Resume Writing

Introduction to Writing a Career Objective

Writing a Career Objective is a smart way to capture the attention of the hiring manager, if written correctly. Unfortunately, most people misunderstand what the Career Objective is supposed to say.

What the Career Objective IS supposed to say:

A short blurb telling the hiring manager what skills, knowledge, and abilities you have that will help the company achieve its goals.

What the Career Objective IS NOT supposed to say:

A short blurb telling the hiring manager what you want from the company, and in terms of how it will help your own career.

If you follow that one rule, your Career Objective will naturally be strong. However, you should read this guide to get concrete ideas about how to write yours.

https://resumegenius.com/resume/career-objective-writing-guide

1. Change the intro

Firstly, change the title of your “Objective” section to “Professional Profile”, “Career Summary”, or “Qualifications Summary”. It doesn’t matter which one. Objectives are viewed as outdated.

The content of that introduction section will also need to change. What you’ve written — “To search for a position that will allow me to improve my current programming” won’t inspire anyone to interview or hire you. After all, everyone applying to those positions wants that. So how can you stand out?

Tell the company why you would make a good fit for the job opening you’re applying for. It seems like you’ve got a lot of relevant skills to offer as a software engineer. How many positions are you applying for? Do these positions emphasize having familiarity with the same programming languages and scripting, or different ones?

What is a Professional Profile?

Sometimes referred to as a professional summary, a profile is a detailed synopsis of your skills and expertise. Depending on your preference, it can be written in paragraph form or a bullet point list.

1. Change the intro

Firstly, change the title of your “Objective” section to “Professional Profile”, “Career Summary”, or “Qualifications Summary”. It doesn’t matter which one. Objectives are viewed as outdated.

The content of that introduction section will also need to change. What you’ve written — “To search for a position that will allow me to improve my current programming” won’t inspire anyone to interview or hire you. After all, everyone applying to those positions wants that. So how can you stand out?

Tell the company why you would make a good fit for the job opening you’re applying for. It seems like you’ve got a lot of relevant skills to offer as a software engineer. How many positions are you applying for? Do these positions emphasize having familiarity with the same programming languages and scripting, or different ones?

Target your Professional Profile to reflect how you’ll fill the requirements needed to succeed and excel at the job. Don’t talk about the benefits that you’ll get by being hired.

2. Education comes next

Since you’re currently in school, your education section is more relevant than your professional experience (which currently only consists of volunteer work.)

Your education section looks great otherwise.

3. Next, volunteer experience

Your bullet points are phrased a bit awkwardly. Ideally you’d list more than one responsibility (you have it labeled “responsibilities”).

Maybe be more specific about how you assisted Year 7 students. Begin your bullet points with action verbs. (Try this Longest Action Verb List in the Universe) “Tutored struggling Year 7 students in algebra and reading comprehension” would be better and more specific, for example.

Instead of listing your skills gained, try to develop bullet points that convey how your communication skills improved, and how you demonstrated leadership skills.

4. Change “communication & teamwork” section to “Projects”

Writing a resume without much work experience is tough, so I understand the impulse to create this section.

First, rename it to “Projects”. Next create subheadings denoting individual projects you worked on (go for the major ones you’ve accomplished so far.)

Under those subheadings, create bullet points reflecting tasks that prove your communication and teamwork abilities, and also your skills.

Remove the part about struggling with a team programming task. At least rework it to sound more positive. Try to frame it in terms of working together to solve complex problems, rather than being given a helping hand.

5. Skills: The harder, the better

Right now, your skills section is filled with “soft” skills like teamwork, communication ability, keenness to learn, etc.

As a software engineer, your hard skills are most important. (It’s best to prove that you have soft skills in the bullet points of your Professional Experience / Projects section. They’re more convincing that way.)

Although you listed your skills at the top of your resume in your Professional Profile, I would re-list them. If your resume is read by an Applicant Tracking System (resume reading software), having more relevant skills keywords on your resume will give you a higher chance of getting through the robotic guardian.