How To Write A Professional Summary On A Resume Examples

What Is A Good Professional Statement

It is a concise paragraph that summarizes and highlights your professional achievements and experience in the workplace, according to the American Business Dictionary. Your employment resume should include it underneath your name and contact information but above your work experience and educational background, unless otherwise stated.

How To Create Your Prole

To choose what to highlight in your summary, research positions of interest and write a list of the common requirements and qualications.

Assess your skills and credentials. How does your background and experience align with the qualications outlined in the job description? Select skills, experiences, special knowledge, and accomplishments that you want to highlight in your prole selection.

Next draft a few phrases that summarize your Skills/Experience/Accomplishments/Knowledge/Education

Now write a sentence describing your professional role, which you can use as the opening line in your prole. For example:

• Accomplished Marketing Executive with over 10 year experience in
• Fully knowledgeable in
• Experience managing professional sta including

Finally, put all of the sentences together and edit for a clean, concise, and compelling prole statement.

Medical Resume Summary Examples

Nurse Resume Summary

Registered nurse specialized in psychiatric nursing. Developed strong psychiatric-evaluation and treatment planning skills after 5 years of working at Hospital X. Experienced in administrative work, management, and training new employees.

Click here for the full nurse resume example.

Medical Assistant Resume Summary

Certified Medical Assistant with 10 years of experience in working in a fast-paced environment, handling confidential paperwork, administering medication and providing quality patient care. Team-oriented with proven ability to create positive rapport with patients, family, and staff. Completed and submitted clinical documentation in accordance with hospital regulations, and experience in supporting diagnostic and technical treatment procedures.

Click here for the full medical assistant resume example.

Dental Assistant Resume Summary

Licensed dental practitioner with 4+ years in helping dentists prepare, perform, and document procedures. Strong hand-eye coordination, with skills in 4-handed dentistry and working with patients.

You May Like: What Font Should My Resume Be

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

How To Write A Professional Summary If Youre Changing Careers

As a career changer, try to show how your past experience relates to the position youre applying for or how it can help your future employer grow.

Are you a software developer who wants to work with a new programming language, lets say Python? You can mention how youve already developed 7 mobile apps using JavaScript and HTML. Even something as small as completing a Python online course on CodeAcademy can work wonders.

But if you still feel like you dont have any relevant job experience, you consider writing a resume objective instead. Instead of past achievements and experiences, it highlights your transferable skills and motivation. Moreover, it explains why you seek to switch to a different industry.

Heres an example of a professional summary for someone changing careers:

• Certified Human Resources Associate aiming to leverage an extensive background in experience in digital marketing to develop a career in human resources.
• Knowledge of multiple HR software programs, such as Bamboo HR and Zenefits.
• Results-oriented and self-driven professional with exceptional communication and leadership skills, and the ability to adapt quickly to change.
• Looking for a human resources-related job within a company that offers flexibility and opportunity to grow both personally and professionally.

Also Check: How To List Cpr Certification On Resume

Fourth Keep Your Summary Short

A resume summary should be no longer than 2-3 sentences or bulleted points in a list. Space is limited in your one-page resume, so keep your summary short and straightforward.

Example:

Award-winning digital producer with 10+ years experience in supervising and creating digital media content. Adept in complex and compelling storytelling.

Proven leader of international sales organizations offering 20 years of experience in developing successful growth strategies and training team leaders. Known for crafting compelling marketing strategies. Effectively managed multi-million dollar, multi-product global businesses on several continents.

Blending lab management experience and academic training as a PhD in microbiology. Background includes office administration, event planning, and scheduling expertise.

Education Resume Summary Examples

Tutor Resume Summary

College graduate with a B.A. in English from University X, where I worked as an English tutor for 2 years. Strong understanding of grammar well as good essay writing skills. Helped freshmen proofread and write their essays. Taught English to international students online.

Teacher Resume Summary

Attentive and passionate secondary school social studies teacher focused on creating a positive environment in which students can learn and grow. Incorporates interdisciplinary knowledge in the classroom to engage students, strong knowledge of different teaching methodologies and developing lesson plans.

Click here for the full teacher resume example.

Don’t Miss: How To Insert Line In Word For Resume

+40 Resume Summary Examples

Have you ever wondered how recruiters decide which resumes reading and which ones to discard?

They scan resumes for up to 5-6 seconds, at most, and in that timeframe, they decide if the resume is relevant or not.

