write professional summary for resume

24 Resume Summary Examples That Get Interviews

By Biron Clark

Published: November 8, 2023

Biron Clark

Writer & Career Coach

A resume summary statement usually comes right after a job seeker’s contact info and before other resume sections such as skills and work experience. It provides employers with a brief overview of a candidate’s career accomplishments and qualifications before they read further. Because of how early it appears on the document, your resume summary statement (or your CV “profile” in the UK) is one of the first places recruiters and employers look. And without the right information, they’ll doubt that you’re qualified and may move to another resume.

So I got in touch with a select group of professional resume writers, coaches and career experts to get their best resume summary examples you can use and adapt to write a resume summary that stands out and gets interviews.

As a former recruiter myself, I’ll also share my best tips to write your resume summary effectively.

Why the Resume/CV Summary is Important

You may have heard that recruiters only spend 8-10 seconds looking at your resume. The truth is: they spend that long deciding whether to read more. They do glance that quickly at first and may move on if your background doesn’t look like a fit. However, if you grab their attention, they’ll read far more. Recruiters aren’t deciding to interview you in 8-10 seconds, but they are ruling people out in 8-10 seconds. And this is why your resume summary is so crucial. It appears high up on your resume (usually right after your header/contact info) and is one of the first sections employers see. So it’s part of what they’ll see in the first 8-10 seconds.

Your resume summary statement is one of your first (and one of very few) chances to get the employer to stop skimming through their pile of resumes and focus on YOU.

Watch: Resume Summary Examples That Get Interviews

10 resume summary examples:.

These career summary examples will help you at any experience level – whether you’re writing a professional summary after a long executive career, or writing your first resume summary without any experience! After you finish this article you’re NEVER going to have to send out a limp, weak resume summary statement again (and you’ll get far more interviews  because of it).

1. Healthcare Sales Executive Resume Summary Example:

Turnaround & Ground Up Leadership – Concept-to-execution strategies for untapped products, markets + solutions that yield 110% revenue growth – Negotiates partnerships with leading distributors + hospitals—Medline to Centara + Novant Health to Mayo Clinic –  Revitalizes underperforming sales organizations via scalable, sustainable infrastructures emulated as best practice –  C-Level networks of clinical + supply chain leadership acquired during tenures with XXX, XXX and XXX

Why this resume summary is good:

This resumes summary example’s strength lies in the detailed, unique information that has been included. By including revenue stats, names of past employers and partners, the reader right away sees that this person will bring to the role a strong networking ability with key players in his industry, and more importantly can build, grow and revitalize a sales organization, market or product.

By:  Virginia Franco, Founder of Virginia Franco Resumes  and Forbes contributor.

2. 15+ Year Business Owner Resume Summary Statement:

Dynamic and motivated marketing professional with a proven record of generating and building relationships, managing projects from concept to completion, designing educational strategies, and coaching individuals to success. Skilled in building cross-functional teams, demonstrating exceptional communication skills, and making critical decisions during challenges. Adaptable and transformational leader with an ability to work independently, creating effective presentations, and developing opportunities that further establish organizational goals.

Why this is a good summary section:

This is a resume summary statement that was for  a candidate returning to work after having her own business for 15+ years. Because of this, we needed to emphasize her soft skills and what she can bring to this potential position. In addition, we highlighted the skills she has honed as a business owner so that she can utilize these qualifications as a sales professional, account manager , and someone knowledgeable about nutrition, medicine, and the overall sales process.

By: Dr. Heather Rothbauer-Wanish. MBA, Ph.D., CPRW, and Founder of Feather Communications

3. Human Resources Generalist Resume Summary Example:

Human Resources Generalist with progressive experience managing employee benefits & compliance, employee hiring & onboarding, performance management processes, licensure tracking and HR records. Dependable and organized team player with the ability to communicate effectively and efficiently. Skilled at building relationships with employees across all levels of an organization. Proficient with HRIS, applicant tracking and benefits management.

Why this is a good resume summary:

The applicant highlights their experience across a wide range of HR functions from the very first sentence, and continues this pattern throughout the rest of the summary. They then use easily digestible langue to showcase their hard skills (in the first & fourth sentences) and soft skills (in the second & third sentences). They also integrate a variety of keywords to get past automated job application systems , without sounding spammy or without overdoing it.

By: Kyle Elliott, MPA/CHES,  Career Coach and Consultant

4. Social Media Marketing CV Profile Example (UK):

Social media expert with successes in the creation and management of social media strategies and campaigns for global retail organisations. Extensive experience in the commercial utilisation of multiple social media channels including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube; I build successful social strategies that increase brand awareness, promote customer engagement and ultimately drive web traffic and conversions.

Why this summary is good:

This summary is well-written, short, sharp, and gives recruiters a high-level explanation of the candidate’s core offerings in a persuasive and punchy style. A quick scan of this profile tells you the exact type of social media platforms the candidate is an expert in, as well as the campaigns they have experience running and types of organizations they have worked for. Most importantly, the summary is rounded off by showing the results that this person achieves for their employers, such as increased web traffic and conversions.

Editor’s note: This CV profile summary was written for the UK market… this is a great one to use/copy, but make sure you put it through a spell-checker if you’re applying for jobs in the US (utilisation vs. utilization, etc.)

By: Andrew Fennell, Director at StandOut CV , contributor for The Guardian and Business Insider

5. Marketing Manager Professional Summary Example:

Marketing Manager with over eight years of experience. Proven success in running email marketing campaigns and implementing marketing strategies that have pulled in a 20% increase in qualified leads. Proficient in content, social media and inbound marketing strategies. Skilled, creative and innovative.

This resume summary stands out because it gets straight to the point. By immediately introducing the number of years of experience the candidate has, the HR manager doesn’t need to spend time adding up years. The candidate also jumps right into his or her strongest skill, provides a statistic , then gives additional skills.

By: Sarah Landrum, career expert and contributor at Entrepreneur.com and Forbes

6. Warehouse Supervisor Resume Summary Example:

Warehouse Supervisor with Management, Customer Service, & Forklift Experience –  Dependable manager with 15+ years of experience in warehouse management and employee supervision. –  Skilled at managing inventory control, shipping & receiving, customer relations and safety & compliance. –  Certified Power Equipment Trainer, Forklift Operator and Reach Operator skilled at coaching other staff. –  Promoted to positions of increased responsibility given strong people and project management skills.

The applicant was applying for a warehouse supervisor position that required them to have demonstrated management, customer service and forklift experience. As such, the applicant showcased their experience in these areas with a few keywords in the title, followed by additional details in the accompanying bullet points. Their final bullet shows a record of promotions, while reinforcing the applicant’s customer service and project management skills.

7. 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.

Because this candidate is switching career paths, it’s 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, you’ll have a higher chance of getting noticed by the hiring manager.

8. Career-Changer Resume Summary Example:

Earn trust, uncover key business drivers and find common ground as chief negotiator and identifier of revenue opportunities in sales, leadership and account management roles spanning e-Commerce, air travel and high-tech retail. Navigate cultural challenges while jumping time zones, lead international airline crews and manage corporate accounts to deliver an exceptional customer experience. A self-taught techie sought after as a go-to for complex billing systems and SaaS platforms alike—bridging the divide between technology and plain-speak. – Tenacious Quest for Success + Learning . Earned MBA and BS in just 3 years while working full-time – gaining hands-on experience in research- and data-driven product roadmap development, pricing and positioning. – Results-Driven Leadership. Whether leading Baby Boomers, Gen X or Millennials—figures out what makes teams tick, trains and transforms individuals into top-performers. – Challenger of Conventional Wisdom. Always ask the WHY. Improve the user experience through smart, strategic thinking that anticipates outcomes. Present cases that influence, and lead change that drives efficiency and profitability.

This client was eager for a career change and had moved from role to role and industry to industry. After completing her Master’s degree, she was eager to tie her skills together to land a role – which she did – as a Senior Technology Account Strategist for a global travel company. Although a bit longer than a traditional summary, its strength lies in the details. Without ever getting to the experience section, the reader gets a clear idea of the scope of responsibility, and hard and soft skills the candidate brings to the table.

By: Virginia Franco, Founder of Virginia Franco Resumes  and Forbes contributor.

9. Project Management Executive Professional Summary Example:

15+ years of initiating and delivering sustained results and effective change for Fortune 500 firms across a wide range of industries including enterprise software, digital marketing, advertising technology, e-commerce and government. Major experience lies in strategizing and leading cross-functional teams to bring about fundamental change and improvement in strategy, process, and profitability – both as a leader and expert consultant.

Why this resume summary is good:

“Project Manager” is one of those job titles that’s REALLY broad. You can find project managers earning $50K, and others earning $250K. The client I wrote this for was at the Director level, and had worked for some of the biggest and best tech companies in her city. So this resume profile section shows her level and experience, and the wide array of areas she has responsibility for in her current work. You can borrow or use some of the phrasing here to show that you’ve been responsible for many important areas in your past work.

By: Biron Clark, Founder of  CareerSidekick.com.

10. 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 he’s more than just the typical consultant with a finance background. So we emphasized his passion for startups, and his ability to think outside the box and challenge the status quo. That’s something that companies like Uber and other “disruptive” tech companies look for.

14 Resume Summary Examples for Various Industries

Compassionate and effective 5th-grade teacher with experience overseeing the classroom and preparing lessons. Extensive experience encouraging students through positive reinforcement and motivational techniques. Collaborate well with school administration and other members of the teaching team. Ensure all students meet learning requirements, including literacy, social, and arithmetic skills.

2. Teacher’s Assistant

Goal-oriented teacher’s assistant with ten years of experience working with elementary school children. Aid teachers with lesson planning, classroom settings, and group instruction. Model positive behavior and maintain order in the classroom. Willingness to take on additional responsibilities to meet learning objectives.

Tech Industry

3. computer programmer.

Innovative computer programmer with a proven track record of writing high-quality code and supporting team needs with subject matter expertise. Adept in multiple programming languages, including Python, JavaScript, and C++. Ability to troubleshoot complex programming issues with inventive solutions. 

4. Cybersecurity Analyst

Dedicated cybersecurity analyst with ten years of experience in online security research, execution, planning, and maintenance. Proven track record of identifying business risks and proactively resolving them. Experience designing and instituting layered network security for large-scale organizations. Train users and other staff members on IT safety procedures and preventive techniques.

Skilled healthcare professional with ten years of experience in patient care, diagnosis, and providing appropriate treatments and medical services. Manage medical staff and resolve complex medical cases with maximum efficiency. Communicate the patient’s condition and treatment plan in easily understood terminology. Remain current with the latest advancements in medicine and research to ensure patients receive proper care.

6. Registered Nurse

Seasoned registered nurse offering comprehensive patient care in emergency room settings. Experience handling diverse patient populations and caring for various conditions. Proven leadership managing nursing teams and other staff. Focus on enhancing patient care and satisfaction through empathetic communication and excellent customer service. 

7. Digital Marketing Manager

Forward-thinking digital marketing manager experienced in all facets of digital marketing, including social media management, PPC advertising, SEO, and email marketing. Proven experience creating comprehensive marketing plans that improve lead prospecting and enhance brand awareness. Up to date with the newest tools available for digital marketing campaigns.

8. Marketing Analyst

Industrious marketing analyst well-versed in analyzing marketing campaign analytics and making recommendations to improve performance. Collaborate with account managers and use KPI metrics to explain the results of marketing initiatives. Meticulous with a strong work ethic and robust communication skills.

Food and Service Industry

Experienced wait staff member capable of managing orders, processing payments, and upselling menu items. Ensure restaurant guests feel welcome with attentive service catered to their needs. Remain current on updates to the menu and assist guests with selecting orders to meet their dietary requirements. Maintain a positive attitude and focus during busy restaurant periods.

10. Hotel Receptionist

Friendly hotel receptionist with extensive experience handling guest check-ins, check-out, and payments. Facilitate a positive guest experience with polished customer service skills and a readiness to address common inquiries and complaints. Collaborate well with other hotel team members, including executive administration and on-site restaurant staff.

Business/Office Jobs

11. financial analyst.

Highly motivated financial analyst with a proven track record of recommending appropriate financial plans based on financial monitoring, data collection, and business strategizing. Experienced in qualitative and quantitative analysis, forecasting, and financial modeling. Excellent communication skills for building and fostering long-term business relationships across the organization.

12. Tax Accountant

Experienced tax accountant with ten years of experience preparing federal and state tax returns for corporations and partnerships. Monitor changes in laws to ensure the organization properly complies with reporting requirements. Assist with tax audits, ensuring the team receives proper supporting evidence for tax positions. Analyze and resolve complex tax issues. Look for available tax savings opportunities for corporations with an aggregate savings of $500K last year. Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail.

Sales and Customer Service

13. sales representative.

Enthusiastic sales representative with expertise in identifying prospects and converting qualified leads to paying customers. Provide quality customer service and contribute to team sales success. Offer exceptional communication skills and seek to understand client needs before making the appropriate product recommendations. Continually meet and exceed sales goals. Leverage extensive knowledge of available products to provide appropriate client solutions and enhance customer loyalty and retention.

14. Customer Service Associate

Knowledgeable customer service professional with extensive experience in the insurance industry. Known as a team player with a friendly demeanor and proven ability to develop positive rapport with clients. Maintain ongoing customer satisfaction that contributes to overall company success. Highly articulate, with a results-oriented approach that addresses client inquiries and issues while maintaining strong partnerships. Collaborate well with the customer service team while also engaging independent decision-making skills.

Now you have 24 professional resume summary statements and some explanations of why they’re effective. Next, I’ll share tips for how to write your own in case you’re still unsure how to begin based on these examples above.

How to Write a Resume Summary: Steps and Hints

We’ve looked at 10 great resume summary examples above. As you begin writing a resume summary for yourself, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind:

• Read the employer’s job description. Your career summary shouldn’t be a long list of everything you’ve done; it should be a refined list of skills and experiences that demonstrate you’re a fit for their job.
• Mention your current job title if relevant. One common way to begin your resume summary is to state your current job title.
• Explain how you can help employers achieve their goals or solve their problems.
• Consider using bold text to emphasize one or two key phrases.
• Include any relevant metrics and data like dollar amounts, years of experience, size of teams led, etc. This helps your resume stand out.
• Focus on making the employer want to read more. The goal of your resume summary isn’t to show everything you can do, but to grab their attention and show enough that they continue reading.

Creating a Customized Resume Summary

While general summaries are appropriate when applying for jobs requiring similar skills and experience, a customized resume summary can enhance your chances of moving on to the next step in the hiring process. 

That’s because most companies use automated tracking systems (ATS) to review submitted resumes for content directly related to the job posting. If you use keywords and natural language phrases in your summary that interlink to the job description, you’ll have a much higher chance of passing the ATS review.

