Years ago, résumé writers routinely crafted objective statements intended to define what a candidate was seeking. Today, the traditional generic objective has largely given way to a professional profile or qualifications summary that tells the employer who you are, what you have accomplished, and what value you bring to the marketplace.

But career direction is more specific. We still need to help an employer understand what we want to do with our experience and how we can bring value in that capacity. The cover letter becomes the ideal forum for defining that direction and connecting our background with the opportunity we wish to pursue.

Maybe we have had both sales and operations management experience. The question becomes: what do we want to do now? If our objective is operations management, we need to show commitment to that direction and give the employer reason to believe we can succeed in that capacity. Accomplishment-focused résumé content, combined with motivational and directional messaging in the cover letter, can help establish that connection.

So, in effect, the cover letter can become our objective statement. It lets the employer know what position we are pursuing and why we are motivated and qualified to pursue it. If we are considering both sales and operations opportunities, for example, we may wish to use two different cover letters, each emphasizing the experience and accomplishments most relevant to that direction. Trying to be all things in one generic cover letter is usually a mistake. Remember the “Jack of all trades, master of none” lesson? If an employer thinks you are presenting yourself as talented in everything, they may conclude that you are truly expert at none.