What Is the Difference Between a Resume Objective and a Resume Summary — And Which One Should You Use?

Job seekers craft resumes to best reflect the positions they hope to land. But beyond eye-catching designs and expected sections of a resume, there is a question: Should a job seeker ditch the resume objective in favor of a resume summary? Discover the differences between these terms — and which can best serve you on your job hunt.?

By Helen Harris

You’ve completed your newly designed resume that you’re hoping will help land your next dream job. You’ve even drafted a cover letter. With all the work you’ve put in, surely you’re ready to begin the job application and interview process — right?

Well, maybe. Let’s discuss a component of the resume that may help land you more interviews and put you on the path to your dream career. This component is the resume summary, often confused with the resume objective (or career objective).?

Resumes can be cumbersome, so the idea of adding one more aspect may seem undesirable. However, Dewan A, career coach, and LinkedIn Top Voice and Certified Personal Brand Strategist Jessica Hernandez, CPBS, CDBS, both agree on a resume summary.?

What’s the Difference Between a Resume Objective and a Resume Summary??

In Dewan’s blog post, “How to write an amazing resume summary statement,” he explains the key differences between a resume objective and a summary. The post details how a resume summary (as opposed to a somewhat outdated and unnecessary resume objective) can help a jobseeker stand out among candidates with the same skillset.?

The resume objective is a one- or two-sentence overview of your interest in the job, relevant skills, and what title you hope to attain at the organization. It is generally unneccessary in today’s market, as this information can be gleaned from a prospective employer simply glancing at your resume.?

And while a resume statement and a resume objective both are placed at the top of the resume (under your name and contact information) and both are only a few sentences long — these two elements serve completely different purposes.

This valuable real estate at the top of your resume can be replaced with something better: the resume summary.

What Makes the Resume Summary Better??

Dewan describes a resume summary as a “powerful branding tool that helps send the message that you’re the right fit for the job.”?

“By beginning with a summary statement that concisely describes why you are qualified and the value you can bring to that team, you are more likely to pique their interest.”

“Out of all the benefits, the main benefit of a summary statement is that it helps your resume stand out,” said Dewan. “When recruiters or hiring managers are going through hundreds of resumes, they often skim through each and try to score your resume in a very short time. By beginning with a summary statement that concisely describes why you are qualified and the value you can bring to that team, you are more likely to pique their interest.”?

Dewan says that a summary statement is meant to appeal to the potential employer by using concise and targeted language that communicates what you can bring to the table in the specific role.

Another way to look at the resume summary is a better chance of your document landing on the hiring manager’s desk after successfully making it through potential applicant tracking systems (ATS). Any opportunity to add valuable keywords that show up in applicant tracking systems boosts an applicant’s chances of making it through the initial steps of the hiring process and landing an interview.?

How Do You Write a Great Resume Summary??

Now that we’ve decided that a resume summary could be a valuable addition to someone's resume and that a resume objective is generally an antiquated formality, let’s review what makes a good resume summary.?

Dewan keeps it simple in his blog post by advising resume writers to follow three simple steps:?

1. Avoid irrelevant skills and language (i.e., be specific to you what you can bring to the table).

2. Know the company and the specific role to which you’re applying, and cater your core skills and experiences to the role.?

3. List three to five bullet points in an elevator-pitch style, highlighting your experience to best sell yourself to your potential employer. It should be short and sweet and tell the hiring manager something that isn’t already in the meat of your resume.?

Jessica Hernandez, CPBS, CDBS, echoes Dewan’s three-step process by guiding her followers with a simple formula of her own.?

In her post geared toward resume career summaries, Hernandez recognizes that “writing a resume career summary can cause even the best writers to have writer’s block.” She recommends starting a career summary with your target position title. For example,? “Health care operations executive, nursing leader and certified case manager who transforms programs.”?

Next, she advises job seekers to include three high-priority keywords as shown in her example: “Systematic RN case manager with an impressive background in patient advocacy and education, value-based care, complex care management and evidence-based decision making.”?

Finally, she states that you should finish the resume summary with two or three relevant accomplishments geared to the needs of the role.

“I recommend that you always start your summary with the position title (tip No. 1), but the order of the other two strategies does not matter,” said Hernandez. “You can actually combine them both together, incorporating keywords and accomplishments into each sentence. This makes your summary more concise.”

Let Your Resume Summary Set You Apart From a Sea of Applicants

Almost halfway through 2022, the job market continues to boom. As CNBC recently reported in April, more than 2.1 million workers have come back into the job market, and demand for labor remains strong — and layoffs low.?

No doubt, this is great news, especially after the economically downtrodden two years of the pandemic and its effects on the workforce.?

The key takeaway is while there are more jobs than ever before, there is also more competition than ever before. And while your resume might have worked for you five years ago sans a career summary, it might be time to add that extra touch of personalization.?

This extra 15-30 minutes of effort might just land your resume on top of a stack of others.?

It might just lead to that callback.?

It might just land you the job.?

(Editing by Onjeinika Brooks.)