Let’s look at an example of a resume summary that is customized for the specific job description below:

“Highly motivated social media specialist with strong project management skills. Creative marketer skilled in crafting innovative social media campaigns that resonate with a target audience. Regularly develop compelling copy and social media content to enhance lead generation and brand awareness. Detail-oriented with extensive project management skills that ensure proper prioritization of tasks and projects. Work with various social media management and analytics tools to examine results and make adjustments as necessary.”

This summary directly addresses the key points in the job description but rewrites them so the customization is natural and flows well. It’s personalized for the open role and uses similar terms with a few strategically placed keywords, such as “social media content” and “project management.”  

How Long Should a Resume Summary Be?

As you read the resume summaries above, you probably noticed there are some short single-paragraph resume summary examples and much longer career summaries that are two to three paragraphs plus bullet points. So how long should YOUR professional summary be? If you have relevant work experience, keep your summary to one or two paragraphs. The piece you really want the hiring manager to read is your most recent work experience (and you should make sure you tailored that info to fit the job description). The resume summary is just a “bridge” to get the hiring manager into your experience.

If I were writing my own career summary right now, I’d likely use one single paragraph packed with skills, accomplishments, and exactly why I’m ready to step into the job I’ve applied for and be successful!

Even for a manager resume summary, I recommend a very short length. However, if you’re changing careers, or you’re looking for jobs without any work experience , the summary section needs to stand on its own, and should be longer. That’s why some examples above are a bit longer.

Formatting Your Resume/CV Career Summary

You may have noticed a variety of different formats in the career summary examples above. There isn’t one “right” way to format this section on your resume or CV. However, I recommend either using one or two brief paragraphs, or combining a short sentence or paragraph with bullets. Avoid writing three or four long paragraphs with no special formatting like bullet points. That’s simply too much text for your summary section and will cause recruiters and hiring managers to skip over it in some cases.

Should You Include a Resume Objective?

You do not need to include an objective on your resume, and doing so can make your resume appear outdated. Use a resume summary instead of an objective. Follow the resume summary examples above and focus on discussing your skills, qualifications, and achievements, rather than stating your objective. Employers know that your objective is to obtain the position you’ve applied for, and the resume objective has no place on a modern resume/CV in today’s job market.

Examples of Bad Resume Summaries

Now that we’ve seen a few exemplary resume summaries, let’s look at some that you should avoid at all cost.

1. Typos and Grammatical Errors

“Experienced cashier who knows how to run the register cash. Responsible with the money and can talk with the customer. Knows when to stoc up the invenory and checks it all the time. Can count change and run credit card tranactions. Get the customer happy by good service. I am always cheerful and organized.”

Why this resume summary is bad:

If you read the summary carefully, you’ll notice several spelling errors. The words “stock,” “inventory,” and “transactions” are all spelled wrong. Grammatical errors make the summary choppy and difficult to follow (“Get the customer happy by good service”).  A summary like this probably won’t fly with a company looking for a detail-oriented cashier responsible for managing in-person sales.

2. Lacks Relevant Keywords

“Talented worker with experience managing a team of staff. Creative and responsible with knowledge of organizational processes. Can keep up with the busiest of environments. Stays focused when at work, ensuring prompt task completion. Dependable and willing to collaborate with a team to get things done.”  

In this example, the chef doesn’t use keywords relevant to cooking, restaurants, or kitchens. The summary is very generic and can apply to nearly any job. A manager who receives the application isn’t likely to understand what value the candidate can bring to the restaurant.  To fix the summary, the applicant must rewrite it to include relevant keywords and phrases. 

3. No Numbers to Quantify Achievements

“An experienced and hardworking manager ready to align procedures for maximum revenue and profits. Proven track record of streamlining and strengthening processes, resulting in higher sales and better customer satisfaction. Collaborate well with sales team members, ensuring they have the resources and knowledge to support customer purchases and inquiries. Develop strong rapport with clients and maintain ongoing relationships.”

This isn’t a terrible summary for a sales manager, but it has room for improvement. For one, the first two sentences essentially duplicate each other, mentioning an aptitude for improving processes with the objective of higher sales. The other issue is a lack of quantifying achievements. 

The applicant mentions they have a proven record of increasing sales, but they could strengthen the summary by quantifying their results. For example, they might say, “Proven track record of streamlining and strengthening processes, resulting in a 25% increase in sales over the past year.” The quantifier provides additional credibility. 

4. Not Targeting the Specific Job

“Looking for work in a role that requires great customer service, project management, and communication skills. Able to collaborate with people from diverse and varying backgrounds. Highly organized and reliable worker with a strong work ethic. Responsible and reliable worker you can count on.”

While the candidate lists various skills they have, including customer service and project management, there’s no indication of prior roles held or what position they’re applying for. The summary could apply to numerous positions in a variety of industries. To improve the resume summary, the applicant must specify the job they’re applying for and indicate their prior experience in a similar role, if they have any.

After You Start Getting Interviews, Make Sure to Take Advantage…

If you follow the advice above, you’ll 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, they’re going to ask you questions like, “tell me about yourself” early in the interview to learn more about your background. So make sure you’re prepared with an answer.

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

Your resume caught their interest, so naturally, they’re 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!

About the Author

Read more articles by Biron Clark

More Resume Tips & Guides

Crafting the perfect resume for teens (template & expert advice), how to beat applicant tracking systems with your resume, what do recruiters look for in a resume, what happens when you lie on your resume 10 risks, don’t say you’re a quick learner on your resume, guide to resume sections, titles, and headings, 12 resume formatting tips from a professional, how artificial intelligence (ai) is changing resume writing, 22 resume bullet point examples that get interviews, are resume writers worth it, 41 thoughts on “24 resume summary examples that get interviews”.

I would recommend to customise the skills section of your resume, and ensure that it matches the job posting. The higher the number of phrases within the resume matching the job requirements the more are the chances that the recruiter will pick you for the job.

I just wanted to say, “thank you!”. This was very helpful. Instead of jumping from one website to the next there’s so much useful, relevant information right here.

Hi, I have been having trouble creating a resume as My old one is so long, I’ve worked for a government agency for the past 14 years and held multiple positions doing many different duties for each and now I have to relocate to another area where they do not have an agency like mine in my new area within a 3 hour drive, how can I squeeze all my experience and duties on one page and where do I even start, I’m so nervous, it’s been so long since I’ve attempted the job hunt. So I’m wondering, I do not want to cut anything out that may hurt my chances and I can’t afford to have my resume rewritten by a professional. Can you guide me as to where you think would be a good place to start, I’ve been staring at this laptop for weeks trying to decide on a resume template, there are so many. I thank you for your time and any input will help.

Hi, I am a new graduate and do not have any experience in my field which is Nursing. I want to apply for the jobs but I have no idea about what to mention in my resume.

Hi, this article should help with the resume summary, at least: https://careersidekick.com/summary-for-resume-no-experience/

Other than that, you need to put your academic experience. And internships/part-time jobs if you’ve had any.

Dear Biron,, Thanks for sharing the 10 examples of professional summaries in your article, and especially the reasons why they were considered to be good. However, as a HR professional, I would most likely skip over most of them and would not read much past the first or second sentence. The summaries were mostly too wordy and boring, and did not demonstrate ‘oomph’ at first cursory reading. Simply indicating certain skills or behaviors does not give an idea of the level of expertise, and could simply be wishful thinking on the part of the resume writer.

Just goes to show that there are many ways to see what makes a good summary.

I am a chemical engineer and project management professional with 15+years experience. My experience is between process engineering and project management . How can I marry the two in my profile summary?

It’s not about showing everything you’ve done. It’s about showing employers evidence you’ll succeed in their job. You can show a bit of both but focus heavily on what’s most relevant for the jobs you’re applying for right now. 80/20.

This was absolutely helpful and amazing! Thank you very much!

Hello, I am an active job seeker. I hold a law degree from a foreign country and currently in college for an associate degree. My question is, how do I blend both my foreign job experience with that of the United States in my resume. Thank you.

I’d put your work history in chronological order, starting with the most recent up top. That’s what I’d recommend for 95% of people actually. Then it doesn’t matter where you held each job.

And then in your Education section, I’d include your foreign degree and the current degree you’re pursuing in the US, too (for the US degree, you can say “in progress” or “graduating May 2019” for example).

I am 40 years old & B.A degree holder I have experience in many fields.I would like to join any one fields

I am a fresh graduate, who has five years teaching experience and some months customer service representative experience. Pls kindly assist me to put the resume summary together

I’m an active duty service member and finding in a little difficult creating a good transitional summary from 20 year profession in tactical communications to a drug and alcohol counselor. Do you have any recommendations how I should approach this? Any assistance would be helpful. Thanks

Great piece

How to write the CAREER ABSTRACT in resume for ware super visor retail business?

Just wanted to say thank you.Your advise and information was clear and easy to understand , sometimes there is nothing pertaining to what im looking fot in particular, buy you have sermed to cover everything I n a short quick easy to understand method.It will help tremendously.

Thanks! Glad to hear it helped :)

Very informational

What if you have work experience, but the job your going for(teachingeducation) has nothing to do with warehouse work? How should I build my resume?

In the summary, describe yourself and then say, “…looking to transition into ___” (the type of work you want to be doing now).

This is a bit like a resume “Objective”. I normally don’t recommend an Objective section (and I recommend a Summary section instead), however the one time an Objective does make sense is when you’re trying to change industries or make a big change in the type of role you have.

So that’s why my advice here might seem like I’m telling you to combine an Objective with your resume Summary.

Then “tailor” your previous work to be as relevant as possible. Even if you worked in a different industry you can still show things like leadership, accountability, progress/improvement, hard work, achieving goals, strong teamwork skills, etc. You can do all of that in your resume bullets and work history.

Don’t u have Resume Summary of legal secretary/legal assistant?

No, sorry about that. There are hundreds of different professions/job titles, and we aren’t able to include an example for every scenario out there. These resume summary examples are designed to give you a general idea of how to write yours.

The summaries listed are excellent example and have helped me develop a stand out summary for a new position.

Hello, I been trying to land the job of my dreams. I need help with my resume if i want the recruiters in airlines to notice me. I’ve applied before but haven’t had complete success to making it to a face-to Face Interview. It is a career change – yet i feel i am a great candidate bc i have had many customer service and I even attended an academy for that specific position. Can you please tell me what I am doing wrong on my resume ?

what if i never had a job experience?

Great question. If you don’t have any work experience, take one of the formats/examples above and put your accomplishments and qualifications from your academic studies.

Your headline could say: “Motivated Bio-Sciences Graduate With Expertise in ____”.

And then you might talk about accomplishments in school, group projects you worked on or led, etc.

Basically, when you have no work experience, your school/studies BECOMES your recent work. You should talk about that like it’s a job, because that’s the experience you do have.

really amazing article and too useful , thanks

Hi Mr. Clark, I have been out of the work force for about 18+years and I have been a small business owner for the same number of years. However, I want to go back to the work force. But my problem is that, I don’t know how to prepare my resume or resume summary statement. I had a degree in Communication,Arts and Sciences and a postgraduate degree in Public Administration. I’m a bit confused as to how to incorporate all these experiences into my resume. Please can you help?

Hi Dorothy, I can recommend a professional resume writer if you want. But they’re typically not cheap, so it’s something you’d have to be willing to invest in. If not, there’s a lot of free info online about how to “tailor” your resume for specific jobs. I can’t help one-on-one unfortunately, but I’d recommend thinking about which type of jobs you want, and think of what experience you have that is most relevant. that’s what to put on your resume. Your resume isn’t only about you, it’s about them – what do they want/need? (if you want to get a ton of interviews, that’s how to do it :) ).

Can I have a professional resume writer?

I use a similar format when writing my opening statement for my coverletter. How do you recommend differentiating the two? Or is it ok to use largely the same language?

I think it’s okay to use something similar. I might be more brief in the cover letter… it needs to be about them just as much as it’s about you. Whereas the resume is all about you, at least in the summary section. (The later sections should still be tailored to THEIR needs..)

Struggling to write a Summary Statement for a Secretary/Administrative Assistant position. I have 15 years government experience but have been away from the government since 9/1993 and have spent 15 years as a Substitute Teacher after taking off for 10 years to raise my children.

Hiya! I am a mother of three attempting to return to the workforce. I have been a stay at mom for about 13 years, so I have a (large) gap in my employment history; which doesn’t look great. I have a college education and have obtained a few certifications whilst not employed, plus many volunteer hours. I know that I should probably use a functional resume format. Would love some advice on what I should include in my summary statement.

Hi Juniper,

I rarely like functional resumes, but it might be worth trying. I’d “split-test” it (a marketing term). Create two resume styles, send out 50% one way, 50% the other way, and track results for a week.

I’d treat the resume summary statement just like any other resume. Highlight your skills and past wins/accomplishments.

how do i explain long term gaps in employment? leave them out?

Hi Paulette,

Don’t mention them on a resume summary. But do mention the gaps on a cover letter or lower down on the resume. Here’s an article on how to explain gaps in employment:

https://careersidekick.com/explaining-gaps-in-employment/

I am student in civil engineering field. Have 1.5 yrs of work ex. How should i structure my resume. Thanks.

Hello My name is Shataka and I’m a current job seeker trying to land my dream job as a Counselor. I have Master degree in Counseling Psychology and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work. My experience lies in many different fields. I’m currently a Substance Abuse Counselor, with a teaching background and over 5 years of social service experience. I guess my question is how would I sum up all my experience to help me find a job as a Counselor.

Comments are closed.

35+ Resume Summary Examples + Expert Tips

Our customers have been hired at: * Foot Note

A resume summary, positioned at the top of your resume, offers your first opportunity to make a strong impression on a hiring manager. It should be concise, impactful, and include the appropriate action words and keywords.

Unsure about crafting a resume summary? Don’t worry! We are here to help. This guide focuses specifically on how to write a professional resume summary.

In this guide, we cover:

• The definition and purpose of a resume summary statement.
• Reasons for using a resume summary.
• Tips for writing an effective resume summary.
• The appropriate situations for including a summary in your resume.

To inspire you, we provide over 35 examples of resume summaries. Additionally, we offer practical resume writing tips to help you craft the best resume summary you’ve ever written.

In addition to the guidance provided on this page for crafting an effective resume summary, we’re excited to offer you a comprehensive tool – the MyPerfectResume resume builder . This powerful resource will walk you through the entire resume creation process, from start to finish. It not only helps you with your resume summary but also assists in crafting a perfect resume tailored to your unique skills and experiences.

Video: Master Resume Building in 3 Minutes with MyPerfectResume

Now, let’s dive into the art of crafting a compelling resume summary, and know that our resume builder is here to support you every step of the way.

Make a resume with My Perfect Resume

Our Resume builder can help you write the perfect resume. Start Now!

General resume summary examples

Efficient and detail-oriented secretary with 10 years of experience delivering administrative support to C-Suite executives in Fortune 500 companies. Demonstrated success in creating processes that boost operational efficiency. Recognized for organizational abilities and positive attitude.

