markewicken in Myths and RealitiesResumés

Your Career Objective…Important part of your resumé?

Myth: Career objectives are not as important as the content of your resumé.

Reality: Your ‘Career Objective’ will most likely be the first thing the potential employer reads. If it does not get his/her attention and relate to the job position you are applying to…or the needs of the employer…why would they want to read on. Like your 30 second elevator speech, your career objective must be tailored to the opportunity you are addressing. If you have done your homework you should know the skills (and words) the employer will be looking for and you should incorporate those into your objective. A generic objective suggests you are asking the reader to determine what you are looking for. Unless that person is a career counsellor…that’s not their job. You must be specific about what you want and know enough about the company and job to customize your objective to that position.

Remember, the purpose of the resumé is to get you the interview. The more attractive you sound to the reader, the more likely you will get the interview. Stand out and be ‘Remembered.’

Next Read: Make your cover letter sound like the job posting. »

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markewicken: Mark Wicken is a marketing professional with over 30 years of advertising, communications and strategic planning experience within the retail and packaged goods industries. He has been a senior member of agency management teams with both account and brand management responsibilities. His strengths have always been on innovative thinking, solid organization and strong interpersonal skills. Starting in the advertising agency industry, Mark held senior account management positions at several multinational agencies including Leo Burnett, Foster, Caledon, Vickers & Benson and Saffer Advertising, and has been responsible for the management of accounts like IBM, McDonald’s, Esso and General Motors. Mark moved from his agency roles to the Client side and held the position of Divisional Vice President of Marketing for Domino’s Pizza International and Director of Marketing for KFC, Hardee’s and Sbarro restaurants in the Middle East. In 2002 he established The Mark Wicken Group, a business specializing in executive search, training and consulting within the marketing, advertising and communications industries. In addition to executive search, Mark has devoted much of his lifetime to teaching, education and youth development. He is President of MusicFest Canada ‘The Largest Annual Music Festival in North America’ and has been an instructor at the International Academy of Design and The Toronto Film School since 1998. Mark graduated from The University of Toronto, took post-graduate studies at Northwestern University, and is married with two sons.