Readers, be warned – I’ve got one heck of a rant coming up!

So, I’ve been posting a lot on Q&A sites like Yahoo Answers, and one of the most common questions I see is what people should include as their “Objective” on their resumes.  I’ve got one simple answer – skip it altogether!

I know, I know – everyone says you need an Objective.  But as an HR Assistant, I pretty much skip over them entirely.  In the best cases, a well written Objective comes off as sounding self-serving and generic.  Something like, “Seeking a job that will enable me to use my outstanding customer service skills,” doesn’t really tell me much about you as a candidate or why I should choose you over someone else for the job I’ve posted.

But in the worst cases, it’s even worse.  I can’t tell you how many resumes I see every day that reads, “Seeking a {Job Posting title} with {Your Company}.”  I mean, really?  Don’t you think I know that?  Of course you want a job with my company – that’s why you’re sending me your resume!  Unfortunately, including this as the first thing on your resume takes up valuable real estate that you could be using to highlight relevant job experience or some other outstanding qualification.

That’s why I recommend that you drop it entirely.  Instead, try to tailor your resume and cover letter to the specific position I’m hiring for.  This achieves the same goal of telling me why you’re the best person for the job, but in a much better way.

Agree?  Disagree?  Post your comments below!