Lesson 2: Now Do It!
Introduction
Now you have a general resume to work with, or at least an idea of how to create one. This lesson will focus on massaging the information to your best advantage. Don’t worry if your resume is not completed. It takes time to create a proper reflection of you, and you will constantly be revising it, as you’ll find out soon!
Do you really need an Objective/Do you really need a job
In a word, YES. Employers and recruiters know you want a job, that’s obvious. But are you a good fit for them? If your objective only states the advertised job title back, you’re off to a bad start. Yes, your resume will pass the first test, but no further. Your objective should not just state the job title you want (to obtain work as an accountant) but the environment you want to work in (to obtain work as an accountant for a small company) and what you can do for them (to obtain work as an accountant for a small company that I can help lead to greater profits). Out of these three, which would you interview? The more detail you give, the better impression you give.
Again, where do you want to work? Love the corporate world? Hate the travel downtown? No, you don’t put negatives in your objective, but this helps you decide what you should put. How can you help a company – put it on paper!
Look over the sample resumes again in both books, paying particular attention to the objectives. You’ll notice not all use objectives – how did you find those resumes? Hard to read or understand the type of job the applicant was going for?
Using an Objective helps the recruiter to easily see your match and entices the reader to read further. Having no objective is somewhat like going to a movie but missing the first half hour – yes, you’ll catch on to what’s happening, but it takes time and effort, which an employer does not have much of to spend on your resume when there are hundreds to read.
WORKING TIP:
Change your Objective to suit the job you are applying for. If your Objective states you’re looking for accounts payable, and the ad says accounting clerk, change your objective to somehow include both. You could say you want work within an accounting environment, in either accounts payable or receivable. By changing your Objective you’ll soon be able to put one together that really matches you with the job without being so specific as to limit you.
