Yesterday’s all-staff “town hall” meeting went about as well as I expected. So well in fact that I went online and started looking at job listings practically the moment I got back to my desk.
With three possibilities I figured I should update my resume. Not that I will even send it. Looking was a knee-jerk response … mostly. But I updated the resume anyway and have thought all night about other ways to polish it. Part of the revision was a rewrite of the objective statement. I’d welcome feedback if you’re so inclined. Happy almost Friday!
“To contribute to the success of a professional firm or organization which has a team-oriented* and supportive environment consistent with the further development of my skills and best utilization** of my experience.”
*I should point out that “team-oriented” was in the original version and is meant to convey a spirit of camaraderie rather than the Shared Services model launched by the Powers That Be earlier this year. I’m fine being a member of a team; not so good at being THE TEAM all by myself.
**Yes, I know it’s overused. If you have an alternative I’d be happy to hear it. ☺
Janey Does Blogging 
Instead of “team-oriented” why not go with “group-focused”? This phrase came to me from John Cleese’s (yes, the John Cleese with the dead parrot) management training video “More Bloody Meetings”. His lesson was that meetings should do three things: unite the group, focus the group, and mobilize the group. I’m not sure why he used the word “group” instead of “team”, but I think it sends a signal that getting business done is not a game.
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Ooh I like it! Thanks Christopher!
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I don’t see the position you are seeking to fill in the Objective. Here’s a link to help with your Objective: http://susanireland.com/resume/how-to-write/objective/.
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I suppose I assume (I know, I know) that only my regulars are reading. They mostly know already that I’m a legal secretary. Thanks for the link, I’ll check it out.
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The only thing that concerns me in the use of team oriented would be, if I was a prospective employer, and was looking to hire someone for a job where they would be working alone, I might disqualify you…unless that’s what you want!!
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Good point. In my line of work – legal secretary – it’s unlikely I would work alone and I would only send the resume for the type of position I’m interested in anyway. But I hadn’t thought of that and it’s good to see all the perspectives, thanks!
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Yes, I did consider that your type of work may be specific to a team or that you may just be looking for that type of position. Nonetheless, it may bear considering. I always alter my resume and cover letters as I’m applying.
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Good tip. ; )
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What would you think about starting it with “To use my skills and experience in _________, to contribute to the success” ? You can add a few details that highlight your talents.
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I like flipping the beginning. I may play with that. The work history covers quite a lot of ground when it comes to my experience and talents though. Adding some of that here may be redundant. It bears some pondering however. Thanks!
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Even though I am currently in a job I love, I do look at some of the job sites about once every three months just to see what is out there and what the job market is like. I’ve always done this. You never know.
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No, you don’t. I just never thought I’d really want to leave where I am. Nut things change. Sigh.
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Janey, I’m glad I had the opportunity to read your post today about looking for opportunities. I love working with teams and groups, also. I hope you get what you want.
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Maybe, try – “To contribute to the success of a professional firm or organization by utilizing my extensive experience within a supportive, team-oriented environment, where I will also be able to further development my skills”?
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Nice, I like it. The modifier “extensive” is descriptive enough to hopefully have them reading more.
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I think it’s a bit vague, actually; it doesn’t specify the kind of position you want. Even within the sphere of “legal secretary” there must be a lot of variety, depending on the size and kind of organization (public or private) and the kind of law practiced (criminal, corporate, litigation, family). As for phrasing, I think every organization would consider its work environment team-oriented and supportive, whether it is or not; those are mostly just buzzwords these days. (And aren’t all legal firms and organizations “professional”? Amateur practice of law is discouraged, isn’t it?)
Try to be more specific about what the position you want actually looks like: how many attorneys would you work with directly? Is that the whole team, or a part of a larger whole? What specific skills do you want to develop, and what experience do you want to put to use in this potential new environment? Consider something concrete, such as “A senior position with a small-to-medium sized litigation firm, where my project management experience and supervisory skills will have room to grow.”
It’s tempting to think that “I’m willing to work anywhere” opens up more options, but vague wording gives the impression that you don’t know what you want. Specificity is more useful to recruiters and employers.
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Thanks Wendy, that’s helpful! I was planning to send it to a specific company in response to an ad. But I’m not sure I’m going to.
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Oh, and I read somewhere this week that, as long as you’re staying in the same profession, an Objective statement isn’t really necessary. If your work history shows years as a legal sec, and you’re applying for legal sec jobs, you don’t need to say that’s what you’re after. It’s when you’re changing career tracks, and using a non-chronological resumé, that such a thing is helpful to focus attention on your skills and relevant experience rather than the developed career path. So you might be able to do without an Objective statement!
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