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Are you applying for your dream job? Do you wish to get the attention of the prospective employer to your resume? For an impressive resume, you require a proper professional resume summary. Browse this site to know more about writing a professional resume summary.
What is a Professional Resume Summary?
The section of professional resume summary is the first thing that is observed by the employer. This is the reason why you should consider placing it on the top section of the document –right under the section of your name & contact information.
The primary role of the professional summary is to offer the hiring manager the idea of your overall achievements and skills without having the need to go through the rest of your resume. You can regard the professional summary to be a teaser for the remaining resume.
The professional summary is usually presented in a bullet point format –featuring around 4-5 bullet points. It helps in summarizing your topmost skills, achievements, and experiences as they are related to the given job opening. The section is known by several names. Some of the other names are the resume summary, resume statement, or the qualifications summary.
However, you should not mistake the same as a resume profile or objective.
What is the Requirement of a Professional Resume Summary?
When you include a professional resume summary, it allows you to get noticed quickly. Most of the hiring managers go through hundreds of resumes on a daily basis. When you include a good professional summary in your resume, it will draw their attention amongst the others. Moreover, when the professional summary is well-composed, it will compel them to go through the rest of the resume.
However, including a professional resume summary is not meant for all candidates. The given section is best-fit for experienced job seekers who have been constant in a particular job position for several years. The given segment of job seekers might have also played multiple roles in the same company or industry. A resume summary helps in highlighting particular skills or past experiences. It takes ample time to acquire the same.
However, what if you are a fresh graduate or a student? During the start of your professional career, you are still expected to attain professional experience. In the given case, you can go for the option of a resume objective. Rather than describing previous achievements or experiences, it helps in highlighting your motivation and skills.
What to Include in the Professional Resume Summary?
The summary statement is mostly the first item that is observed on the resume. Therefore, you should aim at getting straight to the point. Why should the company hire you in the first place? The summary statement that you write should be around 3-4 sentences long. In the given section, you should aim at highlighting your most relevant strengths, core competencies, and skillset that remain unique to you as the applicant.
Typically, you should analyze how you are capable of adding value to the company. Have you been successful in ensuring savings for the company in your past? Were you capable of streamlining the administrative process? You should aim at including skills as well as experiences for impressing the employer with the help of particular numbers, amounts, or percentages to quantify the overall achievements.
Make sure that you customize the resume statement or summary to the given job listing. In your resume statement, you should avoid using commonplace skills (like avoid specifying knowledge in Microsoft Office). You should also avoid making use of overused terms like ‘multitasker’ or ‘team leader.’ Make use of relevant action words for demonstrating your achievements.
The resume summary that you create should be around 2-4 lines that speak about your professional background only. Avoid addressing exceptional circumstances (like change of career, employment gaps, personal experiences, and so more). A cover letter serves to be an expanded version of the summary statement for allowing your personality to stand out from the others.
Tips to Writing the Perfect Professional Resume Summary
You can regard the resume summary as a tease of the remaining document. Therefore, your professional resume summary should contain all vital information to enhance the appeal of the document.
Here are some tips to compose the best professional resume summary:
- Customize it for the Particular Job Opening: Go through the job listing for which you are applying. Search for the most relevant keywords. Before you start writing your resume, you should analyze how particular keywords link with your personal skills & achievements. This way, you will have a better chance to go through the ATS or Automatic Tracking System used by companies.
- Emphasize the First Bullet Point: The first bullet point that you make use of should aim at highlighting your professional title. Always add your total experience. You should aim at communicating your professional identity instantly. You can also bold the section.
- Convert Achievements into Numbers: The bullet points that you include should have some sort of quantifiable data. You can make use of attractive sales figures, percentages, or numbers. It will offer the hiring managers an improved idea of how well you have performed in your previous jobs. Numbers definitely draw attention.
- Summarize What You are Offering: Rather than conveying what you want, you should highlight what the hiring managers want. Ensure that you are making it clear what value you are capable of bringing to the organization or the particular job profile.
- Pay Attention to Keywords: As you include a resume summary, you can easily address keywords that are listed in the given job posting. Go through the job description carefully for the specific positions that find your interest. You can review sections with proper terms like ‘education,’ ‘experience,’ and ‘requirements’ to analyze which experiences or skills you should include in the summary.
Conclusion
If you wish to secure your dream job, it is imperative to pay attention to your resume writing skills. Coming up with a professional resume summary is your best shot to draw the attention of the hiring managers.
Author Bio: ABC is a resume writing expert. He loves offering suggestions on how to write compelling resumes. He has ample experience in the corporate world. Therefore, he comes up with innovative, trending ideas to make you resume shine throughout.
