Writing a management resume? Your first impression to prospective employers will likely be the management resume objective. 

Management Resume Objective - Some Specific Advice

Management resume objective... when should you use one? A former recruiter identifies 5 situations that call for a resume objective, and offers tips on writing a good one.

If you're looking for a management position in this tough economy, you already know you've got a fight on your hands. The competition is intense for every job opening in management. If you're highly motivated, resistant to stress, mature and decisive, you're off to a good start. But how do you translate those talents onto paper?

When to Consider a Management Resume Objective

Is an objective statement a requirement on a contemporary resume? Not at all. In fact, career counselors are often split on whether objective statements on a resume contribute or detract. I often recommend opening with a powerful, 3-4 line profile or summary section, incorporating a few bullet points. But resume objectives remain commonplace and accepted. And they can be useful – in fact, highly effective – if employed in situations where you're...

1. applying to a specific job, or
2. planning to submit the resume to a job board (i.e. Monster, HotJobs, etc.), or
3. a recent graduate, or
4. looking to change careers, or
5. burdened with a work history that is too diverse for an employer to divine what it is you're after (and what you're capable of doing).

If you fall into one of those camps, a management resume objective could help. But tread carefully in composing that objective. This is where half of your competitors in the job market will blow it. They don't view their objective statement through the eyes of the employer – a critical mistake. Nail the objective, and your management resume will rise to the top of the teetering stack of resumes on the desk of that hiring official.

Tales From The Trash: What Not To Say

Here are some examples of objectives from management resumes in the circular file, and [in brackets] the likely reason they ended up there.

"Seeking a challenging position in Management."
[Too general. The candidate is offering nothing to the prospective employer.]

"A position in Management offering rapid advancement opportunities into C-level accountability."
[Here, the candidate continues to offer nothing to the prospective employer, but adds the following negative: arrogance. Not the best strategy.]

"Seeking a position in Management which will allow me to fully utilize my considerable skills and abilities toward company improvement."
[Considerable skills and abilities? What skills and abilities? None have been mentioned – so far. Nor is the employer likely to take the time to read further to try to identify those considerable skills and abilities. And ‘company improvement?' What does that mean? If the employer has to ask, it must mean nothing.]

Offer The Employer Relevant Specifics

Joey was a client with 11 years experience in industrial purchasing and materials management. After combing through his background on paper and via phone, I wrote the following objective:

In this management resume objective, the candidate is offering some tangible teasers to the prospective employer, each of which (management style, creativity, results) directly impacts the position that employer is trying to fill.

Yes, first impressions count. And nowhere is a good first impression more critical than on a resume. So now, the prospective employer has a good first impression of Joey. What does the employer do with that good first impression? He keeps reading the resume.

At this point in the hiring dance, that's as good as it gets.

Where we go from here: To learn how to write that "right" resume objective, review our home page article, The Resume Objective - It's Not About You.

Want to see a real-life resume objective written for clients in your profession? Look for your profession or discipline (e.g. Sales Resume Objective) in the table of contents along the right hand margin of this page.

Wondering which format will put your qualifications in the best light? Chronological or functional? OK - let's get into the nuts and bolts of The Resume Format.

David Alan Carter is a former headhunter and the founder of Resume One of Cincinnati. For more than ten years, he personally crafted thousands of resumes for clients from all occupational walks of life--entry level to executive. 
 

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