They scan for things like your career highlights, qualifications, and specific skills.

And unless they can see that youre relevant in a single glance, chances are, youre not getting the interview.

And this is where your resume summary comes in.

This is the first section theyre going to check. Look at it as an introduction to your resume.

Do this right, and your resume summary will be a giant flashing sign that says Hire Me!

So, are you ready to create a convincing resume summary?

In this guide, were going to cover:

• Whats a resume summary
• How to write an effective resume summary
• 40+ inspiring real-life resume summary examples

Digital Marketing Resume Summary:

A recurring mistake with resume summaries is the lack of clarity. When looking at the second example, the job recruiter might ask What new aspects have you worked on? What type of clients have you worked with? What valuable new experiences are you seeking?.

Every sentence should clearly further your message. If its meaningless, youre wasting the employers time and youll most likely fail to get into an interview.

You May Like: Awards And Acknowledgements In Resume

Align Your Linkedin Profile

Your is just as important as your resume. You want to make sure youre presenting yourself in the same way. But dont just cut and paste from your resume. LinkedIn is a different beast altogether so you want to make the best use of the platforms features. You dont have to use bullet points you can be more narrative, and even more casual, says Heifetz. You also want to tweak the tone. Theres a greater expectation that youll demonstrate personality, she adds. For example, the summary section should be written in the first person. It gives you the opportunity to present yourself as a living, breathing human being. Heres my colleague, , after she got some help revamping it from a professional.

Why Do You Need A Professional Summary

Recruiters are busy people, they go through dozens, sometimes hundreds of resumes before they can find a few qualified candidates.

Because of their time constraint, they dont have the luxury to go over every resume in depth.

In fact, on average recruiters only give each resume 6 seconds of their time.

You know what this means? Shortcuts. Instead of reading a resume thoroughly, recruiters will be cutting corners by skimming resumes in search of specific keywords and phrases that align with what the company is searching for.

Thats why you want to include the best resume summary you can come up with, because a good summary section consists of nothing but these juicy bite-size phrases and keywords that a recruiter can spot at a glance.

In short, a professional summary allows you to turn a recruiter’s time limitation into an advantage.

Don’t Miss: How To Put References On Your Resume

How To Write A Resume Summary For Students/fresh Graduates Quick Recap

If you follow the tips above, youll have a great entry-level resume summary that will stand out and catch a recruiters or hiring managers attention so you can get more interviews.

After you write your entry level resume summary, here are two more articles that may be helpful when job searching with no experience:

What To Write In Professional Summary

The following is an example of how to create a resume summary:

• Briefly describe your most distinguishing character features in a handful of sentences. Mention your present position as well as your previous work experience. Describe how you intend to assist the employer in achieving their objectives. Include information about your most significant accomplishments to demonstrate your ability to deliver outcomes if recruited.

• 13 What do I put in a personal statement?

Recommended Reading: How To Get A Resume Template On Word 2007

Resume Summary Example For Marketing Managers

Productive marketing manager with deep sales background. Looking to leverage 9 years of marketing experience to raise ROI for Kensington APT Global. At Hasida-Taylor, increased marketing ROI 28% through implementing a robust data collection and analytics program and a lean analytics cycle. Cut costs 22% through improved vendor management.

Certifications Or Professional Memberships

If you are in a profession where a certification is an important factor, having it and indicating it in your resume can surely secure you an interview. With fresh graduates actively looking for a job, hiring managers see to it to look at your certifications in order to screen people out. If youre still currently studying for one, make sure to make it known in your professional summary. Putting the keyword up in your resume can bring you up when employers search for such qualifications. You may also see thesis summary examples

For people with little experience or are in the middle of a career change, professional memberships are very much relevant. This can show your commitment to the field which can spark high interest from the employers provided they are already interested in your resume, of course. You may also like meeting summary examples

Read Also: What Does Related Coursework Mean On A Resume

Key Tips For A Professional Summary

Dont make a misstep! Here are some key tips for what to do and what to avoid with your professional summary statement.

What Should You Include?

• Keywords from the job listing:When possible, try to use specific language from the job listing. This demonstrates that youve carefully reviewed the listing and that youve got the skills and experience the potential employer is looking for.
• Milestones or key achievements:If you won a prestigious award that establishes you in the field, be sure to mention it.
• Impressive numbers:If you have more than 10 years of experience in the field, dont be shy about mentioning it. But focus on impressive numbers if your experience amounts to more like 6 months, you might not want to shout it out.