This is a good general summary for a resume because it:

• Displays the job seeker’s experience level in the first sentence. 
• Shows the types of people and companies they support. 
• Emphasizes specific skills by explaining how the job candidate used them.
• Highlights recognitions the job seeker has received for certain skills on a resume .

Creative and energetic cook experienced working in high-volume restaurants with diverse teams. Adept at creating menus, sourcing ingredients and plating. Friendly team player who supports and motivates others while able to work independently. Committed to food safety and quality.

This is a good professional summary for a resume because it:

• Uses descriptive words to display the job applicant’s skills. 
• Highlights relevant expertise, like “creating menus.” 
• Specifies the kind of restaurants and people the candidate has experience with.
• Explains that the job seeker can work well alone and with others.

Patient and outgoing customer service representative with five years of experience in retail settings. Consistent positive interactions with customers and conflict resolution skills have resulted in promotion to lead associate. Proven ability to increase customer retention by addressing complaints in a timely and efficient manner.

This is a good resume summary because it:

• Shows right away how much and what kind of experience the applicant has. 
• Conveys that the job seeker has strong interpersonal skills .
• Highlights the job candidate’s strengths and how they impact a company.
• Features a professional accomplishment .

“Compassionate, multilingual registered nurse with 15 years of comprehensive experience working with diverse populations in-home care and hospital settings. Specialties include wound care, management of chronic illness and acute care. A competent leader with proven ability to supervise junior nurses, nursing aides and interns.”

This is a good summary statement for a resume because it:

• Shows that the applicant has advanced experience. 
• Displays specialized nursing knowledge. 
• Calls attention to leadership and language skills.
• Mentions specific work settings and patient populations.

Novice elementary teacher with one year of experience teaching three classes of 25 second-grade students in public school. Excellent communication skills and creative approach to developing innovative lesson plans in tune with city, state and federal standards. Spearheaded and implemented a new after-school tutoring program that has increased reading comprehension rate by 70%.

This is a good job summary for a resume because it:

• Tells the hiring manager that the job applicant is an entry-level teacher.  
• Displays numbers to underscore the impact of the applicant’s work.
• Uses action verbs on the resume to describe achievements.
• Shows how many students the job seeker has taught.

Did you know? New data shows that starting sentences with action words increases the likelihood of getting a job interview by 140%.

What is a resume summary?

A resume summary, also known as a professional summary or resume summary statement, is a concise overview of your experience and top skills. Positioned at the top of your resume, just under your contact information, it introduces your resume in a three- to five-sentence paragraph. 

This summary highlights your most significant accomplishments, relevant work experience, and job-specific skills. For maximum effectiveness, the resume summary must be precisely tailored to the specific job you’re applying for.

Take this job ad for a social media manager as an example:

A tailored summary for a resume might look like this:

Strategic social media manager with four years of experience creating social content calendars . Skilled in managing and developing social media strategies , writing digital copy and executing paid and organic digital campaigns . Experience working in collaborative environments and shooting video content .

In our example of a good resume summary, the words in bold are resume keywords and phrases found in the job description. To ensure your resume gets past ATS, you must always use exact keywords that match a job’s requirements in every section of your resume, including your resume summary.

Savvy social media manager with experience working in social media and creating content for brands. Skilled writer, photographer and multitasker.

This resume summary statement doesn’t work for several reasons: it’s not tailored to the job, it doesn’t give enough detail, and it doesn’t include keywords and phrases from the job description.

You should use a professional summary for a resume only if you have at least one year of experience in the same industry. If you’re a first-time job seeker or changing your career, use a resume objective statement instead.

Why use a professional summary for a resume?

You should use a resume summary on your resumes for several key reasons:

• First Impression: The resume summary is often the first section a hiring manager reads. It serves as an introduction to your professional profile, setting the tone for the rest of your resume.
• Highlighting Key Qualifications: It allows you to succinctly showcase your most relevant qualifications, skills, and achievements. This is particularly useful in catching the attention of hiring managers who often scan resumes.
• Tailoring Your Application: A well-crafted resume summary can be tailored to align with the specific requirements of the job you’re applying for. This customization demonstrates to employers that you’ve read and understood the job posting and that your skills and experiences are a good match.
• Showcasing Your Professional Brand: It provides an opportunity to present your professional brand or the unique combination of skills, experiences, and values that you bring to the table. This can differentiate you from other candidates.
• Career Narrative: For individuals with diverse or extensive work histories, a resume summary can effectively tie together different aspects of their career into a cohesive narrative, making it easier for employers to see how their past experiences are relevant to the job at hand.
• Grabbing Attention: In a competitive job market, a well-written summary can capture the interest of a hiring manager and encourage them to read on, increasing your chances of being noticed.
• Overcoming Employment Gaps: For those who may have gaps in their employment history or are transitioning to a new field, the resume summary offers a space to explain these transitions and focus on transferable skills, rather than the chronological order of their work history.

In summary, a resume summary is a strategic tool in a job seeker’s arsenal, enhancing the overall impact of their resume and increasing their chances of making a strong impression on potential employers.

How to write a resume summary (with resume summary examples)

Writing a resume summary can be a streamlined process when you follow a specific template. Here’s a step-by-step guide using the template: [Descriptive Word] [Your Job Title] [Experience Level] [Work Experience] [Skills] [Achievement].

• Choose a Descriptive Word: Start by selecting an adjective that accurately describes your professional demeanor or approach. This could be words like ‘Dynamic’, ‘Innovative’, ‘Dedicated’, or ‘Experienced’. This word should set the tone for the summary and immediately capture the hiring manager’s attention.
• State Your Job Title: Mention your current or most recent job title. This helps the hiring manager quickly understand your professional level and area of expertise. For instance, ‘Software Developer’, ‘Marketing Manager’, or ‘Human Resources Specialist’.
• Indicate Your Experience Level: Briefly note your level of experience. Terms like ‘Entry-Level’, ‘Mid-Level’, ‘Senior’, or ‘Seasoned’ can be used. This provides a quick understanding of where you are in your career path.
• Summarize Your Work Experience: Concisely describe your relevant work experience. Focus on the types of roles or industries you’ve worked in. For instance, “with over five years in the tech industry” or “specializing in nonprofit sector management”.
• Highlight Your Skills: Pick out key skills that are particularly relevant to the job you’re applying for. These could be technical skills, soft skills, or a combination of both. For example, ‘skilled in project management and team leadership’ or ‘proficient in Python and data analysis’.
• Showcase a Key Achievement: Conclude with a notable achievement or contribution. This should be something measurable or a significant milestone that demonstrates your capability and impact. For example, “increased sales by 30% in one year” or “successfully led a team to deliver a critical project on time and under budget”.

For example, a resume summary might read:

“Innovative Marketing Manager, Mid-Level, with over seven years in the digital advertising sector, skilled in strategic planning and social media analytics, drove a 40% increase in online engagement over two years.”

Remember to tailor each section to reflect your experience and the specific job you’re applying for. This template is a guideline, and your summary should be personalized to best represent your professional profile.

Did you know? Approximately 63% of recruiters prefer resumes that are personalized to the job position.

Looking for remote jobs near you ? Our sister company, FlexJobs, updates listings daily with verified remote jobs. Discover a variety of full-time and part-time remote jobs that allow you to work from home or anywhere in the world.

Resume summary examples based on work experience

For some jobs, you might benefit from emphasizing how much work experience you have in your resume summary, especially if the job description has a minimum experience requirement or you are applying for a managerial position. 

The following examples show how to best highlight your work experience level in your resume summary. 

Entry-level professional summary sample

Resourceful pharmacy technician with one year of clinical and educational experience with prescriptions, automatic dispensing machine troubleshooting and project management. Forward-thinking team player with expertise in business operations who completed the National Pharmacy Technician Certification exam in FY14. Enthusiastic retail and hospital specialist seeking to leverage my background into a pharmacy technician role with a progressive organization.

2 to 5 years of experience resume summary example 

Committed graphic designer with three years of experience helping organizations craft innovative web designs. Ambitiously handled pivotal design support and administrative tasks. Diligently assisted with website production and digital marketing. Excelled at collaborating on critical projects and document drafts. Well-versed in HTML, WordPress and Adobe Creative Suite.

This is a good resume summary example because it:

• Shows how many years of experience the job candidate has.
• Tells hiring managers what the candidate did for previous organizations.
• Creates impact with power words like “ambitiously” and “diligently” and action verbs like “excelled at collaborating.”
• Provides a thorough and relevant mix of soft skills and hard skills .

6+ years of experience resume summary example

Creative and client-focused writer offering an eight-year background in successful development and production of business-generating content for organizations, such as Procter & Gamble and L’Oréal. Meticulous marketing and advertising strategist with a proven record of delivering compelling and unique copy, adhering to strict budgets and achieving project deadlines. Highly organized, proactive and punctual with a team-oriented mentality.

This is a good summary for a resume because it:

• Tells how many years of experience the job candidate has.
• Shows hiring managers that the job applicant has a successful track record in the field.
• Highlights well-known companies as past employers.
• Emphasizes a breadth of soft and hard skills.

Management experience resume summary example

Effective Agile project manager and problem-solver with 12 years of experience leading cross-functional teams, developing processes and managing workflows for a wide range of projects, including new high-technology applications, software program development and website deployment. Proven track record of consistent on-time delivery, collaborative leadership style and innovative processes. Awarded Agile Leader of the Year, 2020 and 2021.

This is a good resume summary statement because it:

• Opens by telling hiring managers the job applicant is highly experienced in IT project management. 
• Details specific types of projects. 
• Emphasizes project and team management .
• Highlights an award won and the years the candidate received it.

Strive for a mix of hard skills and soft skills in your professional summary. Recruiters and hiring managers prefer well-rounded job candidates.

Professional summary examples for top jobs 

Accountant resume summary examples.

Detail-oriented accountant with over eight years of effectively maintaining accurate accounting information for large-scale financial organizations, including central banks, credit unions and investment companies. History working as part of the financial team to manage diverse financial functions, PMT, tax management and reporting. Highly analytical professional with extensive knowledge of Excel and QuickBooks.

Interested in more information? View our accountant resume example for details.

Acute care nurse resume summary example

Committed and empathic acute care nurse with 12 years of hands-on experience in critical care facilities. Provide complex clinical assessments, diagnostic testing and medical therapy for patients with various acute illnesses. Comfortable relaying difficult information and providing emotional support to families. Highly proficient in case management, medication administration and patient education.  

Interested in more information? View our acute care nurse resume example for details.

AutoCAD drafter resume summary example

Methodical AutoCAD drafter who is highly skilled at creating accurate renderings in high-volume, demanding environments. Driven to cultivate productive relationships between disciplines to facilitate communication and project completion. Adept at producing high-quality plans, schematics, blueprints and component details.

Interested in more information? View our AutoCad drafter resume example for details.

Caregiver resume summary example

Responsible and compassionate caregiver who understands how to balance patients’ and organizations’ needs. Experienced in medication distribution and able to follow medical instructions precisely. Certified for basic first aid and CPR. Adept at monitoring each patient’s health and providing a gentle approach to patients’ needs.

Interested in more information? View our caregiver resume example for details.

Cashier resume summary example

Hardworking and detail-oriented cashier with expertise in drawer management, POS systems, refund handling and inventory control. Multitasking and reliable professional in customer service, promoting sales, keeping the store organized and processing transactions. Creative and attentive problem-solver committed to enhancing customers’ experience. 

Interested in more information? View our cashier resume example for details.

Catering server resume summary example

Professional and personable catering server with three years of experience serving large-scale events of 800+ people for an upscale events company. Recognized for creating fun and relaxing experiences for guests. Proficiently handles multiple courses and cocktails. Flexible schedule.

Interested in more information? View our catering server resume example for details.

Civil engineering intern resume summary example

Driven civil engineering intern with hands-on experience in construction and in-depth knowledge of civil engineering principles and tools. Dedicated worker with outstanding communication. Bilingual in Chinese and English.

Interested in more information? View our civil engineering intern resume example for details.

Construction worker resume summary example

Reliable construction worker with experience in residential and commercial construction projects for over 18 years. Exceptional problem-solver adept at plumbing and carpentry specializing in roof repairs and installation. Safely operates various heavy-duty construction equipment. Certified with OSHA’s Safety and Health Fundamentals.

Interested in more information? View our construction worker resume example for details.

Counselor resume summary example

Diligent counselor exercising competency in broad subject-matter counseling therapies, including substance abuse, grief and domestic violence. Knowledgeable in youth and adolescent development, including social, behavioral, emotional and cognitive strategies. Focused on facilitating the exploration of issues and developing individualized plans.

Interested in more information? View our counselor resume example for details.

Dishwasher resume summary example

Quick and efficient dishwasher bringing over eight years of experience in fast-paced kitchen environments. Proficient in operating and cleaning equipment, using chemicals and maintaining clean, organized dishes. Focused on maintaining strict controls to protect customers.

Interested in more information? View our dishwasher resume example for details.

Data entry clerk resume summary example

Data entry clerk with three years of experience accurately maintaining records and updating account information for a financial services firm. Razor-sharp eye for detail and adept at Microsoft Word and Excel. Continually seek ways to improve processes and develop solutions across all departments.

Interested in more information? View our data entry clerk resume example for details.

Doctor resume summary example

A veteran doctor who champions family-focused care and goes the extra mile to provide complete service. Diagnoses and educates patients about medical concerns while implementing evidence-based treatment plans. Skilled in working under pressure assessing conditions, conducting tests and performing minor procedures.

Interested in more information? View our doctor resume example for details.

Entertainment director resume summary example

Creative entertainment director with 10 years of hands-on filmmaking experience in hundreds of productions. A diligent and technologically savvy leader with high standards for impeccable results. Adept at story pitching, video production, script review and budgeting. Empathic advocate for creative and production staff. 

Interested in more information? View our entertainment director resume example for details.

Esthetician resume summary example

Multifaceted esthetician with eight years of experience in skin rejuvenation, body scrubs and facials. Won sales award in 2021 for breaking sales records at a busy salon.  Demonstrated ability to build strong relationships with clients. 98% customer satisfaction rate three years in a row. 

Interested in more information? View our esthetician resume example for details.

Massage therapist resume summary example

Attentive and knowledgeable massage therapist with a five-year track record of solid customer service and a knack for building relationships. Experienced in a wide range of massage techniques, including deep tissue, Shiatsu and trigger point. 

Interested in more information? View our massage therapist resume example for details.

Nanny resume summary example

Licensed nanny with a background in education and child care. Works diligently to identify and eliminate behavioral and educational issues. Incorporates stimulating activities, such as grouping games and writing stories into daily routines to promote healthy mental and social development. Certified in first aid and CPR, and dedicated to creating safe, inclusive and engaging learning environments for all children.

