How To Describe Yourself In A Resume Summary

Use Active Language And Concrete Examples

Use active language and quantifiable examples of your achievements to stand out from other applicants. Strong writing is an important part of showcasing your qualifications.

Try to identify your key strengths, relevant achievements, and any important projects that you have led. These can be used to demonstrate your skills and abilities using active language. Describe your most impressive accomplishments and highlight your competence.

Quantifiable achievements like sales, revenue, and user acquisition are all impressive examples of your abilities that look great in a summary statement. Any skills that you can back up with numbers will impress employers.

Startup And Finance Management Consultant Career Summary Example:

Experienced strategist, entrepreneur and startup enthusiast with a passion for building businesses and challenging the status quo. 8+ year track-record of defining new business strategies, launching new ventures, and delivering operational impact, both as a co-founder and management consultant.

Why this resume summary example is good:

This summary was for a highly-talented management consultant looking to break out of finance, and into trendier tech companies like Uber. His track record and educational background were great, so the goal of this summary section was to stand out and show hes more than just the typical consultant with a finance background. So we emphasized his passion for startups, his ability to think outside the box and challenge the status quo. Thats something that companies like Uber and other disruptive tech companies look for.

By: Biron Clark, Founder of CareerSidekick.com.

Now you have 10 professional resume summary statements and explanations of why theyre effective. Next, Ill share tips for how to write your own in case youre still unsure how to begin based on these examples above.

After You Start Getting Interviews Make Sure To Take Advantage

If you follow the advice above, youll have a great professional resume summary to make your qualifications stand out to employers.

But landing the interview is only half the battle So make sure you go into every interview ready to convince employers that they should hire you, too!

If you write a great resume summary example that gets employers excited to interview you, theyre going to ask you questions like, tell me about yourself early in the interview to learn more about your background. So make sure youre prepared with an answer.

I also recommend you review the top 20 interview questions and answers here.

Your resume caught their interest, so naturally, theyre going to follow up with a variety of questions to learn more about your professional background.

The bottom line is: A strong professional resume summary, followed up by other well-written resume sections will get you the interview, but your interview performance is what determines whether you get the job offer!

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What Is A Resume Summary

A resume summary, also known as a professional summary or summary statement, is a short description at the top of your resume that describes your experience, qualities and skills. Including a resume summary allows you to showcase your strongest assets right away.

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It can be helpful to think about a resume summary as an answer to the question, How would you describe your work experience in one sentence? For example, if you have 10 years of experience working as a registered nurse, youve likely developed a long list of accomplishments for your resume. Creating a summary that showcases the most relevant, key points for a specific position and employer offers a solid picture of your qualifications immediately.

Here are a few other ways including a resume summary can be helpful.

How To Describe Yourself Examples

• I am reliable.

• Curious.
• Driven.

Now ask your friends and family the same question. Using just a few words, have them describe your best qualities and/or characteristics.

• They see you as thorough.
• They see you as organized.
• They see you as reliable.
• They see you as responsible.

Once you have those two lists, go back to the job youre applying for and really read it again. Try to find two or three words that best describe that position.

What qualities or characteristics would an applicant need in order to be considered the Perfect Candidate?

Now go through and see how you can exemplify these qualities and characteristics.

Finally, determine exactly how all those things relate specifically to the position youre applying to.

Once you have all that information, you should be able to answer the question easily. Start with your quality/characteristic from the list of words to describe yourself and then finish off with a specific, tailored example. Keep your answer short and sweet.

Now before we get into how to properly answer this confusing question, lets hit on the ways NOT to answer it.

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Can You Tell Me More About Yourself

A Simple Formula for Answering Tell Me About Yourself

Present: Talk a little bit about what your current role is, the scope of it, and perhaps a big recent accomplishment. Past: Tell the interviewer how you got there and/or mention previous experience thats relevant to the job and company youre applying for.

Create Your Resume In Minutes

This section works as a hook, a brief but convincing description that tells in a few seconds if your resume is worth reading.

To do so, it must be succinct, crystal clear, right-to-the-point, and loaded with just the most fitting pieces of information.

Such a segment is mandatory for almost every type of professional profile. Today, the chronological resume is not enough to impress recruiters, nor even to surpass keyword filters.

In short, this is your very introduction to hiring managers. And to your benefit, many applicants flop in this part. And youll discover how to craft a kicking-ass summary to surpass them right here.

