Change can be good. Sometimes there's merit in shaking things up just a bit, especially if you've gotten into a rut.

When you wrote your first professional resume, you may have opened with an objective statement. Many updates later, you're still using the same basic design - and still leading with an objective.

It's time to kiss it goodbye.

Three good reasons to get rid of it:

1) It's too broad

2) It's too narrow

3) It screams out, "Me, me me!"

A broad objective statement is one that's very general and consequently doesn't say anything. It accomplishes only one thing: it takes up up space. Ironically, this is the most valuable real estate on your resume.

(i.e. To secure a challenging position in marketing communications with a dynamic company....)

Potentially just as damaging is the opposite...a narrow objective statement. This one is too specific. One important unintended consequence is that it can exclude you from consideration for other jobs for which you might be well qualified. Because you painted yourself into a box with your opening blurb, your paper gets tossed to the side.

Finally, there's the issue of focus. By its very nature, the objective statement is pretty much all about you. The problem with that? The hiring manager isn't considering your candidacy and your potential fit for the position in terms of what's in it for you. He's not concerned with your objective; he's thinking about his, which is to fill the position.

Leading with a pitch that talks about what you want out of this job, then, is not the most effective method to capture the reader's attention.

Your objective is to get a job. The reader doesn't need a statement to figure that out.

My suggestion? Skip it.

You've got a limited amount of space to work with. Make every line on that resume count.

Rebecca Metschke helps professionals seeking a competitive advantage in today's global economy. Her book The Interview Edge is available online in downloadable format. You can find free info on career strategies and other helpful tips and advice at The Interview Edge blog http://blog.theinterviewedge.com/.