’s thought leadership in the MarTech space.
Structure:
Are you qualified for this job?
“Experienced journalist set on making a career switch to content marketing.”
How have you made an impact during your current or previous roles?
“Spent five years digging up and breaking stories about business and technology for The Boston Globe.”
How will you make an impact on our company in this specific role?
“Hoping to apply my grasp of journalism and storytelling as a Staff Writer to strengthen HubSpot’s thought leadership in the MarTech space.”
4. The Middle Manager Who Wants to Make it to the Top
Savvy marketing manager with five years of experience crafting social media videos, developing social video strategy, and optimizing social media advertising strategy. Lead Sprout Social’s social analytics team and doubled video views and cut CPM costs by 40% this year. Looking to join HubSpot as Director of Buzz to develop an overarching social media strategy that boosts views, engagement, and cuts costs.
Structure:
Are you qualified for this job?
“Savvy marketing manager with seven years of experience crafting social media videos, developing social video strategy, and optimizing social media advertising strategy.”
How have you made an impact during your current or previous roles?
“Lead Sprout Social’s social analytics team and doubled video views and cut CPM costs by 40% this year.
How will you make an impact on our company in this specific role?
“Looking to join HubSpot as Director of Buzz to develop an overarching social media strategy that boosts views, engagement, and cuts costs.”
5. The Proven Professional
Seasoned business operations and analytics veteran with an MBA and ten years of experience leading high-performing sales operations, marketing analytics, and business intelligence teams at Salesforce, Adobe, and Domo. Seeking to utilize my proven analytical, technical, and professional expertise to leverage data and drive crucial business decisions at HubSpot as Vice President of Business Intelligence.
Structure:
Are you qualified for this job?/How have you made an impact during your current or previous roles?
“Seasoned business operations and analytics veteran with an MBA and ten years of experience leading high-performing sales operations, marketing analytics, and business intelligence teams at Salesforce, Adobe, and Domo.”
How will you make an impact on our company in this specific role?
“Seeking to utilize my proven analytical, technical, and professional expertise to leverage data and drive crucial business decisions at HubSpot as Vice President of Business Intelligence.
General Resume Objective Examples
We’ve rounded up some of the best resume objectives available to give you a bit of inspiration to get started writing your own. If you like more resume help, check out the best resume templates and grab the attention of recruiters.
Beginner Resume Objectives
1. Resume Lab
In this sample objective from Resume Lab, the writer chooses to play up her academic achievements to account for a lack in work experience.
Why it works:
The writer makes specific reference to awards she's won and skills related to the role she is seeking. She then makes the connection to how those skills will transfer to the new role.
2. Live Career
This mechanic objective is short and to the point, while still giving recruiters a bit of insight to their personality and skills ("Quick learner who thrives on challenges").
Why it works:
Since the author is relatively new to the field, they opted to shoot for an entry-level position, setting clear expectations for the recruiter.
3. Naukri
A certified Digital Marketer with a 6-month internship experience with XYZ agency. Excellent understanding of online marketing and an ability to help businesses boost their organic traffic as well as generate high quality leads through SEM Marketing. Looking for a relevant role.
This entry-level career objective from career advice blog Naukri uses past agency internship experience to demonstrate they can handle the new challenges of a full time role.
Why it works:
Despite having a short work history (internship experience only), this applicant emphasizes their transferrable digital marketing skills. They also play up the contributions she made to the agency while interning.
4. Resume Builder
While this is a profile and not a resume objective, it does a good job of highlighting this recent grad's skills. You can take this format and adjust it to create a persuasive resume objective.
Why it works:
While the applicant is new to the workforce, we like that the first sentence highlights that they already have some entry-level IT experience. The profile then goes on to list their transferable skills.
5. Resume Example
A 4.0 GPA digital marketing graduate looking for an entry-level marketing position at a top agency like Speedex Marketing. Hardworking and motivated to gain experience in social media and content marketing. Currently managing my personal Instagram with 10k+ followers and increased Terny Jewelry’s Facebook page followers by 20% after working with them for three months.
This objective taken from a Resume Example template shows how to showcase work you've done on personal projects to make the case for why you should be hired.
