# Resume Objective Statement



## AdamJ1984

I am having real trouble trying to formulate an attention getting objective statement in my resume. I want to make it clear that although I have not gone to school for CJ or have worked in LE, that it is a career goal of myself to work in LE/corrections. I have almost 90 credits towards my degree in IT/Business Administation and a 3.92 GPA. I had some rough statements but they were all very mundane. I am very eager and willing to do what it takes to be a great officer, so maybe having no pre-conceived notions of a department would make me a better candidate to train as a clean slate. Thank-you guys if you can help me out, I have the rest of it completed, but to me this is the most important.


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## Rock

Much like my signature says, keep it simple. People don't want to read long resumes. Quick, sharp and to the point. For example.....

Objective: To obtain a rewarding and challenging career in the criminal justice field.

Don't write a book and don't give too many details...no one cares. Keep it open ended too. Don't limit yourself to one area of CJ, for example...."to become a great cop!"


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## AdamJ1984

Here is something I came up with earlier that considers any career in LE, even security:

To offer a strong interest in law enforcement to an organization that can use a hardworking and dedicated young professional with a versatile educational background as well as a reputation for being an excellent thinker and quick learner.


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## kttref

AdamJ1984 said:


> Here is something I came up with earlier that considers any career in LE, even security:
> 
> To offer a strong interest in law enforcement to an organization that can use a hardworking and dedicated young professional with a versatile educational background as well as a reputation for being an excellent thinker and quick learner.


Good, but not great...and it's a run-on. Try this instead:

Objective: To obtain a career in Law Enforcement through hard work and dedication.

Also, make sure your resume fits on one page. Anything more than that and people will lose interest. As Rock said...simple. If it's too long it won't get read, it will get put aside. Good luck.


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## JoninNH

AdamJ, for you, yes keep it to one page. But for someone with tons of experience, it is sometimes necessary, I've seen, to go onto two pages. Just make sure you have the most important information on page one. (For example, the second page of some resumes is little more then a list of certifications/specialized trainings)


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## US706

Adam,
If I was you... I'd use *kttref's example*. Being part of the hiring process for my agency I can tell you that your version would put you to the back of my pile. Like Rock said think KISS (*K*eep *I*t *S*imple *S*tupid). Also never embellish on your experience and qualifications.


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## JoninNH

I wasn't suggesting he use two pages, I was mearly refuting the one page rule. Sometimes, I think, it's necessary to go to two pages. Definately not in his case. As for the lying/embellishing, that goes without saying.


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## kttref

JoninNH said:


> AdamJ, for you, yes keep it to one page. But for someone with tons of experience, it is sometimes necessary, I've seen, to go onto two pages. Just make sure you have the most important information on page one. (For example, the second page of some resumes is little more then a list of certifications/specialized trainings)


I agree absolutely. I stated 1 page for him, because I figured he had little/no experience. If you have a butt load of training/certifications after awhile you need 2 pages.


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## countryboy

i never heard keeping a resume to 1 page. your trying to make yourself marketable if someone puts you aside cause your resume is to long than f-em!


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## Lost

I always use the federal format, as long as necessary but highly organized. Objective is the position, not a pitch- PO, Anytown Police Department. Always include a cover letter, but bullets instead of wishy washy. 

I'm no expert, just different ways to skin a cat. Always white paper.


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## JoninNH

countryboy said:


> i never heard keeping a resume to 1 page. your trying to make yourself marketable if someone puts you aside cause your resume is to long than f-em!


But incorrect gramar, capitalization and punctuation... that's a valid reason. 

I never heard of keeping a resume to one page. You're trying to make yourself marketable. If someone puts your resume aside because your resume is too long, fuck them!


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## US706

JoninNH said:


> But incorrect gramar, capitalization and punctuation... that's a valid reason.
> 
> I never heard of keeping a resume to one page. You're trying to make yourself marketable. If someone puts your resume aside because your resume is too long, fuck them!


:L:


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## kttref

You guys have never heard of keeping a resume to 1 page? Wow...Every job-advisor in college along with headhunters I spoke with after college all suggested 1 page resumes.


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## Lost

I've heard of keeping business/private sector resumes to one page, but was always under the impression that LE resumes are best in the federal format. Federal format is longer than anyone could ever possibly need, but includes all contact information, salary history, etc.