Also Check: Good Reason For Leaving A Job On Resume

What Is An Example Of A Summary

The definition of summary is a statement presenting the main points. An example of summary is a type of review of what happened at a meeting. Summary is defined as a quick or short review of what happened. An example of summary is the explanation of Goldilocks and the Three Bears told in under two minutes.

Profile Summary For Freshers: Journalist

Highly organized and self-motivated unique storyteller seeks the position of Xyz journalist. Bringing excellent verbal and written communication skills with two years of experience working in a multimedia environment. Ability to deliver promotable and compelling stories to the companys website and social media platforms.

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How To Write A Resume Summary For A Specific Role

To understand how to write a resume summary for a specific job, you must study the job posting and use your knowledge of the industry to identify your most relevant skills and achievements.

This means that every application will be different, but there are some standard questions you can ask yourself when you are brainstorming for each new resume summary:

• Who are you, and what is your current role?
• What skills will you bring to the new role?
• What are your career goals?

Your specific career and experience and how they relate to the new role will influence your summary.

Executive Resume Summary Example

For experienced professionals applying to an executive role, a resume summary is indispensable.

Have a look at this executive resume summary:

A seasoned and experienced senior executive with a proven track record of 15 years in the world of pharmaceuticals. Proficient in market penetration for new products as well as increasing revenue from existing product lines. Established markets for over 20 new product lines with over 60% more market reach compared to major competitors.

Now, create your own depending on your industry.

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Putting It All Together

Now that weve covered some example answers, go ahead and play around with your own qualities and characteristics adjectives and see how well they relate to the job youre interviewing for.

Remember, your goal for any interview is to demonstrate to the hiring manager that youre the right person for the position. By doing a little homework before you get to the interview youre also demonstrating that youre motivated, prepared, and capableall qualities any hiring manager would appreciate in a candidate.

In a wordyoure perfect!

Good luck!

P.S. Dont forget we wanted to let you know that there are over 100 other difficult interview questions you could be asked in your job interview. Sounds stressful right?

Dont worry, because we created a free PDF that outlines the most common questions and gives you word for word sample answers that you can use at your next interview. Click the link below to get your copy now!

Resume Summary Example For It Managers

Committed IT manager with 8+ years of experience. Seeking to use intensive leadership skills to improve efficiency at Jennings-Groves Medical. At Atalah-KQC Global, led team that developed a corporate auditing system that saved $110,000 annually. Designed an employee intranet for information sharing that saved 140 labor hours per year.

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Retail Resume Summary Examples

• Experienced Assistant Store Manager with strong leadership, problem-solving, time-management and organizational skills that have been honed and expanded in a large customer focused retail environment.

• Highly organized and innovative Buyer with 15+ years of experience identifying opportunities for improved inventory management and reducing purchase budgets to increase revenue. Passionate about customer service and delivering superior products in a timely manner.

• Organized and intuitive Merchandiser with 3+ years of experience boostings sales and foot traffic by strategically organizing products based on price, popularity and style.

• Efficient and energetic Retail Manager with 15+ years of experience driving increased customer traffic and sales by creating a friendly shopping environment. Effectively instills customer service skills in all employees with comprehensive training and rewards programs.

• Responsible, dedicated Stock Associate with more than three years of experience processing store shipments, organizing the stock room and labeling and scanning merchandise.

• Hardworking Cashier with 3 years of experience providing quick and efficient service to customers, accompanied by a proven track record of professionalism and maintaining a welcoming environment.

How To Write A Powerful Linkedin Profile Summary

Learn how to pitch your talents on LinkedIn in 30 seconds or less.

You have 30 seconds to describe yourself. Can you do it?

With a LinkedIn summary, that’s all the time you have. Sorry, no one wants to read your entire work history not even a little bit.

The summary section requires brevity and critical thinking. You must explain what you’re about and the impact you make on others.

So, do you need LinkedIn profile help?

The following guide is from my new book, Wait, How Do I Write This Email?, a collection of 100+ templates for networking, the job search, and LinkedIn.

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How Do I Write A Simple Resume

How to Write a Resume Step by step

When Youre Relying On Buzzwords

Adjectives no matter how strong are never a replacement for concrete data with appropriate examples.

Take specific instances from your work experience to highlight your skills, and rid your resume of unnecessary buzzwords.

Heres how one candidate used adjectives in their resume introduction the wrong way, by filling their sentence with buzzwords:

Don’t

I am skilled in a vast, interconnected array of SEO areas.

