To Summary or Not to Summary, that is the question! Summaries and Objective Statements on a resume can be a flash point for contention and debate. Many are left wondering; “Should I write one? Do I need one? Are they important?”
The short answer is No, and here are the top reasons why!
- Objective statements tend to be too general. If the recruiter has your resume they know your objective, to get the job you applied too.
- Summary Statements tend to written in such a general manner that they lose effectiveness. When they all read the same, they blend together.
- Recruiters only have a limited time to look at your resume, and they will mostly default to looking at your last few positions and educational history. Objectives and Summaries tend to be skipped over.
- Anything in a Summary or Objective statement can be better conveyed in a cover letter if one is required. If the position does not require a cover letter then they are probably not concerned with seeing a brief one on a resume
- They take up valuable Space. Think of your resume as Real Estate, you want to make sure you can maximize value! You also want a clean and crisp presentation. A bulky statement up top takes eyes away from your most immediate and relevant experience.
- Actions speak louder than words. People do not want to see that your “hard working” in a sentence, they want to see you have “exceeded or meet quotas 13 months straight” in a bullet point underneath a job you had.