One of the more difficult exercises that many job seekers go through is trying to determine an appropriate objective statement for their resume. For some employers, and some jobs, this opening statement is not extremely important, while for others it is very important.

Some experts believe an objective is not necessary at all. Overall, its true purpose is not always understood by the job seeker, and taking it lightly could be a mistake.

Many people seeking a job use the same objective for every position for which they apply. For some with a specific career focus, this might be appropriate. In others cases, for people without such a clear purpose, this could be the wrong approach.

The following are some things to consider that can help you avoid mistakes:

• An objective is a statement of what you want to do for an employer. It needs to be supported by the information in your resume indicating you can indeed perform what is in the opening statement. Without this backup, it is meaningless.

• It should take into consideration your abilities, skills, education and interests as they pertain to the position you are applying for. In other words, you are saying, “this is what I want to do and the information that follows explains why I can perform the job duties.”

• Review your past. Write down which jobs you have held, what you liked, what you have accomplished and what type of education you have had. Ask yourself what really motivates you.

This undertaking should help you narrow your personal objective. Without insight into yourself, you may have no career focus. Without that, it is hard to have an overall career direction.

Each job you apply for can have an altered objective within the framework of your personal objective.

It should not only consider what you want, but should also be about the needs of the employer. It should tell the employer what you could do for him or her.

To help achieve this and to create your opening statement, determine who the audience is. Is it a hiring manager looking for an employee who can produce more quantity or a commissioned recruiter concerned with quality results? Is it a human resource person trying to fill a large number of positions with new hires who are to be in a two-week training program? Or is it a top level executive looking for one key assistant? It is sometimes unclear who your audience really is.

If you are looking for a position in sales, for instance, the objective may be based on producing quantity. If you are looking for a position in customer service, it may be based on quality results.

The objective should show that you have an understandable purpose oriented toward achievement. It should be realistic and beneficial in the context of the position. Saying you want to become the president of the company when applying for a salesperson position is not likely to help you get the job.

Try to express as much enthusiasm as possible for the position. Hiring managers look for people interested in doing the job. Generally they don’t want someone looking to come in, gain experience and then leave in a short period of time. It does not reflect well on the organization. The hiring and training process is expensive for employers.

Try not to be too general. Let the hiring manager see a results-oriented person who really wants to do the job.

If you decide to use one, spend time on writing your objective. Too often, prospective employees spend lots of time on their resume and virtually no time on their objective. The lack of effort could cost you your dream job.

M.B. Owens is a Nashville-based columnist and journalist with a decade of experience writing on employment topics and business.