Should You Put Your Objective On Your Resume/CV?

This is a very personal decision to make and therefore the person best qualified to take that decision is you. Here are a few thoughts that you should consider in deciding whether you should put your objective on your resume.

1. Is it relevant to the job applied for?

If your personal objective is very specific to a particular industry and sector, then think about it's relevance to the job you are applying for. For example is your objective is to find employment within the airline sector, how will it be received if you leave it on your resume when applying for a job in computing? They may feel that you are unlikely to stay with the company if a better offer comes along from an airline company a few months or a few years later.

2. Does your objective communicate something about your character

"I am an enthusiastic career driven individual with a strong team emphasis who excels in embracing tough new challenges and is able to motivate others towards achieving a common purpose."

This example objective lays out its intentions and provides an employer with insight into the individual's work ethic which could be very appealing to them. Think about using your own personal objective to communicate some important details about your character that would be beneficial to an employer.

3. Does your objective have a clear meaning

Sometimes personal objectives can make sense to the person writing it but no sense at all to the reader. Ensure that if you intend to use a personal objective you ask a friend to read it to check they understand what you are trying to communicate.

4. Does your objective put you in a positive light?

Some personal objectives can be a positive turn off to prospective employers, even though they may be about something you are passionate about. I once read a personal objective in a resume that talked about how it had been the person's ambition to keep sheep and learn about caring for animals. This resume was being sent in for a computing job! Statements like this in the wrong context can leave an employer feeling that you are strange or eccentric, even if you are passionate about that pastime.

If you do decide to put your objective on your resume then consider using an approach to objective setting called SMART. This is used in a number of industries.

1. Specific - Keep your objective to the point and don't waffle.

2. Measurable - Is your objective something that can be easily measured. I.e using the term hardworking in your objective, can be measured by your output at work.

3. Achievable - Is your objective something that you can achieve even if it is a challenge

4. Realistic - Is your objective realistic and within the boundaries of possibility

5. Time bound - Is there a timescale you can put on achieving your objective?

Summary

As discussed previously the decision to place your objective on your resume rests with you, but this article has attempted to provide some thought provoking questions to aid you in the process.

How To Write A Thank You Letter Following An Interview

Keep employers interested!

Thank you letters are a great and subtle way of restating your credentials as well as showing respect and courtesy to an employer after they have invited you for interview. A well written thank you letter can improve your chances of securing that dream role! I have prepared some helpful hints for preparing that all important thank you interview letter.

Well Structured

Remember that your letter will leave a prospective employer with a final impression of you. Make sure that you take time to structure it appropriately, ensuring that it contains the employers address at the top left of the page and your address for correspondence in the opposite right hand corner. Remember to put a date on the letter so that the employer knows that it was written after the interview. Address the letter to the specific person who interviewed you, that way it will be sure to find the right person. Make sure that you sign off the letter, yours faithfully, as you have little relationship with the person concerned. You should only use yours sincerely where you know the person you are writing to in some detail.
Ensure that your letter is spell checked before you send it and ask a friend or family member to read through the finished article before you send it off to check that it makes sense and that you haven't made any obvious mistakes.

Type up your letter

Hand written letters may be suitable for personal matters between friends, but typing up your letter is much more professional and appropriate if communicating with an organisation. Take time to print it out on good quality printer paper so that it looks highly presentable.

Concise

Keep the letter to one page of A4 and keep what you say succinct. Don't waffle.

Re-emphasise your key skills

Remember that whilst this is a thank you letter it is also an opportunity to restate your key skills briefly and leave the interviewers with a lasting impression of your abilities. Talk in no more than one paragraph about what value you think you can add to the company based on your core abilities.

For example

"I just wanted to take the opportunity to state how closely I feel that my project management, organisational and time management skills would compliment your core business operations."

Thank them for the interview opportunity

Take a paragraph to thank those who interviewed you for the opportunity to meet with them and comment on how impressed you were by the company and the manner in which you were treated whilst there. This will leave a potential employer feeling positive about you as you have taken time to express your gratitude. In reality only a tiny percentage of interviewees take time to write a thank you letter.

Writing a thank you letter following interview should be done within 48 hours, any longer and the opportunity to leave a good impression may have passed. Remember that a thank you letter will be the final impression a potential employer has of you, so take your time, think carefully about what you include in it and make it as presentable as possible.