“Whenever you want to achieve something, keep your eyes open, concentrate and make sure you know exactly what it is you want. No one can hit their target with their eyes closed.” ~ Paulo Coelho

Some people argue that the objective section in one’s resume is a now defunct relic of the past full of hollow words. But like a mission statement, one’s objective can highlight what’s most important. The practice of sitting down and writing about what you want to accomplish during this time in your life can affect the next step you take for the better, and you don’t even have to be looking to change jobs for it to be useful. Even if you don’t anticipate any upcoming changes in your career, outlining an objective can open yourself up to new opportunities you may not have noticed before. Maybe you decide to learn more about an area of your field of interest or look into new certifications within your industry; maybe you set a goal to reduce work-related stressors or make the most of your time in between jobs.

One of the benefits of regularly revising your personal objectives is that of perspective. Gaps in a job history or ‘detours’ during one’s career can become stepping stones rather than setbacks when you’re able to glean lessons from them. Doing so can remove feelings of regret about the past as well as fear of the unknown future. Sometimes periods in our lives only make sense in hindsight. Steve Jobs noted: “You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” So while the objective portion in a resume may be seen as generic and carbon copy, getting into the habit of finding out what your goal is for the here and now can provide you with a new sense of purpose and meaning to even the most challenging situations.