How2Day: Objectives for an Accounts Payable Job

Accounts payable clerks verify money owed for goods and services. Steve Allen/Brand X Pictures/Getty Images
An accounts payable clerk plays an important role in a company's record-keeping paperwork. They are responsible for entering and verifying financial information into their company's ledger or database that indicates what the company still owes to vendors and other companies with which they do business. Understanding the nature of the accounts payable clerk job can help you in constructing a resume objective that corresponds with what a company looks for in its clerks.

Writing a resume objective can be a little tricky but is extremely important. The resume objective is usually the first information your prospective employer sees after reading your heading that includes your contact information. A resume objective that merely states the intention of getting a job in accounts payable or even more generically, getting a job, may cause your potential employer to move on to the next resume. The objective needs to capture the reader's attention. For an accounts payable position that usually requires the completion of some mundane and repetitive tasks, highlight your personal characteristics that set you apart from your competition. Using descriptive adjectives like "focused" and "career-minded" lets a potential employer know that you are a serious professional that may benefit him for other more important positions later on.

Another way to make your resume objective stand out among the other accounts payable applicants is to highlight your professional experience. This information will be revisited by the person reading it later on, but providing a glimpse or a preview in the resume objective will entice her to delve deeper into your resume to see what sets you apart from your competition. A resume objective can indicate your experience by highlighting just one or two of your qualifications. For instance, if you have several years of experience in accounts payable, you can note that you are a seasoned professional. If you have knowledge of particular accounting systems or software, highlight at least one of those as well to give your experience further credibility.

Because a resume objective must concisely summarize who you are and what qualifications you have, it is not possible to include all of your experience and personal characteristics in the objective statement. Also, a more active and assumptive attitude is more effective than a passive and nonassertive tone. An effective resume objective indicates your belief that you are the best candidate and only need to complete the formalities of an interview before starting work. For example, state that you "look forward to working with" the company rather than "hope to work for..." or "want to work for..." Also, assuming that you can be of assistance in a particular need that the company already has can help the resume reader see your usefulness to the company. Utilize the company's job ad to highlight at least one specific objective you will be helping the company to fulfill.

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