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## JoninNH

LOL. The federal format? Hell, I might as well ask for the BI packet and submit that in lieu of a resume.  LOL


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## AdamJ1984

Wow, I just woke up and I could not believe the amount of replies. I will stick with the one listed above(the new one) for the objective. Now after the objective topic, I have EDUCATION & TRAINING, with my current colleges stats. but I would want to know where to list CPR and First Aid. Also, sorry for the questions guys, but I figure you guys are where I want to be, so who better to ask than those in the field. I have worked since I was 16, numerous jobs, nothing really that stands out, what should and should I not include because I don't want anything more than 1 page. I have excellent computer skills, great physical conditioning, and I want these traits to be express in the resume, and if not, in the cover letter. Thank-you again for all the suggestions.

Adam


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## Nachtwächter

Google image search "resumes" there is tons of examples.


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## AdamJ1984

I have about 3 books on resumes, one for police, LE, and security jobs, but they all are about those already in the field or have tons of experience. Here is my resume as of right now, please let me know what you think. As of right now it covers 1/2 page:

OBJECTIVE To obtain a career in Law Enforcement through hard work and dedication. 

EDUCATION Pursuing a *Bachelor of Science* (B.S.) degree in *Information Technology*/minor in Business 
& TRAINING Administration, University of Massachusetts Lowell, Lowell, MA.
· Currently enrolled as Junior status
· Excel academically with a 3.92GPA
Previous medical skills & education:
· Previous nursing student with basic clinical skills
· AHA BLS for Healthcare Providers (CPR & AED)
· AHA Heartsaver First Aid

WORK *FITNESS STAFF.* UMass Lowell Campus Recreation Center, Lowell, MA (09/06-12/06).
HISTORY Insured the safety of participants, answered basic fitness questions, enforced fitness center policies, made sure participants returned equipment to proper storage areas, cleaned equipment and facility as necessary.
· In 1st month of employment, obtained Employee of the Month recognition (Sept. 2006).

*CASHIER.* Verc West Andover Mobil, Andover, MA (03/2005-09/2006). Responsible for gas/product/lottery transactions using Wayne Nucleus POS system. Stocked merchandise both inside and outside of the store. Cleaned inside of the store and performed misc. landscaping/cleaning jobs outside.
· Successfully passed state regulatory program for denial of tobacco sales to minors.
· Refined customer service and communications skills while dealing with numerous consumers in a high pace work environment.

I have previous twice and I realize I should change that.


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## Lost

Resumes are a tricky thing. Everyone has their own preference, yet there are numerous competing theories. I suggest you get down to Borders or Barnes and Noble and grab a "how to become a police" book.

Realize that your resume will mean different things to different readers. Reading yours, you could either look like a hard working kid, trying to get ahead, or someone with an unstable past- i.e. you won employee of the month only when you started and were enthusiastic, but quit within three months, changed majors... You get the point. It's not necessarily true, but you should read one of those books so you can learn how and when to emphasize things.


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## AdamJ1984

Should I state those things in my cover letter? The job at school was simply that, only for the fall semester and when winter break came, they gave us the choice to work about 8-10 hours a week, or take the time off, so I chose the later. I think emphasizing a complete dedication to the field of LE will make it seem more obvious in the cover letter. I just sent in an application for an aux unit, taking multiple tests, and will begin getting a degree in CJ this summer. Changing a major now is better than working, hating it, and going back when your 40, it's just that being young and naive I went with occupations/degrees that made the most money but not ones that would necessarily make me happy, and now I realize that.


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## 1moreftrleo

I took the objective off my resume a long time ago, most people just don't care what your objective is, it's usually a personal professional goal and not something that benefits them. also i've heard 1 1/2 - 2 pages is best for a resume.


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## badogg88

I just finished my resume last night, complete with cover letter. There are wayyyy too many different ways to do it. There's no "right/wrong" way, just "effective" or "ineffective". There's a ton of websites that you can look at, a ton of different variations. Kind of overwhelming.

Have head the same thing as 1more, objective isn't a necessity. Cover letter would be where a specific objective should be, and keep it short and sweet. This is mine:

This letter is to express my interest in discussing the position of Public Safety Officer posted on the Wheaton College web site. The opportunity presented in this listing is very appealing, and I believe that my education will make me a very competitive candidate for this position. 
I am a recent graduate from Bridgewater State College with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice, and a minor in psychology. I believe my education will validate me to be considered a qualified candidate for this job.
Please see my resume for additional information on my experience. 

Still don't know if it's "good" or not, but it was short, sweet, to the point, and grammatically correct. I think....


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## AdamJ1984

I really think it is a "little more about myself" piece, the cover letter that is. I have in mine the fact that although I have no prior experience in LE or an education in it, that one should not discard me. It really takes time and I like to read it over to myself outloud to see how convincing it is. CV/Resume is a make or break piece, I've seen some great ones, and then some of them should have not even been done. Good-luck in your endeavors.


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