While there is simply no single right way to write a resume, some components are so basic they should always be included regardless of profession, industry or years of experience.

For instance, no reasonable person would intentionally omit from their resume things such as previous job titles or personal contact information. While perhaps not as obvious, just as critical to an effective resume is a brief overview of your career objectives and qualifications in a section just below your name and contact information.

Under the heading Professional Objective & Profile, this section serves as your personal “billboard within the billboard” because it summarizes key information in the already abbreviated format of the resume itself.

For example, after responding to a job posting in the hospitality industry, a marketing executive included the following information in this important section to underscore his career objective:

Executive-level Marketing position in an organization that will leverage my extensive direct-to-guest program experience and demonstrated ability to develop strategic brand alliances.  I am particularly interested in creating & implementing system-wide initiatives that directly support sales and operational objectives in the hotel and resort industries.

Because recruiters literally must sort through thousands of resumes, your primary goal is to get them to review as much of your resume as possible.  To entice them to do this, you must capture their attention quickly by clearly and succinctly stating what you want, what you can do and what you’ve accomplished.  The Professional Objective & Profile section – which can be easily tailored to the position you’re seeking – is the perfect place to do this.