Why it works:
This recent grad does an excellent job of highlighting their marketing talents running their own brand, complete with data to back it up.
6. Hloom
While this entry-level professional summary from Hloom isn't an objective, it provides a good base to tailor it to the specific role you are applying for.
Why it works:
This summary is really good at showing how their skills and actions in previous roles impacted the company. You can adopt this technique when writing your objective, getting specific about the results you delivered in previous roles and how you plan to deliver in the next.
7. Live Career
Looking to secure an entry-level Web UI Developer position with (company name) that will allow for the use of excellent user experience, technical and communication skills.
This short and sweet template from Live Career can easily be modified to craft your own objective. Just get more specific about what you bring to the table for the company you are applying to.
Why it works:
A good resume objective doesn't have to be wordy. If you can communicate your talents and intentions in one to two sentences, do it.
8. Resume Genius
This objective from Resume Genius is a great template for those pursuing a marketing role. you'll just need to tailor it to your specific talents.
Why it works:
Like previous examples, this objective is specific about the applicant's experience and qualifications. It also focuses on outcomes, which is a great way to demonstrate your qualifications for a role.
9. Springboard
As the daughter of small business owners, I’m really excited about the prospect of using my full-stack Python experience to further the Stripe mission of making payments accessible for companies of all sizes across the globe. I’ve built several projects in Django to scratch my own itch and I’d love to use that skill-set to start my software engineering career at Stripe.
This entry-level objective from Springboard demonstrates the effectiveness of adding a personal touch when relevant to the company you are applying to.
Why it works:
This resume objective is so effective because it doesn't just show off the applicant's skills, but also her "why". She's passionate about helping small businesses succeed because her parents were small business owners — establishing a personal connection to Stripe's mission.
10. Career Cloud
While this objective from Career Cloud is only one sentence, it quickly sums up the applicant's background and the role they are applying for.
Why it works:
This is a good-one sentence template for how to format a brief resume objective for new grads. If possible, take it a step further and describe how your skills will benefit the company.
11. Resume.com
Recent major in Marketing and Advertising from Blue University where I completed two internships at Global United Agency. Able to use critical thinking and communication skills to attract customers and implement new strategies. Seeking employment as a marketing associate to help Aerial Agency’s overall marketing efforts.
This entry-level marketing resume objective from Resume.com provides a good foundation for those looking to play up their internship experience.
Why it works:
This objective is specific, showcasing not one, but two internships with relevant experience while also not making the whole paragraph about themselves. It brings everything back to the company with the last sentence "to help Aerial Agency's overall marketing efforts."
Professional Resume Objectives
12. Beam Jobs
This objective is clear and to the point, quickly outlining their experience and what skills they intend to apply to the new position.
Why it works:
This objective is succinct and shows that you can craft one that is both concise and effective.
13. Zippia
This objective manages to list the applicant's skills and how they'll be applied in just one sentence.
Why it works:
Like the brief resume objective example above, this one gets the job done in one sentence while stating specifically what they intend to accomplish in the role (increasing traffic and driving engagement).
14. Resume.io
Motivated human resources professional with a drive for serving as a dedicated support specialist and energetic team member. Adept in assisting with the recruitment of employees, as well as the management of existing employees. Experienced in managing employee and community outreach programs, and dedicated to working towards the mission of a company.
The customizable career objective above is written for a human resources professional, but can be adapted to suit your industry. Simply swap out the role and your skills to craft your own.
Why it works:
While this example clearly calls out the applicant's recruiting skills and experience creating programming, it also ties the focus back to the company mission. If using this as a template, you can easily replace the company's mission statement and tie it back to your own skills.
15. Resume Companion
This resume objective has a heavy focus on the applicant's professional experience and how their skills will apply to the new role they are applying for.
Why it works:
While we wouldn't normally suggest adding degree information in your objective unless you're a recent grad, in this case it works to emphasize the candidate is fluent in multiple languages.
16. Beam Jobs
This resume objective does a great job of highlighting specifically what the applicant brings to the role in a concise way.
Why it works:
While this is for a teaching role, you can apply the same level of specificity to your objective, emphasizing why you want the role and who benefits. In this case it's cultivating the student's passion for a particular subject, but it can be applied to any industry you're excited about making an impact in.