Interested in more information? View our nanny resume example for details.

Nursing aide resume summary example

Organized and dependable nursing aide successful at managing multiple priorities with a positive attitude. Skilled in patient care, transportation and equipment assembly. Familiar with working in highly stressful and hectic environments and managing disoriented and combative patients.

Interested in more information? View our nursing aide resume example for details.

Operations manager resume summary example

Results-oriented operations manager offering 18 years of high-level experience supervising workover and completion operations. Familiar with human resources and adept at directing the work of completion consultants and completion supervisors in operation functions, including inventory management and warehousing. Directly trained and managed six supervisors while leading a total staff of 75 team members — successfully introducing lean manufacturing to increase productivity and cut completion costs.

Interested in more information? View our operations manager resume example for details.

Outside sales representative resume summary example

Motivated and accomplished outside sales representative adept at building relationships with customers, negotiating deals and closing sales. Detail-oriented self-starter with a track record of exceeding sales goals. 

Interested in more information? View our outside sales representative resume example for details.

Payroll specialist resume summary example

Highly communicative and customer service-oriented payroll specialist with more than eight years of expertise in auditing payroll data and processing garnishments. An action-oriented professional proficient in ADP processing and Kronos. Process and transmit payroll for over 3,000 employees, in multiple states, on a biweekly and weekly basis. Employees’ pay included hourly, salary and union.

Interested in more information? View our payroll specialist resume example for details.

Personal trainer resume summary example

Spirited NCSF Certified personal trainer with seven years of experience training and motivating clients in weight loss and management. Design classes to match the skill and learning levels of all participants. Highly adept in personal program development and individual life and body assessments. Additional expertise in youth athletic conditions with a focus on strength training. 

Interested in more information? View our personal trainer resume example for details.

Receptionist resume summary example

Outgoing and friendly receptionist delivering exceptional customer service and administrative excellence, including clerical support and public interaction. Excels in calendar management, Google Calendar, Microsoft Surface Studio, scheduling, data entry and database administration. Capable of answering and quickly redirecting up to 100 daily calls, accomplishing business goals.

Interested in more information? View our receptionist resume example for details.

Retail sales associate resume summary example

An energetic retail sales associate with excellent customer service, leadership and teamwork skills. Proficient at merchandising and display, product knowledge, processing cash and card transactions and boosting sales. Confident and persuasive with strong attention to detail and the ability to engage diverse customers and enhance brand loyalty and satisfaction.

Interested in more information? View our retail sales associate resume example for details.

Restaurant server resume summary example

Enthusiastic restaurant server with five years of experience working in busy eating establishments. Friendly and upbeat with strong organization, teamwork and interpersonal skills. Reliable, punctual and flexible professional with multitasking and planning abilities. Promotes customer comfort and enhanced experiences by answering questions and responding to concerns.

Interested in more information? View our restaurant server resume example for details.

Sales representative resume summary example

Organized and hardworking sales representative with a solid history of exceeding sales goals, growing business and expanding territories. Experienced in project management, account service, lead prospecting, strategic planning, network development and retention strategies. An accomplished negotiator with excellent customer service, research and conflict resolution skills. Focused on maximizing efficiency and sales success.

Interested in more information? View our sales representative resume example for details.

Social Worker resume summary example

A compassionate and driven licensed social worker with solid experience working with diverse populations. Skilled in case management, crisis intervention, data collection and management, referral and networking, and family reunification. Expertise in behavioral intervention plans (BIP) and a deep understanding of human behavior to guide clients and communities in need.

Interested in more information? View our social worker resume example for details.

Teacher resume summary example

A hardworking and passionate teacher with experience in classroom management, professional development and project planning covering a wide range of subjects. Clear and effective communicator highly skilled at motivating students through positive encouragement and reinforcement of concepts via interactive classroom instruction and innovative lesson planning. Successful in helping students develop strong literacy, numeracy, social and learning. 

Interested in more information? View our teacher resume example for details.

Translator resume summary example

Detail-oriented translator with a highly developed understanding of Chinese language and culture. Skilled in quickly and accurately translating written documents and audio recordings. Excellent listening and communication skills with an organized and systematic approach. Over six years of related expertise.

Interested in more information? View our translator resume example for details.

Yoga Instructor resume summary example

Skilled and certified yoga instructor with the ability to build effective relationships with students of all backgrounds and skill levels. Hardworking, dedicated and supportive with excellent communication and problem-solving abilities. Well-versed in compliance requirements, safety and customer service management. A caring, patient and observant leader with an educational style.

Interested in more information? View our yoga instructor resume example for details.

Need more inspiration? Browse our library of 800+ resume examples for more resume summary ideas.

Resume summary writing tips

The following tips will help you write a good summary for a resume.

Condense the details and be consistent in your summary statement

When you begin writing your resume summary, remember: less is more. A professional summary for a resume only needs to be three to five sentences long.

Use the first person when writing your resume job statement

Like elsewhere on your resume, write in the first-person point of view, but omit pronouns like “I,” “she” or “they” to help save valuable writing space, just like our summary resume examples do.

Highlight your top qualifications in your professional summary.

Make a strong first impression by writing your most valuable skills and highlighting your relevant work accomplishments, as our professional summary examples do. You want to get the hiring manager’s attention and intrigue them to continue reading the rest of your resume.

Adjust your resume summary based on your career level.

Entry-level job seekers who don’t have a long work history should emphasize their job-relevant skills on their resume summary statement. Job applicants with many years of experience might want to highlight achievements from a recent job.

Work history on your resume and the skills sections should complement your summary on your resume, not repeat it.

Write the perfect resume summary statement with our Resume Builder 

Still unsure about what to write in the summary of a resume? Let us create your resume summary for you with our Resume Builder.  All you have to do is choose a professionally designed resume template and fill it in with our expertly crafted content suggestions. You’ll have a personal summary on your resume in minutes!

Here’s how it works: 

• Advanced customization: Tailor your professional summary for each job.
• Prewritten suggestions: Make a good summary on your resume into a great   summary for a resume with our expert suggestions. 
• Easy editing tools: Change your summary statement at any time. 

A professional resume template can help you optimize your summary of qualifications so your resume gets past applicant tracking system (ATS) software and into the hands of recruiters and hiring managers.

Key takeaways

Before you go, be sure to take these tips for how to write a professional resume summary and how to use examples of a profile summary for a resume with you!

• A resume summary is your first chance to tell the recruiter why you’re the best fit for the job. It summarizes your top achievements and skills relevant to the target job.
• Use resume summary examples for inspiration and guidance when crafting your own.
• Keep your professional summary for a resume short. It should never be longer than five sentences.
• Tailor each resume summary statement to your target job by using keywords and phrases from the job description.
• A professional summary should follow this formula: [Descriptive word] [your job title] [Experience level] [Work experience] [Skills] [Achievement].

What’s a professional summary on a resume?

A professional summary on a resume is a brief, concise paragraph that sits at the top of the document, serving as an introduction to the candidate’s career profile. This section typically includes a quick overview of the job seeker’s most relevant qualifications, skills, experience, and sometimes notable achievements. 

Its primary purpose is to capture the attention of hiring managers by summarizing the candidate’s key strengths and career highlights in a way that aligns with the job they are applying for. 

The professional summary acts as a snapshot of the candidate’s professional identity, distinguishing them from other applicants and enticing the reader to delve deeper into the resume for more details.

Do you need a summary on a resume?

Including a resume summary on a resume is not a strict requirement, but it is often recommended, especially in certain circumstances. The decision to include a resume summary depends on the job seeker’s situation and the specific job they are applying for. Here are some considerations:

• Experienced Professionals: For those with a significant amount of professional experience, a resume summary is a great tool to highlight career achievements and skills, making their application stand out.
• Career Changers: Individuals transitioning to a new career can benefit from a resume summary to explain how their previous experiences and skills are relevant to their new field.
• Recent Graduates: While recent graduates may not have extensive professional experience, a resume summary can help them emphasize their academic achievements, internships, and skills relevant to the job.
• Those with Employment Gaps: A summary can be particularly useful for explaining gaps in employment or other non-traditional career paths, focusing on skills and experiences rather than the chronological order of jobs
• Applying for a Specific Role: When applying for a particular position, a tailored resume summary can immediately show the hiring manager that the candidate’s skills and experiences are a good match for the job.

In situations where a job seeker has a straightforward career history that aligns closely with the job they’re applying for, a resume summary might be less necessary. In such cases, their experience and skills may be self-evident from their job titles and descriptions alone.

Ultimately, whether to include a resume summary should be based on how well it can enhance the job application, making the candidate’s qualifications and fit for the role clearer to potential employers.

What is a good summary for a resume?

A good resume summary is effectively crafted to enhance your job application by succinctly showcasing your most relevant qualifications and experiences. Key elements of a strong resume summary include:

• Conciseness: It should be brief, ideally around three to five sentences, making it easy for hiring managers to quickly scan.
• Relevance: Tailor your summary to align closely with the job description. Highlight skills, experiences, and achievements that are most relevant to the job you are applying for.
• Clarity and Specificity: Avoid vague statements. Be specific about your experiences and achievements. For example, instead of saying “experienced in sales,” say “experienced in B2B sales with a track record of exceeding targets.”
• Strong Adjectives and Action Words: Use dynamic and specific adjectives and action verbs to create a more impactful and vivid description of your professional background.
• Quantifiable Achievements: Whenever possible, include quantifiable achievements (like percentages, numbers, or awards) to provide concrete evidence of your capabilities and successes.
• Professional Focus: Focus on professional skills and experiences. Avoid personal details that don’t pertain to your professional qualifications.
• Career Highlights: Mention any noteworthy aspects of your career, such as major projects, promotions, or unique skills that set you apart.
• Clear Objective: If applicable, briefly mention your professional goals or what you aim to achieve in your next role, especially if it aligns with the job you’re applying for.
• Professional Tone: Maintain a professional tone and language that reflects your industry or the type of job you are applying for.
• Customization for Each Job: Adapt your resume summary for each job application. This shows employers that you’ve put thought into how your skills and experiences make you a good fit for their specific needs.

A good resume summary not only grabs the attention of employers but also effectively communicates why you are a strong candidate for the position, setting the tone for the rest of your resume.

What to write in a summary for a resume?

When writing a summary for a resume, your goal is to succinctly convey your most relevant qualifications and attributes in a way that aligns with the job you’re applying for. Here’s a guideline on what to include:

• Professional Title and Experience: Start with your current professional title or the role you’re targeting. Briefly state your experience level, such as ‘Seasoned Graphic Designer’ or ‘Junior Data Analyst’.
• Key Skills and Expertise: Highlight the skills that are most relevant to the job. These could be technical skills, soft skills, or industry-specific knowledge. For example, ‘Expertise in Adobe Creative Suite and visual branding’.
• Major Achievements or Contributions: Mention one or two significant achievements in your career that are relevant to the position. Use quantifiable data if possible, like ‘Increased sales by 30% through targeted social media marketing’.
• Unique Qualifiers or Characteristics: Include any unique factors that may set you apart from other candidates. This could be a special certification, language proficiency, or an aspect of your professional background that’s particularly relevant.

Remember, your resume summary should be tailored to each job application, reflecting how your skills and experiences align with what the employer is looking for. Keep it concise, focused, and professional.

How to write a resume summary for a career change?

Writing a resume summary when making a career change requires a strategic approach to emphasize transferable skills and potential rather than specific industry experience. Here’s how to craft an effective resume summary for a career change:

• Focus on Transferable Skills: Identify the skills and experiences from your previous career that are relevant to the new field. Highlight abilities such as project management, communication, leadership, or technical skills that are applicable across various industries.
• Demonstrate Adaptability and Eagerness to Learn: Employers value candidates who are adaptable and eager to learn new things. Mention your ability to quickly pick up new skills and your enthusiasm for the challenges of a new industry.
• Include Relevant Training or Education: If you’ve undertaken any training, courses, or self-study relevant to your new career field, include this information. It shows your commitment to transitioning and learning about the new field.
• Highlight Soft Skills and Personality Traits: Emphasize soft skills that are universally appreciated, such as teamwork, creativity, problem-solving, or resilience. These can help bridge the gap between your past experience and the new role.
• Mention Achievements That Demonstrate Transferable Value: If you have achievements in your previous career that demonstrate skills or qualities valuable in your new career, include them. For instance, successfully managing a team or a project, or significantly improving a process or performance metric.
• Be Clear About Your Career Change Objective: Clearly state your intention to shift to a new career. This helps to align your summary with the rest of your resume, which might otherwise appear to be geared toward a different field.
• Keep It Concise and Engaging: Ensure your summary is brief but engaging, effectively capturing the hiring manager’s interest and making them want to learn more about your background and how it can benefit their organization.

For example:

“Dynamic professional with over 10 years in the publishing industry, seeking to leverage extensive project management and communication skills in the tech sector. Adept at leading diverse teams and driving innovative solutions. Currently enrolled in a Coding Bootcamp, demonstrating a strong commitment to mastering new technologies. Known for adaptability, problem-solving skills, and eagerness to embrace new challenges.”

This type of summary showcases your relevant skills, your commitment to the new career path, and your potential value to prospective employers in your new field.

Where can I find resume summary examples for students with no work experience?

For students who lack work experience, choosing between a resume summary and a resume objective depends on their specific circumstances and the focus they wish to convey. 

Resume Objective: This is often more suitable for students without work experience. An objective statement focuses on what the student aims to achieve and learn in their desired role, rather than on work experiences they don’t yet have. It’s more about the student’s goals and how they align with the opportunities the employer offers.

“Enthusiastic and dedicated recent high school graduate seeking an entry-level position in digital marketing. Eager to apply my knowledge of social media platforms and keen interest in content creation to contribute to the success of a dynamic marketing team. Committed to learning and growth in a hands-on environment.”

Resume Summary: While less common for students without work experience, a summary can still be effective if it focuses on academic achievements, skills, and any non-work-related experiences (like volunteer work, internships, or school projects) that are relevant to the job.

“Highly motivated Biology major with a strong academic record, including a 3.9 GPA and President’s List honors. Skilled in laboratory research techniques and data analysis, with experience gained through university projects and volunteer work with the local conservation group. Passionate about applying scientific knowledge in a practical, research-driven environment.”

In summary, students with no work experience might opt for a resume objective to clearly state their career goals and eagerness to learn and grow in the role. If they have relevant skills or academic achievements that align well with the job requirements, a resume summary could be a powerful tool to showcase these attributes.

How we reviewed this article

Since 2013, we have helped more than 15 million job seekers. We want to make your career journey accessible and manageable through our services and Career Center’s how-to guides and tips. In our commitment to bring you a transparent process, we present our Editorial Process .

• Hiching, Galina. Science of People. Article. 307 Resume Action Verbs Guaranteed to Impress
• TeamStage. Blog. Resume Statistics: Cover Letters and Common Mistakes in 2023

Rate this article

35+ Resume Summary Examples [How-To Guide + Tips]

4.5/5 stars with 815 reviews

Kellie Hanna, CPRW

Career advice expert.

