Job Objective and Work Experience

 

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The job objective section of the resume is usually the first thing on the page, if it is in the resume at all. Some experts advise job seekers not to put an objective on their resume because it is old-fashioned and because objectives can sound canned.

An example of an objective statement might be: "To build a career with a stable firm using my office management skills."

While that statement is an objective, it tells you nothing about the person except that he or she has "office management" skills. And who doesn't want to "build a career with a stable firm?" Some objectives can be much more specific and help you evaluate a candidate, but most are a formality and have little substance. You shouldn't hold it against a candidate who has one, though, because a resume guide or consultant may have advised it.

In resumes, form is important, but not as important as substance. The resume should give you enough information to decide if you want to interview someone, not hire. Don't make a hiring decision based on a piece of paper.

On the other hand, the applicant's work experience is probably the most important item to look at. On most resumes, work experience information resembles the format of work experience on an application. Applicants will usually list their present job first and recount jobs backwards chronologically.

Unlike applications, resumes give applicants unlimited freedom to recount whatever they want to about their past jobs and what they did. Some applicants clearly exaggerate, while others can be intentionally vague.

Some things to look for on the work experience portion of the resume:

• big gaps in employment
• many jobs in a short time span (this could signal a job hopper)
• vague descriptions of work (the applicant could be trying to make the job sound like more than it was)
• lots of action words and specific information (this is a positive sign, in that it can indicate that someone is goal-oriented)