Summaries and Objectives for Resumes

Summaries are used when you have some experience you particularly want to bring to the attention of an employer. Here are 3 examples:

• Physiology student with 2 years research experience within gastroenterology laboratory. Strong analytical, problem solving, and people-management skills, as demonstrated in 3 years of managerial work as bakery supervisor while financing my education.
• Microbiologist with experience in academic research laboratories. Particular expertise with cDNA library construction and screening. Fluent in Spanish and English.
• Recent graduate with three years of internships in pharmaceutical research labs. Dedicated, innovative team player with a comprehensive background in synthetic organic chemistry.

NOTE: Don’t make claims about your ability to be a “team player”, or other desirable personal traits, without also giving evidence for this clearly in your resume. Otherwise, you’ll just look like you are throwing in buzzwords to pad your resume.

Objectives are used to clearly indicate what you position you are seeking or your field of interest. If you choose to use an objective, it should be specific enough that the employer can figure out what position you are applying for, even if your cover letter gets lost. Here are three examples:

• Research Associate position with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, to assist in protecting wetland communities and water quality management.
• Laboratory internship in the Behavioral Pharmacology Unit of Abbott Laboratories.
• Laboratory technician position at Chromo University with opportunity to pursue research in pheromone mating disruption.

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