In expressing a personal or career accomplishment, most people simply state a result; such as, “increased sales by 20%.”  That result, however, is largely meaningless outside of the context within which it was produced.  Reading the result only is very much akin to reading only the ending of a novel.  Without an understanding of what came before, the reader is neither engaged nor informed.

To create a persuasive and compelling description of an accomplishment requires four elements:  a depiction of the situation or status quo prior to the arrival or action of the candidate, a characterization of the opportunity that the existent situation presented the candidate, a description of the action(s) taken to remedy or improve the situation, and a delineation of the measurable results produced by virtue of those actions.

By making your accomplishments “SOAR,” you will develop memorable stories that will create a powerful and positive first impression, gain the attention of the reader, and dramatically enhance your opportunities to secure interviews and job offers.

First, your resume objective should serve the purpose of headlining the resume. It should be the succinct opening salvo following your personal contact information that, in effect, titles and targets your resume.

Second, your statement of objective, like all statements on your resume, should be written as a phrase rather than a sentence. As such, it should avoid the use of personal pronouns. The subject of the resume objective is understood.

Third, your objective statement should be verb-driven. Like other statements on your resume, it should utilize action verbs to capture the attention of the reader.

Fourth, your objective should be specific. It should state the type of position and/or industry that you, as a job seeker, are targeting. For that reason, should you choose to include an objective statement on your resume, it must not be general. A generic objective statement, such as “to secure a position in which skills, experience, and education will have valuable application,” is largely meaningless and adds nothing of value to your resume.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, your resume objective should associate your qualifications with the nature and requirements of the position you are seeking. By doing so, it will entice the reader to seriously consider your candidacy for the position.

If you heed these resume writing tips in crafting your objective statement, you will create a resume objective that will stimulate reader interest and set the stage for the more detailed presentation of your qualifications that will follow.