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If I'm looking for my first job post-college, should I include an objective on my resume??

I'm really open to a wide varitey of different roles.

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Thank you comment icon In today’s job market, replacing a traditional "Objective" with a Professional Summary is more effective for a recent graduate. While an objective focuses on what you want, a summary highlights what you offer. This shift is crucial because employers prioritize how your skills, like your English degree’s "explanation" talent, solve their specific problems. If you are open to various roles, avoid a generic objective that signals indecision. Instead, tailor your summary for each application. Use this space to connect your academic achievements to the job’s requirements, showing you are a versatile "T-shaped" candidate. A well-crafted summary acts as a bridge, proving your readiness for professional challenges despite a lack of formal experience. Clarence
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Teklemuz’s Answer

For your first job after college, if you’re open to a wide variety of roles, including an objective on your resume is generally not recommended. Instead of a generic objective, write a short summary on your resume that shows off your skills and strengths. Share what you know, your curiosity, and any relevant projects, internships, or volunteering you've done. Make sure you understand your coursework well and have a variety of skills. Be ready to talk about what you know in interviews. Focus on showing how adaptable you are, your strong communication skills, your ability to solve problems, and your eagerness to learn. These qualities can really make you shine to employers in any role.
Thank you comment icon I appreciate this, thank you for the advice. Nedy
Thank you comment icon You’re welcome! Teklemuz Tesfay
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Rachael’s Answer

Hi Nedy! Rather than complete a specific objective, I would recommend completing a summary about yourself, your motivations and overall aspirations. This will still demonstrate your passions while not limiting you into a certain field until you identify what you want. You can also be very open about the desire to try multiple things and learn from a diverse set of roles. Some organizations are looking for that type of agile mindset and a desire to work in multiple areas.
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Rachel’s Answer

I would recommend not focusing on a specific objective but rather tailoring your resume to highlight the skills you have that are useful for the specific jobs you are applying to (each application may have a different resume). If you don't have a whole lot of skills for a specific position, in my opinion it is ok to list your unrelated skills too if you frame them in a way that makes you look like an interesting person who is passionate about learning new things (as employers also value initiative)
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Anil’s Answer

Hi Nedy,
I am sure you are finding it too challenging to create/ maintain many resumes specially when you are open for different roles. This is what you can do
- Have a master resume which caters to your overall strength and expertise, it gives good visibility to your recruiters. Don't mention any objective on your summary, it should focus only on what value you bring.
- You can cater to multiple resumes, but try to minimize as much as possible, rather than job specific make it role specific. In this case do mention your objective
- Your LinkedIn should be aligned with your master resume as recruiter checks LinkedIn too.

Last but not least, make sure your resumes are ATS friendly.

Believe
AJ
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Sabrina’s Answer

I think it is nice to have a general objective statement. If it is tailored to a specific job that will work as well; however, make sure it is not too narrow or broad in scope. Additionally, it should be concise, maybe 2 sentences, one with career objective and another how you can contribute with your skills and interests. For post-college the recommendation is to keep the resume in a single page, so it is best to fit everything on one document without overcrowding it. If the objective or career summary takes too much space, is wordy, too broad in scope, and not aligned to the job functions and title, I would leave it out. It is also possible to give a 1 line objective, keeping it brief but still making an impression in the beginning of the resume. Again, objective is not a must have but nice to have if there is room for it and if it matches the job applied to. Hope that helps!
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Kim’s Answer

Nedy,

Use of an objective makes creates an impression that you are old (or took advice from somebody old!), and, it's a waste of space. Your objective is to get the position you are applying for!

Follow the advice given by Teklemuz. Your resume should convince me that I want to meet you (an interview) within the first third to half of a page.
I use a Summary of Qualifications, but, you can call it anything you want! I also like using a 2-column format, bulleted. Very easy on the eyes, and, it doesn't run too far down the page.

Remember to tailor the resume to the position you are applying for, and use their terminology. For example, if you call it "Risk Management" and they call it "Safety," use "safety." ATS - Applicant Tracking Software - is normally the first "person" to read your resume. It will latch onto keywords like that.

Realize too, that because it is so easy to hit a button and apply for jobs, there are hundreds of applicants per position. Give it some time. If you do not get any interviews, come back here and we can see if there are any recommended tweaks!

Best of luck!
Kim
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jose isahy’s Answer

Hi Nedy, i really think you should do it, you always need a goal, and as well i really think that this is something that the company's like because if you have a goal means that you are going to somewhere or you are pointing in a direction, in other words it means that you have vision and this is something very valuable because not anyone have it.
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Josh’s Answer

I'm going to rock the boat compared to other answers and say to have neither an Objective Statement nor a Summary.

Here's why:
Objective Statement are rarely ever written in a way that is quick to read or specific to who you are. So many folks say "I'm a hard-working individual who is honest, goal oriented, quick learner, team player, good communicator etc. I'm looking for to help both the company and myself towards continued growth." Who wouldn't say this about themselves? Who's going to come in and say they are the opposites - lazy, dishonest, lacking motivation, can't learn anything new, doesn't like working with people, and can't communicate? It's very generic. Second, after an applicant system picks up on key words, a human should be reading it for context. At this point, they are scanning many resumes and need to do so quickly. I don't know if many are going to be reading an opening paragraph or a few sentences.

Summary Statements are similar to my opinion about Objective Statements. At this stage of your career - first job post-college - your summary could likely be all classes, an internship or two, and some voluntary work. What summary are you going to build that provides a compelling case that can't be represented in your Work Experience or Volunteering section of the resume?

Unless a job posting explicitly asks for one, like references, I wouldn't encourage you to write one. Spend more time highlighting actionable results throughout the rest of your resume that tells more about you than your objective or summary.

At the end of the day, you should be happy and comfortable with what you put out there. Best of luck!
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Aida’s Answer

For a first job after college, you can include an objective, but it’s usually better to use a brief professional summary instead. A summary lets you highlight your skills, strengths, and what you bring to the role rather than just stating what you want.

Best of luck to you!
Ame
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Neh’s Answer

Hi Nedy, including an objective on your resume is optional, especially for your first job post-college. If you use one, keep it clear and focused on your strengths and what you aim to contribute. Since you’re open to various roles, consider a brief summary highlighting your adaptable skills and enthusiasm to learn. This can help employers see your flexibility while keeping your resume concise and relevant. Hope this helps!
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Rafael’s Answer

Hi Nedy! Honestly I'd skip the traditional objective statement because they tend to be pretty generic and take up valuable space on your resume, and since you're open to a wide variety of roles a specific objective could actually work against you by making it seem like you're only interested in one thing. Instead I'd recommend using a brief summary or skills section at the top that highlights what you bring to the table, things like your strengths, relevant coursework, any projects or internships, and key skills, because that gives employers a quick snapshot of your value without boxing you into one specific role. From my own experience my resume has always focused on leading with education and then jumping straight into relevant experience and measurable accomplishments rather than an objective, and that format has worked well across very different industries and roles throughout my career. The real goal with your resume is to make every single line count and show what you've done and what you're capable of, so instead of saying "seeking an entry level position where I can grow" use that space to say something like "collaborative problem solver with experience in X, Y, and Z" because that's way more compelling to a hiring manager who's scanning through hundreds of resumes. Also since you're open to different roles, consider tailoring your summary slightly for each application so it speaks to what that specific employer is looking for, it takes a little extra time but it makes a huge difference. You've got this!
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KARTHIK’s Answer

Hi Nedy, I feel it's better to go with your professional summary it includes your Skills, strength & your project/internship details.
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