Kellie is a Certified Professional Resume Writer with 20+ years of experience in digital media and is passionate about helping job seekers navigate their careers. She earned a B.A. in English and writing from Temple University.

Related Content

Top 2024 Workplace Trends [Statistics & Expert Insights]

By Kellie Hanna, CPRW

December 15, 2023

How Long Should a Cover Letter Be

By Nilda Melissa Diaz, CPRW

July 28, 2023

Top Ten Behavioral Interview Questions and Answers

March 02, 2023

How to Write an Impressive Letter of Intent (+ Tips and Examples)

October 17, 2022

When and How to List References on a Resume

November 27, 2023

*The names and logos of the companies referred to above are all trademarks of their respective holders. Unless specifically stated otherwise, such references are not intended to imply any affiliation or association with MyPerfectResume.

• English (UK)

30+ Best Resume Summary Examples + How to Write

Do you want to make your resume irresistible? Who doesn't? Fortunately, it's easy. Learn how to write the perfect resume summary that will conquer the hearts of recruiters!

Your resume summary is the first thing the recruiter will read— And it might be the only part of your application that actually gets read.

This is why you need a compelling, concise summary that immediately captures the recruiter's attention. So, let’s take the guesswork out with stellar resume summary examples.

Here’s what you’ll find in this article:

• A breakdown of what a resume summary is and how to write it.
• Tips to nail your resume summary statement every time.
• 30+ resume summary examples for different professions.

Save hours of work and get a job-winning resume like this. Try our resume builder with 20+ resume templates and create your resume now.

Create your resume now

What users say about ResumeLab:

I had an interview yesterday and the first thing they said on the phone was: “Wow! I love your resume.” Patrick I love the variety of templates. Good job guys, keep up the good work! Dylan  My previous resume was really weak and I used to spend hours adjusting it in Word. Now, I can introduce any changes within minutes. Absolutely wonderful! George

Looking for more resume-writing guides? See:

• Best Soft Skills for a Resume
• Differences Between a CV and a Resume
• Explaining Employment Gaps on a Resume
• Functional Resume Template
• How Far Back Should a Resume Go?
• How to List References on a Resume
• Resume Outline Guide
• Should You Include an Address on a Resume?
• Showing Promotions on a Resume
• When to Use a Summary of Qualifications

Table of Contents:

What Is a Resume Summary?

• 5 General Resume Summary Examples

How to Write a Resume Summary

30+ professional resume summary examples, frequently asked questions about resume summaries.

A resume summary is a brief paragraph placed at the top of your resume. It's a quick summary of your experience, skills, and achievements. A summary is usually three to five sentences long. It helps employers understand what you bring to the table in terms of your professional background.

A good resume summary consists of the following information:

• Power adjective
• Your job title + years of experience
• 2–3 of your biggest achievements and most relevant skills
• What you want to do for your new employer

Below, you’ll find a few resume summary examples to visualize.

5 Universal Resume Summary Examples

General marketing resume summary.

Dynamic marketing professional with 7 years of experience driving successful campaigns and boosting brand visibility. Increased online engagement by 40% and optimized 100+ social media strategies. Seeking a challenging role at Company X to leverage creativity and strategic thinking in developing innovative marketing solutions.

This marketing resume summary effectively combines the power adjective "dynamic" with specific achievements and skills, showcasing the candidate's experience and success in driving marketing campaigns. The closing sentence clearly states the candidate's goal.

General IT Developer Resume Summary

Versatile Developer with 5 years of experience in full-stack development. Successfully led a team in implementing a streamlined project management system, resulting in a 30% increase in team efficiency. Implemented scalable architecture and microservices, allowing the application to handle a 50% increase in user traffic without degradation in performance. Eager to contribute expertise in both back and front-end development and problem-solving skills to Company Y.

By using the adjective "versatile" and quantifying professional work achievements , this full-stack developer resume summary presents the candidate as a well-rounded and accomplished IT professional.

General Registered Nurse Resume Summary

Compassionate Registered Nurse with 8 years of experience in providing exceptional patient care. Recognized for reducing patient wait times by 25% through efficient triage methods. Spearheaded workflow restructuring in a high-volume unit, resulting in a 30% increase in patient throughput. Seeking the opportunity to apply proven critical care and infection control skills at the Z Hospital.

This RN resume summary shows the applicant’s efficiency and focus on saving time without compromising quality.

General Finance Resume Summary

Results-driven Financial Analyst with 7 years of experience in quantitative analysis and financial modeling. Optimized budgeting processes, resulting in a 15% reduction in operational costs. Implemented risk management strategies that enhanced portfolio performance, achieving a 20% increase in ROI. Seeking to leverage analytical skills and strategic financial expertise at Company R.

This finance resume summary is effective because it concisely introduces the candidate's experience, skills, and achievements. Including two quantified achievements provides concrete evidence of the candidate's impact.

General Human Resources Resume Summary

Results-oriented Human Resources Manager with 10 years of experience in talent acquisition and employee relations. Successfully revamped onboarding processes, reducing orientation time by 20%. Implemented employee engagement initiatives, resulting in a 25% decrease in turnover. Eager to bring strategic HR leadership to Company W.

This HR manager resume summary is effective as it succinctly presents the candidate's extensive work experience.

Now, we’ll show you how to make a resume summary that’s just as good as these examples.

Expert Hint: There is an additional way to present your qualifications even more succinctly. And it’s called a resume headline . If you want to make an even stronger impact on recruiters, use both a resume summary and a headline.

The resume summary is like your personal ad, where you get to showcase your qualifications. It needs to match your goal and include specific achievements, certifications, licenses, resume keywords , and other relevant work experiences .

Keep in mind that recruiters are unlikely to read the entirety of your resume. They instead selectively scan through it , looking for specific keywords. This is why we use a resume summary in the first place. Acting like an abstract of a scholarly book, it gives them a succinct overview of your qualifications.

Here’s what makes a resume summary appealing to recruiters:

• A well-defined structure
• Clearly targeted content
• Quantified achievements

Let’s tackle the aforementioned points step by step to write your own resume introduction :

1. Use a Clear Structure for Your Resume Summary

No matter which job you’re applying for, you can use this formula to write your good-looking resume summary:

Adjective + Job Title + Years of Experience + Key Achievements and Skills + What You Want to Do for Your New Employer

Or you can mix it up a bit and arrange the elements of your resume summary like this:

Adjective + Job Title + Years of Experience + What You Want to Do for Your New Employer + Key Achievements

And if you have an important certification (like PMP if you’re a project manager), include it in your resume summary after the adjective:

Goal-driven, PMP-certified project manager…

You should also keep the length of your resume summary short. Go for 3–5 sentences.

2. Tailor Your Resume Summary to the Job

A targeted resume summary is a must.

Why? Because recruiters are allergic to generic resumes that are clearly mass-produced and sent out as applications to any position at every company. If your work experience is irrelevant to the position you’re applying for, your resume will land in the SPAM folder.

Tailoring a resume summary to a specific job involves a strategic approach. First, you must thoroughly understand the job description and note the language used. Match your own skills and achievements to those highlighted in the description. This will make your resume summary parsable by the ATS. In fact, it's vital to have your entire resume be ATS-friendly .

Here’s what this looks like in practice. Look at this job ad for a digital marketing manager:

We are seeking an experienced Digital Marketing Manager. You’ll be responsible for marketing activities aiming to increase brand awareness and drive conversions in line with the core business objectives. You’ll also manage a team of specialists designing and executing various campaigns.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop a digital marketing strategy using social media , Google advertising , and email marketing .
• Manage a team of digital marketing specialists, monitor their performance and professional development , set objectives, and conduct annual appraisals

Requirements

• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills
• Agency experience is a plus

Here’s how to forge the employer’s description of key responsibilities and requirements into a highly relevant resume summary:

Strategically-minded Digital Marketing Manager with 7 years of agency and in-house experience. Developed and executed an email campaign that brought in 500 loyal customers with an average lifetime customer value of $4000 . Planned Google Ads campaigns for a market leader in the healthcare niche (average ROI: 140%) . Managed a team of social media specialists that created 3 viral Facebook campaigns . Eager to leverage writing, editing, proofreading, and management skills at Auseklis Inc. to boost brand awareness, drive conversions , and maximize revenue.

Closely tailoring your resume summary to the job ad implies that you genuinely care about this job offer. If you didn’t, you would’ve used an uninspired, generic resume summary you might’ve found online.

3. Quantify Your Key Achievements

Which achievements and skills should you highlight in your resume summary? And what exactly should you promise to do for your new employer?

Fortunately, you don’t need a crystal ball or a Tarot deck to find the answers. They’re all in the job ad—read it carefully, extract the key skills to list on a resume , and well... prove you have them!

Here’s how to do so:

• Begin by reviewing your work history, pinpointing instances where you made measurable impacts, such as revenue growth or cost reduction.
• Identify key metrics and choose the most impressive achievements that align with the job you're applying for.
• Quantify these achievements using numerical values to add credibility and a clear understanding of your contributions.
• Use strong action verbs to convey dynamism.

Why should you do that? See for yourself. Which one of these two achievements sounds more impressive?

Implemented continuous integration and deployment (CI/CD) pipelines, reducing deployment time by 50%

Worked on CI/CD pipeline integration.

The bottom example is vague and does not provide details about the extent of the contribution or the impact on the deployment process. It’s less an achievement and more like a job responsibility.

The first achievement conveys self-confidence, which signals value and motivation . This candidate is not afraid of showing exactly what they did for the company and how it positively impacted its performance.

And now you know how to write a professional resume summary. But if you need some inspiration, you’ll find tens of resume summaries in the next section of this article.

Expert Hint: Writing quantified achievements is vital not only for your professional summary but also when writing the work history section. Using effective bullet points in your resume work experience section will greatly enhance its effectiveness.

The ResumeLab builder is more than looks. Get specific content to boost your chances of getting the job. Add job descriptions, bullet points, and skills. Easy. Improve your resume in our resume builder now .

CREATE YOUR RESUME NOW

Nail it all with a splash of color, choose a clean font, and highlight your skills in just a few clicks. You're the perfect candidate, and we'll prove it. Use our resume builder now .

Feel free to scroll through all of our expertly-written resume summary samples or jump straight to any specific career field:

Accounting & Finance Resume Summary Examples

Creative resume summary examples, education resume summary examples, engineering, tech & science resume summary examples, food service resume summary examples, healthcare resume summary examples, it resume summary examples, management resume summary examples, office & administrative resume summary examples, sales & customer service resume summary examples, other resume summary examples, accountant resume summary sample.

Diligent Accountant with over 8 years of experience in financial management and reporting. Implemented cost-saving measures, resulting in a 20% reduction in operational expenses. Streamlined financial processes, leading to a 25% improvement in reporting accuracy. Aiming to bring my expertise in precise financial reporting and contribute to strategic decision-making at Financio.

Check out the full accountant resume guide for more.

Banking Resume Summary Sample

Reliable Banker with 10+ years of experience in financial operations and client management. Successfully increased branch profitability by 15% through targeted sales initiatives. Implemented risk management strategies, resulting in a 30% reduction in non-performing loans. Eager to leverage my expertise in driving growth and client satisfaction for NW Bank.

Eager to learn more about writing a resume for banking jobs ? Check out the embedded guide.

Loan Officer Resume Summary Example

Dynamic Loan Officer with over 3 years of experience in mortgage lending. Achieved a 25% increase in loan approvals through strategic client relationship management. Implemented process improvements, reducing loan processing time by 30%. Seeking to utilize my expertise in loan origination and client satisfaction to drive success at Loan Wizards.

Want more information about writing a resume for this job? See the loan officer resume guide .

Resume Summary Example for a Graphic Designer

Detail-oriented graphic designer with 3+ years of freelance and agency experience. Developed brand identity and visual language for Big Bad Knives, Prospero Couture, Tigerade, and other brands. Designed over 300 infographics, 100 of which went viral. Eager to join Flying Dane Inc. to help shape its visual communication across all channels and drive brand awareness.

Get inspired with the graphic designer resume guide . 

Resume Summary Sample for Journalists

Passionate journalist with 6+ years of criminal news desk coverage. Covering state and national homicide cases. Published author, correspondent, and editor, having written and supervised the creation of 500+ print and online articles on cold cases. Eager to join the team at the Beardstown Herald and contribute to its reputation as a trustworthy and engaging source of information.

Write a journalist resume that will get you noticed.

3D Artist Resume Summary

Innovative 3D Artist with 6+ years of experience in creating visually stunning digital environments. Successfully led a team in producing an award-winning virtual reality project, resulting in a 40% increase in client engagement. Implemented efficient modeling techniques, reducing project delivery time by 25%. Eager to bring my creative prowess and technical expertise to 12-Bit Studio, contributing to the development of immersive and impactful visual experiences.

Check out the 3D artist resume guide for more.

Expert Hint: If you’re applying for a creative job, consider using one of these creative resume templates . They were designed with people like you in mind.

Resume Summary Example for Art Teachers

Innovative Art Teacher with 4+ years of tenure in public schools. At Little Wood High School, created a dynamic curriculum focused on independent thinking, self-expression, and creation in line with state teaching standards. Voted Teacher of the Year for 3 consecutive years. Eager to guide the White Stone High School students towards artistic expression and a deep understanding of art from various cultures.

Check out this guide to writing an art teacher resume for more examples and inspiring resume tips .

Resume Summary Example for English Teachers

Methodical English teacher with 4+ years of experience delivering academic knowledge in the field of English language and literature to 7th and 8th-grade students. Created a supportive, rigorous high school preparatory program for over 100 teenagers. Prepared lesson plans for 15 weekly classes to accommodate students with different learning styles. Managed to increase overall English SAT scores by 23%. Excited to bring my commitment to academic excellence to West Side Primary School, inspiring and empowering students to excel in language arts.

Ace this writing assignment with this step-by-step guide: English teacher resume example

School Counselor Resume Summary Example

Compassionate School Counselor with over 5 years of experience guiding students toward personal and academic success. Implemented a comprehensive student mentorship program, resulting in a 25% reduction in disciplinary incidents. Established and led workshops addressing student mental health, contributing to a 30% improvement in overall student well-being. Eager to bring my empathetic approach to Red Ridge High to support students in navigating challenges and achieving their full potential.

Check out the full school counselor resume guide for more.

Civil Engineering Resume Summary Example

Innovative Civil Engineer with 10 years of experience in infrastructure development. Successfully managed a major construction project, delivering it 15% under budget and ahead of schedule. Implemented sustainable design practices, reducing environmental impact by 20%. Eager to apply my expertise in project management and sustainable engineering to contribute to ambitious and impactful infrastructure projects at Sky High.

