Give hiring manager a glimpse into your expertise.
Photo credit: Andrea
If you had 30 seconds alone with a hiring manager from your dream company, what would you say to them? How would you get them interested in your skills? The resume summary is a lot like that. It is also called a summary statement, career or executive summary. It gives hiring managers a glimpse into the job seekers’ expertise. It is recommended that job seekers with limited or entry level experience shouldn’t use this summary in their CV. Instead they can opt for a career/resume objective.
Those who have more experience/skills in their field are best suited. It appears at the beginning of your resume to highlight your unique qualities. Many hiring managers read through hundreds of resumes in a day, a strong summary can enhance your resume to stand out from the pack. What do you need to write a great summary statement?
Sell yourself
Begin by stating who you are, what you do and level of experience. The last thing you want is to appear under qualified. So ensure you tailor make your resume summary to the specific job offer. It increases your relevance for the role in the company. An example can be, “Self-motivated and jovial customer service professional with 2+ years of experience…”
Use key words
Find words that describe your strong traits. Don’t put random things there. Use words that are specific to meet the employer’s needs as outlined in the job offer. Give details that will make an impact and make them shortlist you for an interview. You can mention numbers or percentages to quantify your achievements e.g. “As a business writer for Forbes, increased employees’ understanding of key metrics by 25%.”
Keep it short
The summary shouldn’t be a long paragraph. Remember that you are trying to make a lasting first impression and the appearance of your summary statement matters. It needs to be three to four sentences long. Keep it brief and clear by examining what the employer wants to achieve and mention how your experience will help get them where they want.
