Objective statements are extinct

Objective statements are 1-3 sentences comprised of the candidate’s intention for their future employment. These statements are typically placed atop of the first page of the résumé, and inform the employer of what type of position the candidate is searching for. While these statements have been a standard inclusion for résumés over many years, the selection process has since evolved. Due to this, objective statements are now considered outdated, not recommended and most importantly, redundant.

Food for thought, if applying for a position with a company, the Selecting Official obviously knows you have an objective to obtain that position. Additionally, employers skim through your résumé to locate relevant details in your work experience ergo habitually skipping the objective statement altogether.

Unlike objective statements, objective summaries are less about what you seek and more about what you can provide to the company. If using a general résumé in the current job market, you can replace your objective statement with an objective summary. To accomplish this, best practice is to use a cover letter. A cover letter is an individual page before your résumé. This is where the objective summary should be located.