A resume Objective - What would Jimmy Buffett Do?

A resume Objective should tell the reader what you want to do next with your career and it should leverage off of your Value Proposition. Your Value Proposition should inform a prospective employer what he or she can expect to get if they hire you and also sets you apart from other candidates.

So, with that in mind, what would Jimmy Buffett do if he were thinking about his next career move? As Buffett likes to write stories and sing about them, together let’s imagine that you got the chance to be involved in his next career move.

In our story, you are currently reviewing resumes for an open position for a traveling songwriter, musician and story teller for your entertainment company. And Jimmy Buffett’s resume was sent to you by a recruiter for consideration for that position. At the top of the resume you would see Jimmy’s personal information followed by his resume Summary, which would include his Value Proposition. The resume Summary would perhaps look something like this:

Summary

"Throughout my 40-year career, I have established myself as the musical Mark Twain – a true American storyteller. In songs both factual and fictitious, and a few that blur the line in-between, I grant a front-row seat to my world by the sea. I introduce millions of people to a world where remarkable characters are around every corner, where cocktail hour starts whenever you want, and where "joie de vivre" – the joy of life – is task number one each and every day. I write and record songs that sell millions of copies, I entertain live audiences around the world, I write and publish books for children and adults, and I support causes of nature and the sea".

Not a bad resume Summary, is it? It is clear what his Value Proposition is and what you can expect if you hire him. You are really impressed by this guy’s resume and you are really glad the recruiter sent this resume to you.

You notice that Jimmy does not have a resume Objective, so you do not really know what he wants to do next. But, that should not matter. Clearly this guy is an entertainer, and is great at what he does. He must want to continue to do that because he is so successful at doing it already. And most certainly the recruiter would not send a resume to you if the candidate was not interested in the position!

So without even reading the remainder of the resume (after all, you already know what this guy can do for you because his Value Proposition is so powerful), you ask the recruiter to give Jimmy a call to set up an interview.

Now fast forward our story one week.

Jimmy is in your office and the interview is underway. Unfortunately, the interview does not go very well and the reason is quite simple. You see, Jimmy already knows exactly where he wants his career to go. He has a focused objective in mind for his next career move. And that career move is not discernable from his resume Summary.

In fact, what Jimmy tells you is that he wants to teach. That’s correct, one of the greatest singers, songwriters and performers of our era wants to teach!! And you had no clue of that based on his resume.

So, if he is looking for his next career move, what would Jimmy Buffet do? He would go and do something that his resume Summary never touched on. He would go and fulfill his next career Objective, even though it never showed up as a resume Objective. And what about that recruiter who sent you Jimmy’s resume? He never asked Jimmy what his next career objective was, and never suggested to Jimmy that he should include a resume Objective right after the Summary section in the resume.

The moral of the story is this: unless you have Jimmy Buffett’s time and money to do whatever you want, it probably makes good sense for you to include a resume Objective when you create your resume. Furthermore, it makes very good sense for your resume Objective to be in alignment with your resume Summary and your Value Proposition. In this market, you simply cannot let a hiring manager guess or assume what your career Objective is. You cannot send out resumes that do not demonstrate a thoughtful consideration of where your Value Proposition can take you. You cannot leave your career to the remote possibility that a Hiring Manager will guess correctly what your resume Objective should clearly articulate.

It is imperative that your knowledge, skills and ability (your KSA's), as evidenced by what you have made, saved and achieved in your career (your MSA's) align with your Value Proposition. And, unless you are opting for a complete career makeover or changeover, it is critical that your Value Proposition align with your resume Objective. By doing this in your resume, the reader can easily assimilate what you offer (your Value Proposition) with what he or she needs (the open position) and with what you want. In short, the reader can easily "connect the dots".

If the dots connect, you get called for an interview. It is that simple. And, if you get called for an interview, your resume has fulfilled its objective – which is to get you the interview that other jobseekers are not getting.

Accounting Resume writing should be based on more than just format. Content is what gets you the interview. Learn what makes your resume stand out from the crowd.

FinanceResumeWriters.Net uses key elements like KSA's and MSA's to create an Impact Resume. Go here to learn more: Accounting Resume.