This sentence sounds nice, but actually says little about their qualifications. Their resume adjectives are just using up space, and dont provide anything of additional value to the hiring manager.

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What Is A Good Summary For A Resume With Little Experience

Theres no need to have Elon Musks profile to use this segment. If youve got some experience, background, or achievement, this is an excellent alternative.

If you dispose of zero experience but the job seems to be at your reach, the best option may be the objective section.

Why? Because with no experience, the best contribution you can offer is your potential. For this reason, you should describe it as best as possible, emphasizing what talents will help you achieve your goals in the company.

What Is A Good Summary For A Resume

An effective resume summary typically follows the following structure: Your experience summary Your general experience Your top achievements

Secondly, What do I put on a resume for my first job?

Resume Format

Also What is a good summary for a resume with little experience? Since you dont have work experience, your professional summary should include one or two adjectives describing your work ethic, your level of education, your relevant skills and your professional passions or interests. Each professional summary should be tailored to the specific job you are applying for.

In fact What is a good headline or summary for a resume?

A resume headline should be one brief phrase it should not even be a complete sentence. The goal is to concisely state your value as a candidate anything longer than a phrase defeats the purpose of a headline. Use keywords. Use keywords that demonstrate your skills or experience as related to the job application.

Also Check: How To Spell Resume For A Job

How Do You Write A Summary About Yourself

You can follow these steps to write about yourself:

Secondly, What is a good headline or summary for a resume?

A resume headline should be one brief phrase it should not even be a complete sentence. The goal is to concisely state your value as a candidate anything longer than a phrase defeats the purpose of a headline. Use keywords. Use keywords that demonstrate your skills or experience as related to the job application.

Also What are 5 words to describe yourself? Good Words to Describe Yourself

• Diligent / Loyal / Reliable. I am always the first person my friends call because they know I am always there for them.
• Creative / Innovative / Visionary.

In fact How do you write 5 sentences about yourself?

Some statements you should be able to include:

Motivated / Ambitious / Leader

I tend to be very driven in my approach to life and work. Throughout college, I was active in three clubs, worked full time, and still managed to graduate at the top of my class. As the oldest sibling, I have always been somewhat of a leader. My brothers and sisters constantly look up to me for advice and I try to be the person others would be confident to follow.

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Education Resume Summary Examples

• Self-motivated university graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education and critical experience in learning technology.

• Compassionate and organized Caregiver with 3+ years of experience in providing expert care to both English and Spanish-speaking children aged 0-5. Experienced in working with special needs children and maintaining their emotional comfort and safety.

• Imaginative, patient Special Education Teacher with 3+ years of experience focusing on meeting IEP goal requirements for students with special educational, behavioral and mental health needs.

• Dedicated Tutor with 3+ years of experience improving student grades by focusing on total comprehension with targeted lessons in a variety of subject areas. Quickly identifies individual student learning styles to tailor exercises to their needs.

• Motivated Teaching Assistant with 3+ years of experience promoting collaboration with the lead teacher to support student educational needs.

• Conscientious Counselor with 3+ years of experience staying attentive to the needs of children, students, and parents, while ensuring a welcoming, trusting environment. Enjoys creating customized plans and programs to spur educational and emotional growth.

Use Numbers In Your Resume Summary

Great resume summaries include quantified achievements. Attaching numbers to your resume profile helps recruiters see your potential.

For example, some powerful numbers that you can include on your resume summary:

• Number of years of experience
• Number of people youâve managed
• Number of customers youâve acquired or served
• Size of team that you worked on
• Productivity or efficiency gains as a percentage

Quantify your results

Made supply chain of my company better while managing a team.

Correct Example

Supply Chain Manager with 5+ years of experience. Achieved a 20% reduction in inventory days. Managed a team of 5 direct reports.

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It Project Manager Resume Summary Example:

Experienced Project Manager with vast IT experience. Skills include computer networking, analytical thinking and creative problem solving. Able to apply customer service concepts to IT to improve user experience for clients, employees and administration.

Why this resume summary is good:

Because this candidate is switching career paths, its important he or she take skills used for previous positions and apply those skills to the new job listing. This is a great example because the candidate makes it clear that his or her experience is not in the new field, but that they are still able to bring relevant experience to the table.

When writing your resume summary, keep these tips in mind: Use writing that is straight to the point, clear and concise, youll have a higher chance of getting noticed by the hiring manager.

By: Sarah Landrum, Founder of Punched Clocks, contributor at Entrepreneur.com and Forbes