Patricia Grant-Kitson, Career Writer

In constructing your resume, you should craft an objective statement that fits the job market, the job or career you are seeking, and that fits your education and experience.

Your Objective or Career Objective is the first major topic of your résumé and demonstrates your clarity of direction. Without it, the employer will not know where your job interests lie, especially if your résumé indicates a variety of backgrounds.

The objective must be a statement, not a profession. Hence, 'Maintenance Engineer' or 'Accountant/Auditor' is inadequate.

The objective statement should be targeted to the title of the position you are currently seeking rather than to a long-term career goal for which you'll need qualifications and/or experience that you do not currently possess. For example, an objective such as "to become a consultant in the area of communication and education" is a long-term goal for a recent graduate with little or no experience in the field, and is therefore an inappropriate and ineffective statement.

Vague language

The statement should use positive rather than vague language, and must be written from the employer's perspective rather than from a self-centred perspective. For example, a statement that begins, "I am bounded by my personal standard of excellence to always use my knowledge, skills, and expertise ..." is too self-centred and does not get to the point soon enough.

According to Nicholas Lore, in his book The Pathfinder, the best objective statements should convey the following message: "I want the job you are offering, I recognise the qualities that are most important to you, I am a superior candidate because I have these qualities, and I want to make a contribution to your company". This, he said, can be gained by following this simple formula for writing objectives:

"An xxx position in an organisation where yyy and zzz would be needed" or "An xxx position in an organisation seeking yyy and zzz".

"Xxx" represents the specific position you are applying for, while "yyy" and "zzz" are your outstanding abilities, qualities and achievements that are most important to the employer. Here's an example:

"A software sales position in an organisation seeking a professional with an extraordinary record of exceeding sales targets, generating new accounts, and inspiring customer loyalty."

Different careers or jobs require different objective statements. Hence, you cannot produce a generic objective or résumé if you are seeking a job in more than one field or industry.

Patricia Grant-Kitson is a Human Resource Management and Training Consultant

Make your summary spicy

Your summary should be the spiciest part of your resume.This should be a short paragraph (about 4 or 5 sentences) describing and summarising your most important professional characteristics, expertise, achievements, and career interest to convince the employer that you are a superior candidate for a position.

It is your major selling tool, so highlight your positives in a convincing way. If you are entering the job market for the first time, this section will focus on your ability rather than your experience.

If you are seeking a career change, this section should show how past work experience prepares you for the new career you seek. Here's an example of a good summary:

"Highly driven, creative and knowledgeable medical sales representative with eight years experience selling pharmaceuticals, medical, health care and skin care products for various manufacturers. Especially skilled at building and sustaining effective, productive working relationships with doctors, pharmacists, their associates and supportive staff. Excellent team-player with exceptional management, negotiation and human relations skills."

patriciaktsn@yahoo.com

patriciaktsn@yahoo.com