Sales Resume Objectives
17. Zety
While the wording of this resume objective is a bit clunky, it can still serve as a template for your own with a few adjustments to tailor it to your industry.
Why it works:
This resume objective places an emphasis on outcomes, which is great for any industry, but especially in sales. If you have a proven record of driving sales or similar impact, be sure to include it.
18. Resumeway
If you're stuck getting started, use this template from Resumeway to make writing an objective a little easier. Be sure to have the data points you'd like to include ready beforehand.
Why it works:
As we've mentioned previously, anytime you can provide data to back up your claims, do so.
19. Resume Genius
Why it works:
Coming in longer than most on this list, this objective is all about skills and the positive outcomes they spearheaded.
Management Resume Objectives
This objective focuses on what the candidate can do for the company, rather than just being a list of accomplishments.
20. The Ladders
Seeking a data analytics supervisor position where I can apply my 7+ years of data science and business analytics skills and experience. I’m eager to improve business intelligence for Company XYZ in a leadership role.
This objective from the Ladders demonstrates how you can leverage your individual contributor experience to make the case for a management position. The applicant isn't shy to display enthusiasm for the potential new role.
Why it works:
This objective is quick to point out years of relevant experience at the start to build the foundation for why they are the right fit for the role. Then they drive the point home by disclosing what they intend to do once hired.
21. Interview Kickstart
With years of proven excellence, I’m looking for the challenging position of a director to be an active initiator of organizational success at MNO Inc. Prolonged experience in full-cycle project management, 6 years of experience at multiple clients handling business operation management is ideal for the post in a mutually benefitting work culture to achieve company missions.
This is another quick-start template you can use to save time writing your objective. Simply swap out the default information for your own.
Why it works:
This template is easily customizable while providing a solid format to help you create a resume objective that clearly defines your potential impact if hired.
22. Top Resume
Editor with extensive writing and management experience looking to fill the position of Senior Editor with [company name], utilizing my time-management skills to ensure all projects meet deadlines and supervisory experience to effectively manage a team of writers and editors.
This template from Top Resume is perfect for editors or those applying for a similar role.
Why it works:
This objective plays to the applicant's strengths as well as honing in on qualities needed for the position (time management, meeting tight deadlines).
23. Resume Lab
As we've previously discussed, getting specific about what you've accomplished and how you intend to help the company achieve its goals is key, especially when applying for a management position. This example shows the effectiveness of providing data to back up your skills and accomplishments.
Why it works:
We love the focus on tangible data and stats in this resume objective example. Use them whenever possible to make your case.
24. Tough Nickel
A highly recognized hotel management professional offering over ten years of enhancing organizations' bottom lines through a customer-centric approach and excellent leadership and interpersonal skills. Seeking a challenging position as(specific role)in order to help grow(company)'s reputation as it continues to expand.
This template from Tough Nickel...will get your objective written in no time. It's adaptable to any industry.
Why it works:
This template emphasizes how you accomplished a particular goal, its impact, and how you intend to apply those skills in your next role.
Marketing Resume Objectives
25. Resume Companion
If you're early in your marketing career, with a few years of experience, you can use this resume objective for a bit of inspiration. If you have enough work experience to fill the page, you may want to omit the degree info in your draft.
Why it works:
We like how this objective highlights two different sectors within the marketing umbrella — event and digital marketing. If you have similar dual, but relevant talents that would be beneficial in your new role, highlight them.
26. Naukri
A resourceful individual with a proven track record in implementing successful marketing strategies, boosting organic traffic, and improving search rankings seeks a position of Marketing Associate at ABC company to maximize brand awareness and revenue through integrated marketing communications.
This objective from career advice blog Naukri provides a good starting point for those applying for marketing associate or assistant roles.
Why it works:
While this objective is vague enough to be tailored to your needs, the format with specifics about your skills and how you would apply them provide a good outline for how you should structure your own.
IT & Developer Resume Objectives
27. Interview Guys
This brief but effective objective quickly highlights the applicant's most relevant skills and the impact they could potentially have in their new role.
Why it works:
It's easy to make a resume objective one-sided and all about yourself, but this one demonstrates that you can demonstrate your value to potential employers in a clear and concise way.