Eager to learn more about writing a resume for civil engineering jobs? Check out the embedded guide.

Resume Summary for an HVAC Technician

Efficient HVAC Technician with 8 years of experience optimizing heating and cooling systems. Implemented energy-efficient upgrades, resulting in a 25% reduction in utility costs for clients. Successfully led a team in completing a large-scale installation project, improving system efficiency by 30%. Eager to bring my technical expertise and commitment to energy efficiency to Cutting-Edge Studios.

Get inspired with the HVAC technician resume guide .

Resume Summary for Machine Learning Specialists

Innovative Machine Learning Specialist with 6+ years of experience in developing cutting-edge algorithms. Spearheaded a project resulting in a 40% improvement in predictive model accuracy. Implemented optimization techniques, reducing processing time by 30%. Looking to apply my advanced analytical skills and drive for innovation to contribute to groundbreaking machine-learning projects at Closed AI.

Write a machine-learning resume that will get you noticed.

Expert Hint: Engineering experts need to be able to show their skills. Learn all you need about adding hard skills to your resume .

Resume Summary Example for Baristas

Passionate barista with 2+ years of experience. In previous roles scored 95% in customer satisfaction surveys. Won the 3rd prize in the 2021 Milkflower Latte Art Contest. Eager to join Lettuce Entertain You and delight its patrons with Instagram-worthy coffee and excellent service.

Brew a barista resume that will make recruiters’ hearts beat faster with our step-by-step guide to writing a barista resume .

Resume Summary Example for a Bartender

Customer-oriented bartender and mixologist with 3+ years of experience, constantly looking for beverage trends. At Millennium Bar, devised 30+ original cocktail recipes that boosted sales by 15% and led to 50+ five-star reviews on Yelp. Eager to join The Hyatt to offer an exceptional customer experience and create an outstanding seasonally-inspired beverage menu.

Mix your own bartender resume with this trusted recipe: How to write a bartender resume

Chef Resume Summary Sample

Creative chef with 4+ years of experience. Seeking to leverage leadership and food presentation skills to produce creative and intriguing cuisine at The Respectable Ocelot Restaurant. At Geroux's BBQ, managed kitchen operations with a team of 11 staff. Performed menu redesign resulting in 30% more sales of 5 most expensive dishes. 5-Star rating in Philadelphia Magazine.

Check out our guide on writing a chef's resume for the complete recipe for serving a stellar job application.

Dentist Resume Summary Example

Licensed dentist with 5+ years of experience in general and cosmetics dentistry. At Swanson & Rasle Dentistry, improved patient retention by 30% and received 50+ five-star reviews. Eager to provide the patients of Risenhigh Dentistry with compassionate care and state-of-the-art treatment.

Writing a dentist's resume shouldn’t be painful. Check out this professional dentist resume sample .

Resume Summary Example for Paramedics

Professional emergency medical technician with 4+ years of accident response experience in urban settings. National Paramedic Certification (NRP), valid driver’s license, and Washington State EMT certification as an EMT-Paramedic for over 2 years. Eager to leverage experience with assessing multiple-victim accident scenes, prehospital life support, and advanced emergency medical care to provide excellent service to the residents of Beardstown and patients of Beardstown Hospital.

Write a paramedic resume quickly and efficiently with our step-by-step guide.

Resume Summary Sample for a Nurse

Passionate ER nurse (RN) with 5+ years of experience working in a fast-paced environment. At the Baptist Memorial Hospital, used triage and prioritization strategies to cope with 137 critical patients after an industrial catastrophe successfully and received 15+ written thank-you messages from patients and their families over two years. Seeking the opportunity to apply proven critical care and infection control skills at the Stephen Dedalus Hospital.

Discover a step-by-step procedure for writing a nurse resume .

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 a 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.

Learn how to write a job-winning IT manager resume .

Software Engineer Resume Summary

Team-oriented software engineer with 5+ years of experience. Seeking to use proven development skills to provide optimal code solutions for Uber. At Glimmersoft Inc., led a team that received a DeveloperWeek award for IoT Development. Slashed costs by 28% with better adherence to Agile best practices. Supervised 5 junior software developers, 2 of whom won industry awards.

Compile a bug-free software engineer resume with this guide: software engineer resume example .

Web Designer Resume Summary Sample

Enthusiastic and self-motivated web designer with 3+ years of freelance and agency experience. Eager to join WebHouse to bring top-class front-end development, UX, and visual design skills. In a previous role, conducted a SaaS site redesign that improved conversion rates for mobile device users by 200%. Won 3rd prize in the Superscript JavaScript Contest.

Check out our guide on writing a web designer resume highlighting the exact skills and achievements employers want to see.

Resume Summary Example for Marketing Managers

Self-motivated and analytically-minded senior marketing manager with 6+ years of experience. Eager to join Minas Morgul Inc. to help manage strategy development and lead cross-functional teams. In previous roles, increased website traffic by 300% and led the team behind a content marketing strategy that brought in ~10K monthly users and over 800 paying customers in 3 months.

Discover the full blueprint for a marketing resume that converts.

Event Coordinator Resume Summary Sample

Dynamic Event Coordinator with 8 years of experience orchestrating seamless and memorable events. Increased attendee engagement by 35% through innovative program design. Streamlined event logistics, reducing costs by 20%. Eager to bring my creative flair and organizational expertise to curate exceptional and impactful events for Marty Party.

Want more information about writing a resume for this job? See the event coordinator resume guide .

Social Media Manager Resume Summary

Strategic Social Media Manager with 7+ years of experience building brand presence and engagement. Boosted online followers by 40% through targeted content strategies. Achieved a 25% increase in click-through rates by implementing data-driven optimizations. Eager to leverage my expertise in social media management to enhance the brand visibility of Invigira Inc.

Manage your social media manager’s resume with our dedicated guide.

Expert Hint: If you’re looking for a management position, or want to better yourself in these roles, make sure you develop vital management skills .

Administrative Assistant Resume Summary Sample

Efficient Administrative Assistant with over 5 years of experience streamlining office operations. Implemented a document management system, reducing retrieval time by 30%. Enhanced meeting efficiency, resulting in a 20% increase in productivity. Eager to bring my organizational skills and dedication to efficiency to LMM Solutions.

Here’s how to write an administrative assistant resume that gets noticed.

Resume Summary Example for an Office Manager

Detail-oriented office manager with 4+ years of experience. Enhanced file flow through an overhaul of documentation storage, which led to a 15% increase in efficiency. Seeking to leverage administrative and time management skills to support the office team at Symbex Oasis Group.

Write an excellent office manager resume with our step-by-step guide.

Resume Summary Example for Business Administrators

Dynamic business administrator with 4+ years’ experience, skilled in using a wide range of business software. At EdgeComm InterSlice, saved up to 22 work hours a week by reducing redundancy by over 15% and increased efficiency by over 10% by implementing new business policies and practices. Seeking the opportunity to apply proven business acumen in helping McTaffy’s exceed its target KPIs.

Prove your worth with a business administration resume that stands out.

Expert Hint: Working in an office environment isn’t a cakewalk, as many people would like to believe. To efficiently manage various office tasks, you must show strong administrative skills .

Resume Summary Example for Customer Service

Results-oriented customer service representative with 6 years of experience. Improved average time to resolution by 20%, reduced cancellations by 10%, and leveraged communication skills to maintain a CSR of above 95%. Eager to take care of Eldorado’s customers and help them discover the full potential of the company’s products.

Learn how to write a customer service resume with an outstanding recruiter satisfaction rate.

Resume Summary Example for Sales Jobs

Goal-oriented sales representative with 2+ years of experience. Seeking to boost the exciting and evolving sales culture at Sellouts Inc., and eager to contribute to product improvements. Regularly exceeded KPIs by 20% and identified 50+ new leads.

Close the deal quickly with a powerful sales rep resume .

Retail Manager Resume Summary Sample

Dynamic Retail Manager with 8 years of experience in driving sales and optimizing store operations. Implemented a visual merchandising strategy, resulting in a 15% increase in sales. Streamlined inventory management, reducing stockouts by 25%. Eager to bring my leadership skills and proven track record in boosting retail performance to SatPac Inc.

Don’t create a discount job application. Write a stunning retail manager resume .

Truck Driver Resume Summary Sample

Reliable Truck Driver with 3+ years of experience in transportation and logistics. Maintained a 99% on-time delivery rate, ensuring timely and efficient service. Implemented fuel efficiency measures, reducing costs by 15%. Eager to leverage my extensive experience and commitment to safety in contributing to the smooth and efficient transport operations of Wayward Son.

Drive your truck driver resume to success with our expert guide.

Firefighter Resume Summary Example

Courageous Firefighter with 7+ years of experience ensuring public safety and emergency response. Led a team in reducing average response time by 20%, enhancing efficiency in critical situations. Implemented comprehensive training programs, resulting in a 25% decrease in emergency incidents. Eager to bring my dedication to saving lives and extensive firefighting expertise to the New Arizona Fire Department.

See the full firefighter resume guide for more.

Resume Summary Example for Warehouse Workers

Efficient Warehouse Worker with 6 years of experience optimizing logistics and inventory management. Increased order fulfillment accuracy by 30% through meticulous quality control measures. Implemented time-saving procedures, resulting in a 25% improvement in overall warehouse productivity. Eager to contribute expertise in warehouse operations to ensure smooth and organized logistics for The Growth Company.

Stock your warehouse resume with professional achievements. Get inspired with our resume guide for warehouse jobs .

Double your impact with a matching resume and cover letter combo. Use our cover letter generator and make your application documents pop out.

CREATE YOUR COVER LETTER NOW

Want to try a different look? There's 21 more. A single click will give your document a total makeover. Pick a cover letter template here .

Here’s what you need to know about writing a resume summary:

• Write a resume summary if you have at least a few years of relevant experience.
• A resume summary includes a powerful adjective, your job title and years of experience, 2–3 key accomplishments and skills, and a promise to bring value to your new employer.
• Write your resume summary after you’ve finished the other sections—you’ll have a clearer career overview.
• Tailor your resume summary to a specific job ad, and always mention the company’s name in the summary.

Need help writing your resume summary? Do you have a tip for writing resume summaries that sweep recruiters off their feet? Leave us a comment below!

About ResumeLab’s Editorial Process

At ResumeLab, quality is at the crux of our values, supporting our commitment to delivering top-notch career resources. The editorial team of career experts carefully reviews every article in accordance with editorial guidelines , ensuring the high quality and reliability of our content. We actively conduct original research, shedding light on the job market's intricacies and earning recognition from numerous influential news outlets . Our dedication to delivering expert career advice attracts millions of readers to our blog each year.

Who needs a resume summary?

A career summary should be used by professionals with at least 1 year of experience who want to continue on their career path. If you’re writing a career change resume , or a resume with no experience , you should use a resume objective instead.

How to write a professional summary for a resume?

To write a compelling resume summary, focus on your most significant achievement and unique value. Tailor it to the job you're applying for, and use action words for impact. Mention your job title and years of experience. Your goal is to capture attention and make a strong first impression.

What is a summary on a resume?

A resume summary, or a professional summary, is a brief section above your resume header . It provides a snapshot of your qualifications, skills, and accomplishments. This concise summary offers potential employers an immediate overview of your candidacy and what you can bring to the job. 

What to put in a resume summary?

In a resume summary, you should include:

• Your job title + years of experience.
• 2–3 quantified relevant work accomplishments that demonstrate your impact in previous roles.
• Relevant skills and experience that you can bring to the company.

How to start a resume summary?

To start a resume summary effectively, begin by stating your current job title or the position you're seeking. Next, follow up with the number of years of experience in your field, establishing your expertise. Ensure you tailor your resume summary to each job you're applying for.

What’s the difference between a resume summary and a resume objective?

Their focus and time perspective. A resume summary highlights your qualifications, skills, and professional achievements you gained throughout your work history . On the other hand, a resume objective centers around your goals and what you aim to achieve on your career path.

What’s the difference between a resume summary and a resume headline?

Their structure and purpose. A resume summary is a concise section at the top of your resume that offers an overview of your qualifications and accomplishments. Conversely, a resume headline is a one-line statement designed to capture the reader's attention by showing your unique selling point.

How long should a resume summary be?

A resume summary should span 3 to 5 lines, making it concise and impactful. This allows you to provide enough information to catch the hiring manager's attention and create a strong first impression. It's important to focus on the most compelling and relevant experience and target resume keywords .

Mariusz is a career expert with a background in quality control & economics. With work experience in FinTech and a passion for self-development, Mariusz brings a unique perspective to his role. He’s dedicated to providing the most effective advice on resume and cover letter writing techniques to help his readers secure the jobs of their dreams.

Was it interesting? Here are similar articles

Baker Resume—Examples, 20+ Skills & Tips for 2024

Time for a career change? Form an outstanding baker resume that underlines your Top Chef-level skills and outgrows expectations. Win the baker job you deserve!

Marta Bongilaj, CPRW

Career Expert

Resume AI—Should You Use AI to Write Your Resume?

Resume AI writing is a hot topic as of late. And the growing potential of ChatGPT is stirring up the creative industry. Let's explore the pros & cons of AI tools for resume-making.

Mariusz Wawrzyniak

20+ Infographic Resume Templates (+ Examples & Builder)

If you find simple resume templates unsuccessful, look for something fancier. View a list of infographic resume templates and turn a dull resume into an entertaining read.

More From Forbes

How to write a professional résumé summary, with examples and ai links.

• Share to Facebook
• Share to Twitter
• Share to Linkedin

That really sums it up.

In a way, your résumé summary is a miniature elevator pitch - an overview of your skills and achievements, designed to attract the attention of a recruiter. Imagine, if you will, that the hiring manager will only see your résumé summary - what accomplishments and abilities would you highlight? What can you share, from a high level overview, that would make a hiring manager say, “Tell me more...?” If you want to build a powerful résumé summary statement, consider the inquiry you want to create - and then, follow these steps.

How To Know If You’ve Created A Good Résumé Summary

Don’t mistake a professional summary for a résumé objective , or profile, according to Kickresume. A powerful résumé summary is going to contain three to five sentences, or bullet points (with a maximum of six).

Often, the Professional Summary is what leads off the résumé. Ideally, drop all first person references and filler words, so that you come straight at the ideas that will help the recruiter most. And don’t be afraid of bullet points, if that helps you to make your point.

Like any good elevator pitch, service is always the story. A summary isn’t a laundry list of what you’ve done, it’s a synthesis of service. That synthesis helps you, because it makes life easier for the recruiter or the hiring manager. Remember, the main question on every hiring manager’s mind is always: “Can you help us?” Start by summarizing how you can help, and how you’ve helped others, by pointing to your expertise and achievements.

Examples Of Service Oriented Résumé Summaries

Summaries are a balancing act between specific details and aspirational remarks. Which do you think are stronger? Consider this example, from Jobscan , with three ways to improve the story:

Best High-Yield Savings Accounts Of 2024

Best 5% interest savings accounts of 2024.

