The resume objective statement is an outdated custom that's best forgotten.

Your resume has one job: It needs to convey your value to a prospective employer in a way that compels them to call you for an interview. Crafting a targeted resume that truly speaks to a company's needs can be tough, especially with all the conflicting information you hear about how to put one together. 

A common piece of advice everyone has heard at some point is that your resume needs to have an objective statement at the top to let employers know what you want to do. Nothing could be further from the truth. It's time to ditch your resume objective statement in favor of career details that sing your praises.

What is a resume objective statement?

You've seen – and probably used – those generic sentences at the top of a resume that look something like this:

  • Motivated, hard-working self-starter looking for opportunities in [INDUSTRY] that will allow me to leverage my [LIST OF SKILLS] skills

  • Seeking to obtain a position as a [JOB TITLE] with [COMPANY NAME]

  • Eager to leverage [SKILL #1] and [SKILL #2] to obtain a role as a [JOB TITLE]

These types of statements make most employers cringe, mostly because they fall into the “Well, duh!” category. One thing is certain: there's no need to waste valuable resume real estate by stating something so mundane. 

Does a resume need an objective?

Have you ever had someone ask you a blatantly obvious question? For example, you walk out of the house with your jacket on, and someone asks, “Is it cold out?” Do you roll your eyes or cringe a bit inside? 

That's the feeling that employers get when they see a resume with a taboo and outdated resume objective statement. Even if you're changing careers, your resume doesn't need an objective statement. It's fairly obvious that you want to apply your skills to get a new job – after all, you wouldn't be applying for a new job otherwise.

Reasons why you need to replace your career objective statement

Aside from stating the obvious, there are several reasons that prove your resume doesn't need an objective. 

1. Does a resume need an objective statement that's vague?

What good does a resume with an objective statement do? Not only have you completely turned the hiring manager who's reading your resume off, but the objective statement that you have does nothing to tell them why you're qualified for the position they have open. Yes, it may list a skill or two, but so do all the other resumes they have on their desk. 

2. Does a resume need an objective statement that's full of fluff?

  • Motivated

  • Hardworking

  • Self-starter

All of these terms are considered filler words by recruiters and hiring managers. Don't say you're hardworking; instead, use your resume to sing your praises, explaining what you've accomplished at past jobs because of your hard work. 

Related reading: Resume Help: Are You a Doer or Achiever?

3. Does a resume need an objective statement that uses personal pronouns?

While there is some debate within the resume-writing world, most professional writers still believe that personal pronouns such as “I” or “me" should not be included when writing a resume. Save those for the intro paragraph of your LinkedIn profile summary. 

Instead, stick to what's known as the absent first person, which is when you remove the pronouns. Here's an example of how a professional summary can begin using the absent first person:

“Strategic business development professional with more than 10 years' experience leading B2B sales teams to generate revenue, increase market share, and exceed quotas for organizations within the Software as a Service (SaaS) sector. Possess in-depth knowledge of lead generation and qualification techniques that grow market base and generate record-breaking revenue.”

4. Does a resume need an objective that's all about you?

While your resume is supposed to be a reflection of the things you've accomplished thus far in your career, it also needs to be forward-facing. When the hiring managers skim through it, they're looking for clues that promise you'll add value to their team. 

Related reading: How to Pass the 6-Second Resume Test

What should you put on your resume instead of an objective statement?

Resume objective statements talk about the type of job you want when it should focus on what you can offer a potential employer. Remember, you're writing this resume for recruiters and hiring managers to read. Instead of listing out your needs and wants, use this space to deliver your elevator pitch.

Profile paragraph or career summary

In approximately three to five sentences, explain what you're great at and most interested in by describing how you can provide value to a prospective employer in this type of role. To figure out what to include in this section, ask yourself the following questions:

  • Why am I qualified for the position I'm targeting?

  • What about my experience, education, and skills make me a good candidate for this type of role?

  • How have I used these qualifications to create results and provide value to my previous employers?

Ideally, your resume professional summary should communicate your record of achievement, experience level, value, industry (assuming this is relevant to your current goals), and your immediate career goals. This section will set the tone and focus for the rest of your resume, so give it some careful thought.

Related reading: How to Define Your Career Goals

Skills list or qualifications summary

Considering the fact that most hiring managers are quickly skimming through resumes – no, they're not reading them – a lot of job seekers will opt to put a list of qualifications bullet points at the top of their resume. Using this layout instead of a paragraph can make pertinent information jump off the page a bit easier, especially if you have a lot of quantifiable achievements you want to call attention to. Here's what that would look like:

First Name, Last Name

City, State, Zip | Phone | Email

Sales Support Specialist

  • Actively evaluate systems and leverage emerging technologies to integrate recommended initiatives for improvement while providing a vision aimed at achieving business continuity.

  • Drive efficiency and reduce labor hours on non-stock merchandise return processes. 

  • Standardize procedures for submitting return authorization requests to vendors and how responses were handled. 

  • Unify request tracking and condense the entire process into something 1 person could do in half a day.

  • Track record of managing competing priorities in fast-paced, fluid, and independently driven roles

As you see, it still follows the rule of having three-five sentences, but they're broken into bullet points to improve readability. 

What to add to your professional summary

Not only can you include things about skills, achievements, and qualifications in your professional summary or qualifications list, but you can also add a few other pertinent details, too. Consider things like security clearances and relevant Visa information if you're moving from another country/

Here's a look at some additional pieces of information you may want to include at the end of your professional summary to further clarify your intent and value.

Language skills

If you speak more than one language, make sure this information gets incorporated into the resume professional summary section. For instance, depending on your language skills, you might add 

  • “Bilingual: Spanish and English” 

  • “Multilingual: Russian, Arabic, and English” 

This ensures that the recruiter or hiring manager won't overlook these valuable skills, which are usually mentioned toward the bottom of the resume.

Travel welcome

Some jobs require a certain amount of travel on a regular basis. You usually see this with outside sales positions, business development roles, or consulting jobs. If you relish the idea of jet-setting across the U.S. or around the globe for work and you're targeting jobs that require such travel, include this information as well. 

  • Willing to travel up to 50% of the time” 

Does a resume need an objective statement? 

No, it's time to officially ditch the resume objective statement. And even though writing a resume professional summary can be a challenging exercise, it will make your resume all the more competitive.

Click on the following link for more resume and career advice.

Need help crafting a resume professional summary that sells you? Get objective feedback and advice from a TopResume professional writer today!

This article was originally written by Amanda Augustine. It's been updated by Marsha Hebert.

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