Purpose in resume

When sending a resume to a recruiter, you need to make it clear what you want from your potential job. Most often, the employer can be told about their goals in the column “Desired position” and in the cover letter. But in the English-language resume, and some cases in the Russian-language one, there is a section for this called “Purpose”.

Often, job seekers do not understand how to correctly indicate their professional goals in the resume and write something banal or in no way related to the real position. In fact, the goals can be very diverse, depending on the vacancy chosen by the applicant. However, there are some tips to help you figure out what purpose to put on your resume.

How to indicate the purpose of the work in the resume

• Please list one specific position you are applying for and the goals you intend to achieve by working in that position.
• Please read the vacancy announcement carefully and study the field of activity of the company in which you want to apply. If you are applying for a translator’s position in a construction company, it is better to write not “get a translator position”, but “get a translator’s position in a construction company”.
• If your resume is not for a specific organization, but for posting on the Internet, indicate the common name of the position that you would like to receive. When a recruiter is looking for the right specialist, first of all, he pays attention to people who are ready to take a position similar to the one vacant in his company.
• Try to concisely express your professional interests and intentions: “To achieve growth in sales as a sales manager”, “To bring the company’s websites to a new quality level as a front-end developer”.
• If you want to talk about intentions more broadly, you can write a list of several goals, which will include the tasks that you want to solve, the benefits that you can bring to the company, etc. But still, be as laconic as possible, write only on the case.
• If you are unable to correctly formulate your goal, you can skip information about your professional intentions and leave only the name of the position and the scope of the company. But remember that in a highly competitive environment, such a resume may not stand out from the rest.

• Don’t make a resume for multiple vacancies. Putting more than one job in the Purpose column will only decrease your chances of getting a job. There should be a separate resume for each job.
• Avoid phrases that lack specifics: “find a good job,” “earn a lot,” “find additional part-time work,” “professional development in a large company.
• Don’t use too complex wording. As a rule, they do not carry anything semantic in themselves, but they can greatly spoil your path to the desired job.
• The same goes for too long sentences. The resume should be convenient and interesting to read.
• Don’t indicate unattainable, exaggerated intentions that are unlikely to be true. Realistic resume goals will show the employer that you are motivated and have a great chance of success.
• Try not to use formulaic phrases. All applicants are probably striving for career growth, you should not write about obvious things.
• Do not flatter your employer or the organization you want to apply for. “Working under the smartest boss”, “getting a position in the best company” – such phrases would rather alienate the recruiter than help you.
• Do not write about responsibilities that are already indicated in the ad. What you will do during business hours is not a professional goal.
• If you have multiple goals, don’t put them in a line. As with long sentences, this is not readable.

An employer who reads your resume with the correct professional goals will definitely not ignore your candidacy. He will not only understand what exactly you are striving for but will also appreciate your serious attitude towards his company and the desired job.