Stuck on Writing Your Objective Statement? Answer 3 Simple Questions

​Resume writing is a strategic exercise. Whether you use an objective statement or not depends on your strategy--there is no one approach to writing a resume. In this article, my goal is to merely provide you with the means to make your strategic use of an objective statement more effective.  

Before you begin writing your objective statement, make sure that you have the job description handy. Take an inventory of the keywords used in the job description and try to incorporate them. Doing so will increase the likelihood that your resume will get past keyword algorithms. 

Additionally, using keywords in your objective statement is a form of semantic priming--your audience will be more likely to comprehend and associate related content later in your document. 

​What is an Objective Statement? 
An objective statement is a form of outcome thinking. When writing your objective statement, you need to target your audience, demonstrate your value, and provide a vision of the future. You can do this by answering three questions--

1. What do you want?
2. What can you offer?
3. Where do you see yourself in the future?

What Do You Want? 
When answering this question, try to be as specific as possible. Make your statement action-oriented by beginning with a verb phrase and then specify not only the company name but also the position that you want. 

"To obtain a position at Dynocorp as a business analyst ..."

What Can You Offer?
Once you have stated what you want, provide the reader with a description of the experience and skills you can offer. Again, make sure that you draw on the keywords from the job description.

​ "and leverage my skills in communication, front-end development, and programming languages such as Java to help clients create and scale their websites ..."    

Where Do You See Yourself in the Future?
Finally, give your reader a vision for the future. This vision serves as a statement of progression and shows your commitment to advancing within the organization. If you can, call the organization to research career tracks. This research will make writing your vision a whole lot easier. 

"to eventually advance to the role of a project lead."  

Put It All Together
"To obtain a position at Dynocorp as a business analyst; to leverage my skills in communication, front-end development, and programming languages such as Java to help clients create and scale their websites; and to eventually advance to the role of a project lead."