28. Resume Companion
This is another resume objective example that demonstrates the power getting specific about your contributions and using numbers where appropriate to add context.
Why it works:
In just a few sentences, this objective clearly conveys that this IT candidate has ample experience working on projects with large budgets. A recruiter would see this as a plus, if they are hiring for a large account as this person has already shown they are capable.
29. Evolution Coaching
Energetic, technical-minded professional seeking a position as a (Software Engineer) at (Company Name) where knowledge of software development life cycles, a high technical aptitude, and unyielding commitment to work can effectively be utilized to contribute to the successful and profitable operation of the company.
This plug and play template from Evolution Coaching makes it easy for you to pop in your own accomplishments and contributions.
Why it works:
Like other templates on this list, this one highlights the importance of including how your skills and attributes will benefit the company you are applying to. Always align yourself with the company's goals.
30. Resume Giants
This objective quickly hones in on the software and skills needed for the role, making it easy for recruiters to skim and want to know more details about your experience.
Why it works:
This objective likely used keywords from the job description, a good strategy for signaling to recruiters that you have the skills they're looking for.
Career Change Resume Objectives
31. Resume.io
Leading Fintech marketing professional, seeking to make a move up to Marketing Director after eight years of award-winning campaigns. MBA-educated social marketeer, who will deliver triple-digit audience growth and double-digit sales increases.
This objective conveys confidence. While everyone may not be able to pull this one off, if you can back up your claims, go for it.
Why it works:
This objective is bold and gets very specific about the value the applicant can provide to the company. The employer can read it and know exactly the value you can provide once you're hired.
32. University of Pennsylvania
This objective makes the case for an industry change by playing up the applicant's transferable skills.
Why it works:
This objective is to the point and doesn't try to disguise the industry swap with vague jargon. Instead it clearly states what the writer's experience is and how they'll apply it to their new profession.
33. Career Contessa
Results-driven technology sales representative, seeking to use pipeline building and negotiation skills to increase revenue at XYZ healthcare company. Drove $2 million in sales revenue during FY20 and eager to increase the bottomline at XYZ company.
This career objective from Career Contessa is a great template to use if you're applying for a similar role, but in a completely different field. In this case, it's a sales position, but could be applied to any industry.
Why it works:
Since the roles are similar, the writer was keen to play up their relevant experience and data-backed accomplishments. From there she succinctly expressed how she intends to increase revenue for the new company.
34. Federal Resume Guide
Teachers have a bunch of transferable skills they may not even know they have. From time management and public speaking to dealing with the public, to conveying ideas and concepts clearly, they have so much to offer when those skills are applied to other industries.
Why it works:
This objective was able to connect the applicant's 15-year experience teaching history to why they're a great candidate to be a museum curator. They can easily draw on their existing knowledge and people skills to be successful in the role.
35. Sweet CV
Successful engineer aiming to change professions and move into business management. Seeking a chance to use project management and leadership skills in a fresh context and use my eye for detail to drive growth in a technology start-up.
This objective from Sweet CV showcases an engineer making the case for a business management position at a start-up, highlighting their most relevant skills.
Why it works:
Again, it's important to play up any related skills or background that will give you an advantage when switching to a new career. Since the applicant already has engineering experience and is seeking to work for a technology startup, their background is a bonus.
36. Jobscan
Passionate sales representative with over 5 years of experience working with customers and selling software. Looking to leverage my proven skills in seeing our customers’ pain points and providing solutions to whatever I write as an aspiring Content Manager.
This example from Jobscan shows how you could structure an objective if you are trying to move positions within the same company. Working in customer service gives the applicant useful insight into their audience's needs.
Why it works:
This resume objective plays to the applicant's strength (insider customer knowledge) to demonstrate why she's the perfect candidate to write for them. This could greatly improve the company's content since they will have a better understanding of their audience and how to solve for them.
Write a Resume Objective That Gets Noticed
Now that you know how and when to write a resume objective and checked out a few examples, it's time to craft your own. Use the tested strategies above to make sure your resume stands out among the crowd.
Editor's note: This article was originally published in December 2018 and has been updated for comprehensiveness.
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