Personal Branding Requires Personal Objective

When I started my job search, I left the "objective" out of my resume because I felt it would limit my options. I thought to myself:

Should I make the objective sufficiently vague so it fits all the jobs I apply for?

Do I rewrite the objective for every job I apply for?

What if my objective doesn't match the job that I'm applying for?

I eventually decided that the answers were no, no, and "so what" respectively. First, I don't deal in vagueness unless it's used as a specific marketing tactic (think teaser commercials). Second, rewriting my objective for every job seemed inauthentic to who I am. I needed a consistent branding message. Third, I learned that I didn't have to apply for every communications, marketing, or PR job I come across, but that I could spend more quality time on better opportunities.

A professional associate, Ron Sachs (owner of Ron Sachs Communication in Tallahassee, FL) looked over my resume and advised me that an objective is essential. The objective tells an employer who you are and what you want to do. This made me think that a personal objective is also a personal "mission statement."

Taking Ron's advice, I crafted the following objective:

"I seek a position in a marketing and communication office in the healthcare, education, government, or non-profit sector. I want my work to improve and enrich the lives of others. This position should take full advantage of my skills in account planning, market research, strategic planning, social media, and project management."

This statement relates my area of expertise, the sectors I want to work in, what I want to accomplish, and a sample of my skills to potential employers. Perhaps more importantly though, writing this statement focused my personal job search. I now only look for jobs in or related to these work sectors, and I look for jobs where my work would (directly or indirectly) help other people.

With my school and work responsibilities, there's a limited amount of time to spend on my job search. Previously I spent that time finding and applying to as many jobs as possible. I hoped that the more jobs I applied to, the higher the chance something would pan out.

I apply for fewer jobs now, but spend more time on each job opportunity. This results in applications with more detail, cover letters with higher personalization, and more time for follow-up emails and phone calls. Writing a personal objective has transformed my job search from "quantity" to "quality."

You can check out my personal objective as part of my full RESUME on HireThatRedhead.com.