Objective Statement

An outdated resume section focused on what you want. Replace with a summary.

An objective statement is a short paragraph at the top of a resume that describes what kind of job the candidate is seeking. It was standard resume practice until the early 2010s but has since been almost entirely replaced by the professional summary, which focuses on what you bring rather than what you want.

Hiring managers know what you want — a job. What they don't know is whether you're the right person for it. A professional summary answers that question; an objective doesn't. If your resume still has an objective statement, replace it immediately with a summary.