Whether you seek a change after a 15-year career in health care or you desire an entry-level position in environmental technology, you may benefit from the inclusion of a career statement on your resume. Career statements, also known as career objectives, overviews or summaries, are most often placed at the beginning of a resume and can serve a variety of purposes from summarizing your experience to identifying your job skills.
Function
A career statement can serve as a form of goal-setting, helping you to clearly identify and articulate what you hope to accomplish professionally. Whether included as either a part of your resume or cover letter, a career statement can also help potential employers understand how your professional interests and goals fit the vision of a company. Randall Powell in "Career Planning Strategies" notes that including a career statement in your resume and your cover letter can help a hiring manager have a clear understanding of what you want to do.
Features
Most career statements when included on a resume or cover letter often summarize your relevant work experience and identify specific goals for the future in two to five sentences. For example, your career statement may begin with "A manager with five years' experience seeking a challenging position in the defense industry," and it then may go on to outline other professional attributes. Susan Elizabeth Basalla and Maggie Debelius in "'So What Are You Going To Do With That?': Finding Careers Outside Academia" explain that "the most effective career statements are concise, specific, and clearly focused."
Benefits
Career statements can encourage potential employers to read the rest of your resume. A well-developed career statement will reveal your not only understanding of and interest in an individual job or company, but also a larger industry, which is something managers find desirable in an employee. Career statements can also help potential employers to understand how a particular position fits in with your overall career path or professional goals.
Warnings
Poorly-developed career statements can actually distract from an otherwise strong resume and may repel potential employers. Basalla and Debelius recommend avoiding "...vague and long-winded career statements at all costs." They explain that career statements on resumes should reflect the needs of the company as well as your own professional interests and goals. General statements, such as "seeking a challenging position where I can grow and succeed," tell potential employers little about why you would want to work in their particular organization.
Recommendations
Keep a career statement to 60 words or less and customize it to each particular position to which you apply. Powell explains that your career statement should sound similar to, but not exactly the same as, the job description for the position that you are pursuing. Use clear, concrete language and seek to avoid over-specialized terms and abbreviations. Revise your career statement over time to reflect any evolution and development of your career goals and objectives.
References
- "Career Planning Strategies"; Randall Powell; 2004
- "'So What Are You Going To Do With That?': Finding Careers Outside Academia"; Susan Elizabeth Basalla, Maggie Debelius; 2007
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