Driven Search Engine Optimization Manager with 10+ years of work experience managing different teams in established companies, engaging users, and growing brands through effective SEO strategies and innovative marketing campaigns.

Here’s how to make the résumé summary stronger (and phrases to avoid):

• “Different teams. ” Guess what was different about them? Seriously, you have to guess. I have no idea. Because there’s nothing that indicates what makes them different. The communication principle here is a simple one: specifics are stronger. How about “teams from 3 to 36 people”, or “teams on three continents” or “teams of engineers, hairdressers, and surgeons”. Wow, they really are different now, aren’t they?
• “Established companies.” Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but aren’t all companies established? That’s pretty vague. How about naming the companies that you worked for, or the industries, and being specific?
• “Engaging users.” how many users? And how often? Why not say you helped over 500 e-commerce users in the course of the first three months on the job? Or, if that’s a bullet point elsewhere, can you add some numbers around the type of users, or say how you “engaged” - via email, sign language, or telephone calls?

Here’s a great example, from Kickresume - notice the specifics, and how they mention the future position (at Techia) by name:

Performance-driven and motivated customer service rep offering 4+ years of relevant experience. Eager to join the Techia team and contribute to the growth of the company. In the previous role, the ability to make customers comfortable and relaxed allowed for 98% customer service survey results and had 25% more sales than the average employer.

Why is this summary so good? Because it makes you wonder what this person did, to make customers “comfortable and relaxed”. Aren’t you curious to know what this person would do with an irate customer? This summary creates a “Tell me more” moment, in the mind of the recruiter or hiring manager. Does your summary generate curiosity? What’s the first question you hope you are asked, when someone reads your résumé summary?

Examples of clear and concise résumé summaries

Consider Your Keywords On A Résumé Summary

In a résumé summary, consider that ATS-friendly keywords can make a difference. ATS Software is used to scan your résumé, so it’s always wise to be algorithm savvy. You can use a prompt to make sure you hit the keywords that apply to your industry, and the role that you want. Check out some of the free AI-based tools, to create your next résumé. One such online résumé writing tool is Leet.co , created by Ladders founder, Mark Cenedella. Other AI-powered résumé tools include:

• My Perfect Resume
• Rezi.ai , powered by ChatGPT
• Cover Letter Generator , also powered by ChatGPT
• ChatCareer.org
• Open Resume

How To Write A Powerful Résumé Summary

Even with some AI-generated assistance, you still need to know how to fill in the gaps. Here’s how to write your résumé summary:

• Write the summary last.
• Ask someone else to read your résumé and tell you what service and accomplishments stand out. After all, it will never be your best work until someone else has read it. Then, based on feedback, write your summary.
• Be specific. How would you quantify what you’ve achieved, and how can you add numbers and context? Without clarification, your résumé summary sounds like a lot of filler words, or blazing hype - not clarity.
• Extra credit: Hire a coach, and get serious about success in your next role.

Professional Summary For First Résumé / New Grads

When you don’t have a lot of experience, it’s hard to summarize what you’ve done. But the mistake most people make, when they are early in their careers, is the opportunity to link relevant skills . What did you learn in your internship? That might be quite different than what you did in your internship. What was the impact, or the outcome, of your efforts - and what did you discover during your last assignment? Stating your field of study, and your GPA (if it’s above 3.0 on a 4.0 scale) is always valuable. Then, consider the service that you would like to provide, tie it into the position at hand, and don’t be afraid to personalize your résumé summary for the job. After all, if your approach is to just spray and pray with online applications, then get ready to wait and wonder why the interviews aren’t coming your way. Personalization is key to effective communication - no matter where you are in your career.

• Editorial Standards
• Reprints & Permissions

40 Resume Summary Examples to Help You Write Yours 

Learn how to highlight your strengths, achievements, and career goals in a standout resume summary to elevate your job application..

When job hunting, think of your resume summary as your secret weapon. This summary (also called a professional summary ) is like a mini advert for you, packing your biggest achievements, top skills, and career dreams into a few punchy lines. It's super important because it's your first chance to catch a recruiter's eye and stand out.

Don’t know where to start? We've got some excellent resume summary examples to inspire you. Whether you're a seasoned pro with years under your belt or just starting out, your resume summary should reflect who you are and what you bring to the table, all while lining up with what the employer’s looking for.

It's not just a list of your wins; it's your story, told in a way that makes the recruiter think, "This is the person we need." In short, a compelling resume summary isn't just an intro – it's your foot in the door to that dream job.

In this article, we show you how to write a summary for a resume and why it's essential. We also list 40 resume summary examples for multiple jobs and industries to help you to write your own.

What is a Resume Summary?

A resume summary is a brief, powerful statement at the top of your resume, designed to give a snapshot of your capabilities and experiences. Think of it as your professional headline - it summarizes your key achievements, skills, and unique value proposition in a short paragraph.

But why is a summary for your resume so important? Given that recruiters often skim through resumes quickly, a compelling summary can make your resume stand out in a pile of hundreds.

Moreover, resume summaries are an excellent tool for tailoring your application to a specific job. By carefully aligning yours with the job description, you can immediately show the recruiter that your skills and experiences are exactly what they're looking for.

Who Needs a Resume Summary?

Pretty much everyone who's on a job hunt needs a resume summary. For fresh graduates, it’s an opportunity to highlight academic achievements, key projects, internships, and the skills they bring, especially when they may not have much work experience. It's a chance to show potential employers your enthusiasm and the value you can add to the team despite limited work history.

If you’re a mid-career professional, you’ll benefit significantly from a resume summary that allows you to showcase your accumulated skills and achievements. It's a space to highlight career advancements, major projects, and the specific expertise you’ve developed over the years. This is particularly useful when moving up the career ladder or pivoting to a new industry or role.

For senior executives, a resume summary is crucial. It's where you can succinctly showcase your leadership experience, high-level skills, and significant achievements. At this level, it becomes more about illustrating a track record of success in leadership roles and the ability to drive business growth or transformation.

How to Write a Professional Summary for Your Resume

Creating a good summary for your resume that gets results requires careful thought and a strategic approach. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you:

Step 1: Understand the Job Description

Go through the job listing meticulously. Look for specific skills, experiences, and qualifications the employer emphasizes. This helps in tailoring your summary to meet those specific needs.

Notice the recurring words or phrases in the job description. These are likely the keywords the employer values and what an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) will scan for.

Step 2: Reflect on Your Experience

Think about the milestones in your career. This could include successful projects, promotions, or any recognition you've received. Choose those that align with the job you're targeting.

Also, consider what sets you apart from other candidates. This could be a unique blend of skills, a specific experience, or an innovative way of solving problems in your field.

Step 3: Choose the Right Format

Determine whether a bullet-point list or a concise paragraph suits your style and profession better. Bullet points can be very effective if you have distinct, quantifiable achievements or specific skills you want to highlight. A short paragraph format works well if you want to create a narrative flow or if your skills and achievements are more interconnected. Both formats should be brief - ideally three to four lines.

Step 4: Make an Impact

Begin with a strong opening. Your first sentence should be impactful, possibly summarizing your professional status or key strength. Weave in keywords from the job description to align your summary with the job and make it ATS-friendly. Remember to focus on what's relevant to the job. Use numbers or statistics to quantify your achievements as this adds credibility.

Step 5: Show Your Value

Demonstrate how you can contribute by clearly articulating how your skills and experiences will benefit the potential employer. This shows you're not just qualified but also understand the company's needs.

Step 6: Customize for Each Application

Align your resume summary with the job's key requirements. Highlight the aspects of your experience and skills most relevant to the position. For example, if the job emphasizes leadership skills, ensure your summary showcases your experience leading teams or managing projects.

Resume Summary Examples

We have compiled a comprehensive list of 40 resume summary examples, categorized by industry. So, no matter your professional background, we’ll show you exactly how to write one that showcases your unique skills and achievements.

Finance Resume Summary Examples

Account manager.

Goal-driven, award-winning account manager with repeated success generating company-leading revenues nationwide. Offers a record of multimillion-dollar revenue generation, #1 sales distinction, and quota-surpassing results in selling complex mortgage and commercial lending products.

Building long-term client relationships through a "hands-on" approach and commitment to service.

• Diligent and dedicated accountant backed by public accounting, general ledger (GL), and tax experience with expertise in GAAP, data analytics, and sophisticated modeling tools.
• Strategic business partner delivering fiscally responsible strategies to resolve financial and accounting challenges, propel corporate growth, and strengthen compliance.
• Highly technical and experienced user of QuickBooks, Drake, Microsoft Dynamics GP, JD Edwards EnterpriseOne, Hyperion, SAP, Oracle, IBM Cognos, Visual Basic, SQL, and Excel.

Bank Teller

Experienced bank teller known for delivering friendly service and personalized attention to all customers. Contribute to achieving branch sales goals by recommending products and services that meet customer needs. Solid knowledge of banking regulations and compliance matters; adhere to security and compliance procedures for protecting cash and other assets.

Education Resume Summary Examples

Student-centered teacher and educator with public and private teaching experience that spans special education, inclusive classrooms, and one-on-one settings. Deeply committed to optimizing student success, IEP progress, and learning outcomes for K-12th graders on the autism spectrum. Qualifications include MS in special education, NYS teaching certification, and CAS designation.

Academic Advisor

Enthusiastic academic advisor with 10+ years of experience assisting students in establishing and achieving educational, personal, and vocational goals. Trained and experienced in implementing student development theories that support growth and learning. Possesses professional, ethical standards that generate fairness in the collegiate environment. Acquainted with performing student degree audits, course planning, interpreting transcripts, and conducting presentations.

Dedicated professional who applies practical industry experience and best practices in academic pedagogy to simulate real-life situations that prepare students for college and career success. Earned a reputation for developing curricula that challenge students to think analytically and exercise cognitive learning skills. Career history of lifting students, faculty, and staff to reach their highest potential.

Healthcare Resume Summary Examples

Dedicated and compassionate caregiver and provider of elderly care, companionship, and comfort for senior citizen residents of assisted living and memory care communities. Patient, personable, and professional in responding to resident needs, with a gentle touch and caring attitude centered on treating all with dignity and respect.

Social Worker

Dedicated social worker and program coordinator with a strong commitment to serving disadvantaged youth and adults, including homeless, emancipated youth, and special-needs populations. Documented success in overcoming challenges of limited resources and financial constraints to design high-quality, cost-effective, comprehensive service offerings. Skilled at building community support, key coalitions, and strategic interagency partnerships.

Registered Nurse

• Registered Nurse (RN) with specialty experience in psychiatric nursing. Developed strong psychiatric evaluation and treatment-planning skills through an RN role at the ABC Department of Corrections.
• Knowledge of psychotropic medication administration, management, and training.
• Ability to stay calm, intervene during crises, facilitate groups, and collaborate on multidisciplinary teams.

Marketing Resume Summary Examples

Public relations specialist.

Ambitious and driven public relations strategist with extensive experience directing PR campaigns in both agency and in-house settings. Proven success in developing, managing, and implementing media strategies and measuring results across traditional media and digital channels. Innovative social media strategies have boosted client engagement rates by 35%, demonstrating the ability to adapt and thrive in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.

Social Media Manager

Driven and dedicated social media manager with a track record of creating and implementing successful campaigns. Work closely with clients to develop and execute a proactive social content calendar, managing all phases of digital marketing initiatives from concept through delivery and optimization. Strategies have consistently enhanced brand visibility, resulting in a 30% increase in web traffic and a 40% rise in user interaction on key campaigns.

Marketing Specialist

Marketing professional who creates compelling campaigns that boost engagement and drive brand recognition. Proven strengths in digital marketing, influencer marketing, and event planning in nonprofit and corporate spaces. Skilled project coordinator and motivational leader, able to take campaigns from initial concept to design and execution. My data-driven approach has optimized digital advertising strategies, achieving a 40% higher return on ad spend than industry benchmarks.

Administrative/Support Resume Summary Examples

Customer service representative.

Dynamic customer service professional experienced in both call center and retail store settings. Productive relationship builder; excels at listening to customer needs, articulating product benefits, and creating solutions that provide value. Highly professional, dependable, reliable, and able to perform duties with minimal supervision. Consistently maintained a customer satisfaction rating of over 95%, demonstrating my commitment to delivering exceptional service.

Medical Receptionist

Patient-focused, detail-oriented, and computer-savvy medical receptionist . Personable and courteous in all interactions with patients and team members and skilled at anticipating physician and practice needs.

• Effective in handling office and administrative tasks within busy, multi-physician practices.
• Expedient in processing patient check-in/check-out, verifying insurance, and collecting third-party claims.
• Efficient in managing appointment scheduling, patient records, medical billing, and financial information.

Office Assistant

Analytical and detail-oriented professional with experience coordinating, planning, and supporting daily administrative functions. Adept at managing and streamlining administrative processes to reduce errors and improve accuracy and efficiency. Exceptional organizational skills have led to a 50% improvement in filing and document retrieval times, enhancing overall office productivity.

Design and Media Resume Summary Examples

Graphic designer.

Highly creative and multitalented graphic designer with extensive experience in multimedia, marketing, and print design. Exceptional collaborative and interpersonal skills; dynamic team player with well-developed written and verbal communication abilities. Highly skilled in client and vendor relations and negotiations; talented at building and maintaining "win-win" partnerships.

Video Editor

Experienced videographer and digital media specialist who creates stunning visual narratives for clients across diverse industries. Drives projects from concept to completion with expertise in all facets of the post-production process. Collaborative and adaptable -overcoming obstacles and bringing clients’ creative visions to life.

Photographer

Creative, high-energy photographer producing premium-quality photos in studio settings. Dedicated to creating memories that last a lifetime while driving sales and studio profits. Manage all facets of photo shoots, including scheduling, designing sets, shooting, photo editing, collaborating with clients, and closing add-on sales. Consistently receive a 95% satisfaction rate for my artistic vision and attention to detail.

Business and Management Resume Summary Examples

Operations manager.

Profit-driven and process-oriented operations manager of multimillion-dollar manufacturing companies and top-producing teams (150+ direct/indirect reports). History of strengthening compliance, improving processes, and elevating output, quality, customer satisfaction, and employee morale to all-time bests. Relied on to drive top-line and bottom-line gains regardless of supply chain challenges, production-line issues, and/or union obstacles.

Project Manager

Accomplished project management professional with 15+ years of success leading and driving operational improvement. Talent for producing high-performance teams, effectively making decisions, and quickly resolving issues within required time frames. My strategic planning and risk management have contributed to a 50% reduction in project-related issues, ensuring smooth and efficient project completion.

Business Analyst

Solutions-driven business analyst with experience leading cross-functional teams in the development, documentation, and delivery of process innovations driving the attainment of business goals. My data-driven insights have directly contributed to a 25% increase in revenue for key product lines by identifying and capitalizing on market trends. Seek opportunities to transform company practices into fresh, cost-effective solutions leading to more efficient operations.

