How to Write a Resume Summary

Are you looking for some best ways to present your resume summary statement? Here we’ve got your back.

The resume summary is a brief statement comprised of three or four lines written at the top of your resume highlighting your most relevant professional qualifications and competencies. It is a kind of quick overview of what contains in your resume.

 It offers the hiring professional a glimpse of your proficiencies before going through the whole resume. It helps the reader in judging whether you are an ideal candidate for a particular job or not.

Since your resume summary is the first thing the hiring manager will look at and you must not want to make any mistake or ruin it, we will teach you how to satisfy your reader with your excellent resume summary.

Resume summary vs Resume objective

The resume objective is something we are very much aware of. We all have been using it as part of the introduction in our resumes.

Even though both resume summary and resume objective are used as an introductory statement at the top of your resumes, they are not the same.

A resume summary conveys to the hiring professional what you can offer to the company or what you can do to add to its value. In contrast, the resume objective appears as the job seeker’s statement of what he is looking for in a job or company.

A resume objective is more like an explanation of your interests, needs, or your career objectives. It focuses on the things that the job seeker wants, but a resume summary is like a “sales pitch” offering yourself as a valuable product or an asset to the company.

If you have limited experience, then you would be better off writing a resume objective stating your professional goals accompanied by your academic training.

• Resume objective example – “to secure a challenging position in a reputable organization to expand my learning, skills, and knowledge.”

• Resume summary example – “operations analyst with more than three years of experience in order processing, business management and computer sciences who worked closely with the business team and monitored the accuracy of business process ordering from implementation to execution.”

Why should you use a resume summary statement?

If the job seeker has at least three years or more than three years of experience, then a resume summary statement is perfect for adding to your resume.

Through the help of a resume summary, you can highlight your work experience at the top of your resume and get the attention of the hiring managers with ease.

Pointing out your critical skills and expertise through the two three-line statements at the top of your resume will help you get noticed faster and get the preference over other individuals.

The hiring professionals generally go through hundreds of resumes every day. That makes it impossible for them to read every information given and sometimes even skip reading everything contained in your resume.

So, giving a catchy and competent introduction or description of your accomplishments and why you are eligible for this job can make your potential hiring manager consider your resume.

What makes your resume summary strong?

Keep it short

The resume summary must be short and brief. You do not have to add long, uninformative, or chatty paragraphs in your summary.

The hiring managers scan your resume for not more than 5 seconds, and adding lengthy paragraphs will be a waste of time and would not hold a good impression on your reader. So add only those details that you think need to be highlighted and which makes you a perfect fit for the job you are applying for.

Format

The summary must consist of a title and a body. And the body has to be of 3-4 lines only and not more.

You can present it in a paragraph form or use bullet points, and it has to be written down just below the contact information on the top of your resume.

Title

The title of your summary is like a heading that will portray who you are as a professional

The title will stay at the top and draw the hiring manager’s attention towards your resume and help him know if you are qualified for the job they want you for or not.

Example – “Detail-oriented civil engineer and PE with seven years of experience……………”

How to write your resume summary statement?

Now, As you have a minimal space to showcase all your skills and strengths, you must be cautious about it. You have to plan very carefully about what you were going to write in your summary

You have to make sure that your resume summary communicates in a way that will present you as competent or unique enough from the other individuals.

To make your summary statement effective, follow the below instructions:

• Firstly, begin with a proper heading or a capturing resume keyword. Tell the reader who you are and what you do, along with the years of experience you have. Example: “organized dental office associate with five years of experience…………….”

• Secondly, you must ensure that the summary includes all your most important skills, accomplishments, certifications, and experiences that describe you as an expert or a professional.

• If you are a graduate, you can rely on your academic training or whatever you have gained from your education and the work experience or the transferrable skills you have that could be shown as a part of your elevator pitch.

• On the other hand, the individuals with solid work experience no mention of their academic records or qualifications in their resume summary; you can go ahead with your experience and expertise.

• Then the very next thing you have to do is go through all the requirements of the job you are applying for, do some research about the company, note very attentively what they looking for in their employee, and then take help out of it.

• Make sure that you only include those things you are good at and which you enjoy working at. Don’t just blabber.

• Also, verify it twice and check whether your resume summary agrees with the job requirements; otherwise, it would be a waste of time.

• Do not use first-person pronouns. Skip the use of “i”, “me”, or “my” in your resume summary as these pronouns shifts all the focus on the subject of the resume, which is you, but here we want the reader to focus on what you are offering or selling to them and not you.

Resume summary examples

“accomplished marketer with over eight years of branding, product placement, SEO, and digital marketing experience. Have increased YOY sales by 145% and managed to reduce the marketing cost by 27%.”

“receptionist with over five years experience working in both the public and private sectors. Domestic, personable and adept at managing sensitive situations. Highly organized, self-motivated, and proficient with computers. Looking to boost students’ satisfaction scores for ABC university. Bachelor’s degree in communications.”

“accomplished professional with 3+ years of experience in marketing, content writing, and outreach. Experience in writing for high authority publications like Forbes, business insiders, and more. Looking to help company X increase their online presence and generate more leads through content.”

“dedicated branch manager with over five years of professional experience. Eager to join ABC inc. To offer managerial services, identify sales opportunities, and provide exceptional service to customers and satiate branch employees.”

“a passionate analyst with a strong background in management and communication. Seeking to improve the grasp of key business writer for DEF inc., increased employees’ understanding of key metrics by 25%. My google slides presentation of DEF’s corporate values was transformed into a webinar that got 3,000+views.”