What Should You Avoid?

• Unnecessary information:Remember, the professional summary statement isnt intended to stand alone its a precursor to the resume. As Patt says, It needs to work in concert with all the other elements of the resume. This isnt the place to mention things like employment gaps or talk about your future goals.
• Being flashy:The professional summary statement is a sales tool, but it should be a soft sell. According to Patt, it should not call attention to itself avoid anything that is too attention-grabbing. Let your achievements and experience do the talking avoid brash or provocative language.

When Do You Use A Resume Summary

While working on the resume, one can either include the objective or a resume summary. They are both optional sections. The object of these sections is to explain how you can be the potential candidate for the job but in a unique way. Resume Objective gives a description of your professional goals of the candidates for the job they have applied for. Contrary to the resume summary, work experience is not included here. On the other hand, a resume summary consists of the experience you have attained working previously. How it can be beneficial for the Company, you have ventured to work with.

Don’t Miss: Should You Put Community Service On A Resume

What Is Unique About A Customer Service Resume Summary

Alright, now that youre on board with including a customer service resume summary, lets dig a little deeper. You have to figure out exactly what you need to highlight, ensuring you can craft an ideal overview of your capabilities.

One thing you need to realize is you only have a couple of sentences, max. Brevity is your ally. It forces you to focus, ensuring you get to the point quickly, and the hiring manager stays engaged.

Want to know how customer service summaries are different from other industries? Sure thing.

One stand out difference between a customer service resume summary and one for other fields is that customer service isnt just a job type its a specific skill. You need to make sure the bulk of your statement focuses on the core capabilities in that niche.

Additionally, you want to draw attention to the total amount of experience you bring to the table. Adding it all up is a must, allowing you to have an impressive number that the hiring manager cant miss.

MIKE’S TIP:its smart to touch on the specific sector if you are trying to land a job in the same niche.

What To Write In Your Profile Summary For Resume

The question arises what exactly do you write in your profile summary for your resume?

A profile resume summary describes the candidates skills, academic qualifications, achievements, and work experience. Its purpose is to give a sound idea of your qualifications in 3-4 sentences. Now, you must be wondering what to write in your profile summary for the resume?

We will learn this through the following examples of various professions.

General Guidelines to follow while building a resume summary are:

• Keep your profile short and precise. Two to five sentences in bullet form or a short paragraph would suffice. Think of the profile as an introduction to your career accomplishments and qualifications.
• Keep the professional tone of the summary in mind. Your career highlights, education, qualifications, accomplishments, and professional summary should be adequately summarised.
• Keep the profile section at the top of your resume page, above the work history, so that recruiters can view it while they are reviewing your application.

Recommended Reading: Smallest Font For Resume

Write Down The Most Repeated Keywords

These terms will let you reveal which ones are the most suitable words for your summary.

Just think about: when reading that first paragraph, those specific terms will work like triggers in readers minds, catching their attention immediately.

Select the ones that best fit your introduction and combine them with the rest in your paper and cover letter. And with some luck, in your interview.

Business Solutions Strategy Manager

I have spent over 10 years working with global industry leaders within Telecoms, FMCG, Energy and IT sectors. Possessing MBA, Engineering and Computer Science qualifications, my experience spans across strategy, operations, delivery and B2B sales . As a consultative and strategic problem solver, I have been effective in building relationships across functions at senior levels

You May Like: How To Edit Resume On Indeed

When To Use A Resume Summary

When building a resume, you can either include a resume summary or an objective, both of which are optional sections.

These sections explain why youre the ideal candidate for the job, but in a different way.

Your resume objective describes your professional goals for the job youre applying for. Unlike the resume summary, you dont include work experience here.

A resume summary, on the other hand, sums up your previous work experience and explains how it can benefit the company you want to work for.

Theres a clear difference and its important to know when to use each.

Heres how to decide:

• Do you have relevant work experience? Include a resume summary
• Dont have a lot of work experience in general or youre switching careers? Include a resume objective

Sticking to a resume summary? Just skip ahead, were going to more in-depth on how to write a summary in the next section.

If you want to create a resume objective, though, heres how.

A good resume objective does three things:

Essentially, the focus is more on your motivation than your experience.

Heres an example of a resume objective done right:

Good example:

If youre going to include an objective instead of a summary, make sure you:

Now, lets get back to the topic of writing resume summaries. Heres what to do it right.