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Employment Patriotism [By Melanie G. Lammers] For years, applicants have been utilizing objectives at the tops of their resumes or cover letters in attempts to grab organizations’ attention and create appeal. Unfortunately, with advances in the hiring process and the large growth of the population in general, those doing the hiring have a lot more applicants to pick from, and an objective for career growth just will not cut it anymore.
As we approach President’s Day and several
along the way and thank them for their years
rest of the document, including information
presidential birthdays coming up in the next
of service before retiring them forever. There
about responsibilities and vocational
week or so, I would like to take a moment to
is a better option out there, and today, ladies
achievements.
honor the patriots of our past with a quote
and gentlemen, we are going to discover it
from another deceased chief executive of
together.
The other important thing to remember is that the word “seeks”—and anything
the United States of America that speaks to your employment future. The one and only
Replacing your resume’s top heading—the
like it—is completely off-limits. This word
President John F. Kennedy once said, “Ask
“objective”—requires you to come up with a
automatically sets a tone that focuses on
not what your country can do for you, but
section that is geared toward your audience’s
the writer rather than the reader. Even
what you can do for your country.”
needs and desires rather than your own.
if the phrase using the word “seeks” is
Anyone can wax eloquently for days about
meant to compliment the firm receiving the
Similarly, I challenge you, resume pioneers
all of the things he or she is looking for in a
documents (“Seeks associate position in
of the future, to ask not what your employer
position, but it takes skill and determination
highly respected private firm,” for example),
can do for you, but what you can do for your
to write an opening section that makes
the focus is not unambiguously on the
employer.
others want you. That is why it is best to
employer.
replace objectives with headings entitled Job application documents are ultimately no
“Profile” or “Summary of Qualifications.”
Instead, try “Cultivated understanding of
different than any other form of advertising.
Before readers even get to the text, they
private firm environment with particularly
Each resume is simply an advertisement for
will already know that your resume is about
vested interest in individual clientele.” This
something that the person sending it wants
whetting their appetites for employability
successfully tells the reader not only that
the reader to be interested in. With this in
information.
you would like to be in that kind of private firm environment again but also that you are
mind, why would you want to pose how those doing the hiring can benefit you personally
Once you begin to write the text for this
devoted to upholding clients’ individual needs
and professionally as a selling point rather
section, it is also extremely important to
and serving them to the best of your ability
than how you can benefit them? Would you
remember to sound confident. This part of
without once bringing up your own desire for
buy a razor if the ad stated that Gillette
the resume is more like a sales pitch than
a position.
“looks for customers who will continue to
most would like to admit. Start out with a
provide funding for the salaries of its upper-
phrase that describes some of the most
When creating a heading for your resume,
level management”?
obvious qualifications, and branch out from
never forget that you are asking readers
there. For instance, you might describe
to invest in you as an employee first and
I submit that you would not, yet that is
yourself as a “seasoned legal professional
foremost because of what you can do for
exactly what a resume objective does.
with expertise in transactional law and
them.
general litigation.” This may sound a bit like At this time, I would like to pause for a
a classified ad, but a short, bite-sized piece
moment of silence to honor all of the resume
of information can provide spoonfuls of the
objectives of the past that have assisted us
detailed information that will be found in the
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