Before you even qualify for a face-to-face interview, you’re already being assessed through the resume you submit. Think of it as an instrument to introduce yourself and your value as a professional. Because of this, it’s vital to ensure that your resume can create a positive first impression.
What could be the best way to showcase your value compared to the rest of the competition? Consider using a career narrative as a powerful alternative to the traditional resume objectives.
Limitations of Traditional Resume Objectives
Resume objectives are usually found at the very top of a resume. Candidates typically include one to two sentences explaining their short-term career goals. These usually involve the results and outcomes they want to achieve from sending in their application.
Some career objective examples added to resumes are these.
- A candidate will generally write about wanting to grow in the company.
- Some say they are searching for challenging roles that can maximize their skill set.
- Others write that they are seeking a competitive environment where they can learn and build a career.
While these statements do give potential employers an idea about how you work and what you are searching for as a professional, they don’t give much information on your skills and qualifications. Before you decide on including resume objectives in your application, consider the following limitations:
1. Generic and Uninspiring
Using traditional resume objectives can make your goals sound quite generic. Instead of learning about your motivations for joining their company, recruiters would only understand your general goals. In fact, it’s likely that recruitment officers have seen enough of these types of statements that they skim over them rather than reading and understanding them. These objective statements are also seen to be uninspiring. Employers would think that you’re only interested in landing a job instead of joining their organization.
2. Candidate-Centric Focus
Focusing only on your short-term goals often highlights what you want rather than what you can offer. Even if you mention wanting to help the company succeed, employers need to know specifically how you can contribute. What skills or experiences make you valuable to them?
Employers are more interested in whether you can fill their open roles effectively. They want to see if you have the skills and experience needed to handle the responsibilities of the job.
3. Lack of Depth and Context
Since these objective statements are usually generic, they fail to provide any depth or context to your professional journey. This can make any gaps in your resume or industry shifts look unappealing. For example, you worked as a software developer for two years before applying for a product manager role. This decision would seem groundless if you’re unable to explain your reasons.
Powerful Alternative: What Is a Career Narrative?
A career narrative is a concise paragraph that uses the elements of storytelling to highlight your professional journey and experiences. Unlike career objectives, this alternative provides more dynamic and engaging texts that can set you apart from other candidates.
A well-crafted career narrative can improve your chances of landing your dream job. It offers a more memorable and personalized introduction. It can showcase your value as well as the advantages of hiring you. By highlighting your skills and motivations, you’re giving your potential employers a clearer picture of your employee brand.
Read More: Insider Insights: What Recruiters Really Look for in Your Resume
How to Write a Strong Career Narrative
The benefits of a career narrative can significantly help you boost your job search. Although it’s the ideal introduction to place on your resume, it’s not common.
So, to help you navigate the process of writing a strong career narrative, we at Masis Staffing compiled this step-by-step guide you can follow:
1. Conduct a self-assessment
Before you introduce yourself to potential employers, you need to know who you are as a professional. Understand your strengths and weaknesses in relation to the job description.
Document your most significant skills and accomplishments. Create a list to make it easier for you to incorporate them into your narrative later. Make sure to identify your unique qualities and experiences that set you apart from others.
2. Research about your target role
When you craft your narrative, it should be in line with the company’s values and needs. To gain an edge over your competitors, research your target role. Fully absorb and understand the job description and responsibilities that come with the role.
You can also go above and beyond by researching the company and industry you want to be a part of. Understand the mission and vision of the company and the values they give importance to. Take note of any industry trends and challenges where your skills would be considered valuable.
3. Define your value proposition
A career narrative should not only introduce you but also show how your skills match what the employer needs. Clearly define your value by creating a short, powerful story about what you offer. Focus on making an impact rather than providing too many details.
4. Articulate your soft and transferable skills
To get hired for a position, you need to have the hard skills necessary to accomplish the role. Beyond that, you also need to showcase your soft skills that could contribute to your professional success. For example, you can mention your abilities in leadership and communication. You can also highlight your skills in critical thinking and problem-solving.
Even if your previous work experience doesn’t match the role, you can still highlight transferable skills that are useful for the job. Just remember to align them with the organization’s unique needs.
Read More: 11 Courses to Boost Your Career Path
5. Keep your narrative engaging
In order to create an effective resume, make sure your career narrative is both concise and engaging. Do this by structuring your paragraph.
Begin with an attention-catching introduction and conclude with a powerful closing statement. In between these two, make sure you highlight your most relevant and impactful experiences. Remember to use action verbs to explain the situation.
Another way to create an engaging narrative is to follow a structure. Take the STAR method as an example. Discuss your qualifications for the specific job by providing a Situation you’ve experienced. Explain what Task was given to you, the Actions you took, and the Results of your decisions. This can help hiring managers and potential employers understand your skills and value.
6. Continuously proofread and refine
The last step before you finish writing and submit your job application is to proofread your narrative. Refine your paragraphs and make sure the whole thing is concise. Eliminate unnecessary sentences and double-check the grammar. Aside from using verbs, ensure you use active language all throughout.
To further improve your professional summary, incorporate relevant keywords you found during your initial research. Make sure you include these industry-specific terms naturally so that they won’t seem forced. If you have the time and resources to do so, you can also get input from your mentors or colleagues. Seek feedback that you can use as a basis to improve your narrative and overall resume.
LAND THE JOBS YOU WANT WITH MASIS STAFFING
If you want to have an easier time landing your dream career, then you need to consider reaching out to staffing experts. Lucky for you, Masis is here to make your job search more efficient and effective. We are committed to tailoring more than just your professional summary. With our help, you can get connected with companies and roles that fit your aspirations. Land your dream job today!
