Do you really need an objective section in your resume? Given the fact that recruiters spend very short time looking at a resume, does it make sense to have an objective on your resume?
Let’s explore that for a bit with some examples and try to measure how effective it really is.
Job requirement from employer
Sample objective found on resumes
What would the recruiter think?
Territory sales manager
To be a Sales Leader in………
Will this person be able to perform in a territory manager’s role? Will the role be much higher or lower than what this person is currently doing? Can the person handle a big sales quota?
Product manager
To be a Project Manager in………
Can I hire a project manager and expect product management performance? Is this a good fit? Can I short list this person for a phone interview?
Customer Service Representative
To provide exceptional Customer Service to enterprise customers ………
Can this person manage consumer customers and not just enterprise customers? Does this person have the right skill set?
As you can see, having objective on your resume can result in:
Creating confusion in recruiter’s mind
Creates perception that there’s not a perfect fit between what your career objective is and the job description
Gives a great reason for the recruiter to pass on your resume – “seems that this person may not exactly be willing to work in this role”
Can land you in junior position or impact your offer negatively
Even if you cleverly place the right words in your objective to match the resume, it may backfire on you if the job req changes. Or if the understanding of the job requirement in the hiring manager’s mind is different than what’s on the job description.
Also, the objective for you might not be what you wrote on your resume – your objective might be to get the job. But the objective for the employer is to solve business problems. Be relevant, focus on the company’s objective rather than yours and you will be more successful.
The last thing you want to do is to create another hurdle for you in the job search process.
Resist the urge, kill the objective statement from your resume.
Like saving for retirement, it’s never too early to start building your network. In the ups and downs of your professional life, your network will provide you the support necessary to be successful. But in order for your network to support you, you need to build and nurture it in the first place.
How? Let’s find out:
#1: Know what you stand for
Be yourself. Don’t fake it, people like to network with genuine people.
#2: Who do you want to network with?
Be focused about your network. Hang out with those people that you want to connect with. These could be folks in your industry, prospective customers or your alumni. Don’t spread yourself too thin by networking with every single community out there – be opportunistic and focused.
#3: Build your network before you need it
You might need your network to make your next sale, for finding your next job or for helping a cause. But don’t start digging a well when you are feeling thirsty you should be building your network continuously.
#4: Be a mensch
The golden rule (and often counter-intuitive) of networking is….drum roll….
“When you network, offer to help the other person”.
You can build far stronger networks when you look for ways of helping others. How can you be of help? Guy Kawasaki lays it out.
#5: Socialize informally
In his book Never Eat Alone, Keith Ferrazi tlaks about how a simple idea like grabbing lunch with someone informally is a spectacular time to connect with someone. So if you’re eating alone, you’re missing out on an opportunity to connect with someone.
#6: Use Social Networks
LinkedIn is the numero uno way of networking professionally. It allows you to not only connect with more people but also showcase your experience and gain intelligence about others.
#7: Be prepared
Before you rev up your networking engine, be prepared with what you are actually going to talk about. Here’s the bare minimum that you should have:
Ice-breaker blurbs – anything from weather, sports, food, compliments. Just enough to get you started.
An elevator speech that introduces yourself and provides a ‘hook’ into a follow-on conversation
Jason Fried of 37signals is one of our favorite business leaders. Here’s a presentation that he did at TEDxMidwest where he asked the question “Why doesn’t work happen at work?”
It is a very valid question because with the amount of distractions available in the modern workplace, its almost impossible to spend time in deep thought and come up with innovative ideas. He also mentions the two most toxic elements in the workplace – meetings and managers And suggests three unconventional ideas to make it work.
Do you think any of these are implementable in your workplace?
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you should be building your network continuously.
, Keith Ferrazi tlaks about how a simple idea like grabbing lunch with someone informally is a spectacular time to connect with someone. So if you’re eating alone, you’re missing out on an opportunity to connect with someone.
