I once asked an old hunter what his secret was for bagging the elusive wild turkey. He told me, first you have to think like a turkey. You have to understand that turkeys like the company of other turkeys, they seek security in brush, and they'll gamble with that security for a shot at food or a mate. Think like a turkey, prepare your hunt accordingly, and bag the prize. Ahhh.

Years later, someone asked me how to win a job with a prime employer. I told him, first you have to think like the hiring official. You have to understand that the hiring official is likely doing an onerous task - sifting through piles of like-sounding resumes looking for a gem. The hiring official understands profits and losses. He understands the direction the company is moving in. Ideally, he wants to find a candidate who understands all those things, too. Why? Because that candidate will make him look good to his superiors; business grows, he keeps his job, maybe gets a raise. Think like a hiring official, prepare your hunt accordingly, and bag the prize.

It's funny how everything in life is a lesson - if we're in the mood to learn.

First Impressions - Bad

Because your resume objective is the first thing the hiring official will read, he'll be using that opportunity to quickly size you up. Let's pretend for a moment that your resume objective reads like this... Seeking a challenging position offering competitive compensation, limited travel, and advancement opportunities to senior management. Well, you've just written your own personal fairy tale. Not only have you failed to think like a hiring official, but that hiring official will actually be using his wingtip shoe to compress your resume to the bottom of his trash can while uttering expletives that will clear the reception area of every last salesman.

First Impressions - Good

Let's try another example. This time, let's pretend you've done some research on the company in question. And that you've honestly appraised your own skills and identified those that would be most valued by this company. And that you've determined that personal fairy tales don't keep a company in business - profits do. Now, your resume objective reads like this... Entry-level position in Finance which could fully utilize a technical expertise in database design and strong drive to maximize corporate profitability in a competitive global marketplace.

Wow. In a single sentence you've drawn a straight line between a key ingredient of the job position and your skill set, acknowledged the company's bid to go global, and signaled your understanding that profits are key to everybody keeping their job--including (and most importantly) the person reading your resume.

Home Free?

If jobs were handed out on nothing more than resume objectives, you'd be dry cleaning your suit for the Monday morning office tour. But of course, there's more to the hiring process than just writing a killer resume objective. The important thing is that you've put yourself in the game. There are other critical elements of the resume, to be sure, and the door can still slam shut for a number of reasons. But you've made it over the first hurdle in the screening process.

You're cocked and loaded. And there's a big bird in sight.