Engineering Resume Summary Examples

Mechanical engineer.

Highly analytical, performance-driven engineering professional with 10+ years’ experience creating innovative, cost-efficient designs. Solid expertise in applied research, new content development, simulation, and validation. Broad knowledge in the alternative fuels industry and success in developing prototypes to improve marketability for previously unfeasible technologies. My expertise in CAD and simulation tools led to a 15% reduction in material costs through improved design accuracy and waste minimization.

Industrial Engineer

Cost-conscious and analytical industrial engineer with a history of success optimizing quality and production processes in fast-paced manufacturing environments.

• Increase productivity, quality, and profitability through keen data analysis and process design.
• Spearheaded workflow optimization projects that have resulted in a 25% increase in production efficiency for manufacturing processes.
• Proficient in AutoCAD, Simul8, Minitab, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint. Outstanding communication, problem-solving, and relationship-management skills.

Legal and Law Enforcement Resume Summary Examples;

Police officer.

Community-oriented CLEET-Certified Peace Officer and public servant deeply committed to protecting lives, citizens, and property through rapid emergency response, diligent crime-prevention efforts, and high-visibility public safety initiatives. I have significantly contributed to a 20% reduction in community crime rates through effective patrolling and community engagement strategies. Known for building mutual trust and cross-cultural ties with ethnically and socioeconomically diverse populations.

Persuasive litigator backed by dual-state licensure (NY, NJ) and practice-area expertise spanning antitrust, product liability, and catastrophic personal injury defense. Passionately represent client interests, diligently analyzing case merits, minimizing risk, and propelling favorable resolutions to complex legal matters. I have reduced client legal risks by 40% through proactive legal counseling and strategic planning in various business transactions.

Hospitality Resume Summary Examples

Housekeeper.

Competent and dependable housekeeper with experience in private residences as well as large hotels. Valued for impeccable standards in maintaining a clean, sanitized, tidy, and pleasant environment for hotel guests and clients. Skilled at selecting the best tools and methods for all cleaning jobs. My proactive approach to managing inventory has resulted in a 30% reduction in waste, showcasing my ability to optimize resources.

Exceptionally innovative Sous Chef with 9+ years’ experience in renowned restaurants. Proficient in numerous cooking techniques and cuisines with a talent for working with ingredients from countries worldwide. Proven leadership skills with a track record of training, developing, and fostering strong teams focused on quality, presentation, cost containment, and safety. My innovative menu designs have contributed to a 25% increase in restaurant sales.

Restaurant Server

Highly organized and personable server with experience in establishments ranging from casual cafés to fine-dining restaurants. Exceptional interpersonal and team-building skills with an aptitude for building rapport with diverse customers, managers, and colleagues. Skilled at anticipating, identifying, and fulfilling guest needs and clarifying special orders. My exceptional customer service skills have resulted in a 40% increase in repeat patronage.

Retail Resume Summary Examples

Energetic, hardworking cashier valued for fast, friendly service and accuracy in handling customer transactions. Address customers' needs while quickly moving them through the check-out process while maintaining a 99.8% accuracy rate. Passionate about serving others and eager to take on new responsibilities and leadership roles.

Reliable and trustworthy warehouse stocker with over 4 years of experience in inventory procedures, customer service, material distribution, storage methods, stock reordering, and physical security across diverse teams and industries. Highly organized in coordinating complex workflow and logistics. My proactive approach to optimizing warehouse layouts has led to a 20% increase in storage efficiency, maximizing space utilization.

Science Resume Summary Examples

Data scientist.

Business-minded data scientist with a demonstrated ability to deliver valuable insights via data analytics and advanced data-driven methods. Relied on as a key advisor in driving global, multibillion-dollar growth gains in customer loyalty and record-setting profit improvements. Developed data models that increased business decision accuracy by 40%, significantly impacting strategic planning and operations.

Diligent and accomplished biochemist experienced in:

• Therapeutic protein purification, analytical assay development, and immunoassay reagent creation, furthering the prevention, early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.
• Knowledge of FDA, ISO, and cGMP requirements, laboratory protocols, quality procedures, and analytical instrumentation.

My work on a significant pharmaceutical project contributed to a 40% increase in the efficiency of drug synthesis, reducing production costs and time-to-market.

Research Assistant

Inquisitive and detail-oriented research assistant with 8+ years of experience. Blends biophysics and chemistry expertise with exceptional laboratory skills to assist principal investigators in genetics/genome and biopharmaceutical experiments. Demonstrates advanced proficiency with experimental technology to promote research validity, reliability, and efficiency. My meticulous data collection and analysis skills have led to a 20% improvement in research accuracy and efficiency in the laboratory.

Technology Resume Summary Examples

Data analyst.

Highly analytical and process-oriented data analyst with in-depth knowledge of database types, research methodologies, and big data capture, curation, manipulation, and visualization. Furnish insights, analytics, and business intelligence used to advance opportunity identification, process reengineering, and corporate growth. My rigorous data quality initiatives have decreased discrepancies by 40%, ensuring high accuracy and reliability in data-driven strategies.

Web Developer

Creative web developer dedicated to building and optimizing the performance of user-centric, high-impact websites for nationwide, F500, and global companies. Leverage technical, analytical, and problem-solving skills to create dynamic, high-speed websites, apps, and platforms fueling competitive advantage and revenue growth. My commitment to adopting the latest web technologies has led to a 35% improvement in website functionality and accessibility, aligning with modern web standards and customer expectations.

Cloud Engineer

Experienced cloud engineer and hands-on technical leader who translates business requirements into scalable, efficient solutions. Architect, design, and implement enterprise-wide technology initiatives for global organizations. Spearheaded the migration of over 200 enterprise workloads to the cloud, resulting in a 40% reduction in operational costs and a 50% improvement in system scalability.

Resume Summary Examples for Young Adults

Mature, dependable, and high-energy nanny with a passion for childcare excellence. Valued by client families for warmth, professionalism, dedication, and excellent judgment. Providing parents with an unwavering commitment to ensuring the safety and welfare of their children.

Entry Level Sales Professional

Honors student at ABC College’s communications program — highly motivated to launch a professional sales career. Excellent interpersonal, communication, and relationship-building skills. Listens attentively, communicates persuasively, and follows through diligently. My eagerness to learn and determination to succeed make me a promising asset to any sales team looking to expand their reach and impact.

Professional dog walker and animal lover with over five years of experience in the pet care industry. Proven ability to manage multiple dogs of varying breeds and sizes while ensuring the safety and enjoyment of all animals. Organized and reliable, dedicated to building positive, long-term relationships with pets and their people.

Restaurant Hostess

Personable, energetic, and reliable hospitality professional with a history of exemplary-rated performance as a hostess for popular, high-volume restaurants.

• Friendly and upbeat in all guest interactions.
• Diplomatic in handling sensitive situations and efficient in managing smooth front-of-house operations.
• Valued for work ethic and “can-do” attitude. Cheerfully pitches in where needed to deliver a premium guest experience.

Write an Impactful Resume with Monsters Help

Go beyond our resume summary examples and create successful job applications with help from Monster. Rise above other candidates and let the writing experts at Monster’s Resume Services take your first draft to the next level. They’ll create a customized, keyword-rich resume that showcases your exceptional skills and unique value proposition so you can start landing more interviews.

Most Helpful In Resumes

How to Check the Pulse on Your Entry-Level Nurse Resume

By Monster Contributor

Resume Objective Examples for Every Situation

By Jennifer Verta, Monster Contributor

Need a Job in High School? Resume Examples to Help You Succeed

By Martina Mascali, Monster Contributor

Customizable Nurse Practitioner Resume Sample

How to write a successful lpn resume.

77+ Resume Summary Examples [& How-to Guide for 2024]

Most companies get hundreds or even thousands of applications monthly.

Hiring managers don’t have the time to read each resume in detail, so they usually end up scanning it for five to six seconds.

So, unless your resume manages to grab the hiring manager’s attention in those few seconds, they’ll just toss your application aside and move on to the next one.

That’s why, you want to make sure that the hiring manager can instantly tell that you’re the right candidate for the job before they even read your resume in depth. 

This is where writing an attention-grabbing resume summary comes in!

In this guide, we’re going to cover: 

• What Is a Resume Summary?
• Tips for Writing an Effective Resume Summary 
• 77+ Convincing Resume Summary Examples

Let’s dive in.

This guide is part of our larger resume series. If you want to start from the basics, take a look at our comprehensive guide on how to make a resume .

What Is a Resume Summary? 

A resume summary is a section that summarizes your resume’s contents. It’s placed in your resume’s header, close to your 

contact information , and it’s the first thing hiring managers see when they look at your resume.

When done right, your resume summary serves as a snapshot of your entire career. It shows that you’re a qualified candidate in less than five seconds, and it gets the hiring manager interested in reading the rest of your resume.

So, what makes a resume summary effective?

A good resume summary is two to four sentences long and includes:

• Your years of experience and job title
• Some of your biggest achievements to date
• A couple of your most essential skills that are relevant for the role

Let’s look at an example:

• Detail-oriented Technical Writer with 7+ years of experience in writing end-user documentation, specializing in user help guides. Excellent writing, analytical thinking, research, and time management skills. Rewrote over 80% of user help guides for 30+ products at Company X, resulting in a 42% decrease in product-related customer support calls.

New to resume-making? Give our resume summary video a watch before diving into the article!

When Should You Use a Resume Summary?

Hiring managers skim through resumes before deciding to read them, so candidates who grab their attention from the start stand a better chance of grabbing their attention. This is why you should always include a brief paragraph in your resume header that summarizes your strengths as a candidate.

Depending on your experience level, you can choose between a resume summary or a resume objective .

Resume objectives focus on professional goals, skills, and motivation for applying for the job, so they’re perfect for students, recent graduates , and other entry-level workers.

A resume summary, on the other hand, is perfect for seasoned professionals, as it focuses more on your past work experience and how it relates to the job you’re applying for. So, if you already have some work experience, we recommend sticking to a resume summary.

If you’re embarking on a career change , on the other hand, you can choose between a resume summary or a resume objective, depending on how your previous skills and work experience relate to the job.

When you’re making your resume, write your resume summary last. Creating a resume summary is much easier once you’ve already finished up your work experience section! 

5 General Resume Summary Examples

There are different aspects of your professional background that you can focus on when writing your resume summary.

Let’s look at some examples and what they do right:

• A hard-working bartender with over five years of experience providing professional service at various bars across Brooklyn. I have received the Hospitality Skill Certification for Bartenders and I know how to make over 200 alcoholic and non-alcoholic cocktails. Seeking the Head Bartender position at Bar X, where my skills and beverage knowledge can be leveraged to offer customers the highest quality of service.

Above all, this resume summary shows how experienced the candidate is. Their main selling point is their vast bartending knowledge, followed by an impressive bartending qualification and customer service skills .

• Communicative financial analyst, specializing in informative and persuasive financial presentations, cost accounting, and team management. Master’s Degree in Finance and two related certifications from the Corporate Finance Institute. Extensive experience with a variety of software programs, including SQL, Equitrak, and Lawson.

What sticks out the most in this resume summary is the candidate’s educational background and certifications. It matches the field they’re applying for, and their knowledge also extends to the most important professional software.

• Human Resources Manager with 7+ years of experience seeks to improve overall efficiency at XYZ Office. Career highlights include handling all employee relations in a 75-employee finance firm, reducing recruitment lead time by 35%, and increasing employee retention by 17%.

In addition to the candidate’s long professional experience, the most impressive part of this resume summary is their achievements . The candidate also made sure to quantify their professional accomplishments, which gives you credibility and shows you know what you're talking about.

• Detail-oriented receptionist with 4+ years of experience in customer service. Efficient in performing the administrative and front-desk tasks of large-scale offices. Fluent in Norwegian, English, Spanish, and Swedish. Proficient in MS Office Suite and ZenDesk.

This resume summary shows off the candidate’s key skills, including language proficiency , extensive customer service experience, and computer skills .

• Hard-working and passionate Secondary Social Studies teacher with 10+ years of experience in creating positive environments in which teenagers can learn and grow. Incorporates interdisciplinary knowledge into the classroom to engage students of all learning orientations. 

This candidate mentions they have more than a decade of work experience , but the main takeaway is what they can do on the job. The hiring manager who reads this resume summary can immediately see what this applicant can bring to the team.

How to Write a Resume Summary

Now, let’s get down to business – how can you write a resume summary that’s guaranteed to catch the hiring manager’s attention?

Let’s start with the basics. Here’s what your resume summary should include:

• Experience. If you have a lot of relevant professional experience, you should summarize it. This may include your job titles and years of experience in the field. (e.g., “Facebook marketer with 5+ years of experience..." )
• Skills. Mention your areas of expertise, specializations, certifications , and/or skills. (e.g., “Experienced in managing Facebook ad accounts and SEO copywriting..." )
• Achievements. Add one or two impressive achievements to show what you can do. (e.g., “Managed over $100,000 in marketing budget over several accounts and reduced annual company costs by 16%.” )

The next step is to take your resume summary from good to great by following these expert tips:

#1. Tailor Your Resume Summary

You could be an excellent candidate with tons of work experience, but if your resume summary isn’t tailored to the job ad, the hiring manager probably won’t be impressed.

If the hiring manager doesn’t see your value in the first seven seconds of reading your resume , you probably won’t get them to give it a second glance.

This is where tailoring your resume summary comes in. Just reference the job description to make sure your work experience, skills, and achievements all match what the employer is looking for in a candidate.

Let’s go over it in detail.

Imagine you’re applying for this specific job:

The ad tells you exactly what the company is looking for in a candidate.

So here’s what a resume summary tailored to this ad might look like:

• Professional marketer manager with 5+ years of experience in digital marketing. Social media marketing experience, including Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn advertising. Experience in managing an account with a monthly budget of $30,000. B.A. in marketing management. Fluent in German. 

By carefully tailoring your resume summary to the ad and mentioning what the company is looking for, the hiring manager will be hooked! They’ll immediately think, “This is the right person for the job!” and read the rest of your resume in detail.

Tailoring your resume summary to the job description can also help you get past Applicant Tracking Systems that companies use to filter through resumes. This is software that scans applications and disqualifies candidates who don’t mention specific skills or add enough keywords from the job description throughout their resume, so the more you tailor your resume to the job, the better your chances!

#2. Quantify Your Achievements

Your resume summary is supposed to be brief, which means you’re not supposed to list all your achievements. So, make sure to mention the ones that are most relevant and impactful for the role you’re applying for to pique the hiring manager’s attention.

The best way to back up your accomplishments is by providing concrete data.

Quantifiable achievements are instantly more credible and more likely to leave a good impression than vague statements. 

Let’s compare:

• Helped customers sign up on our platform.
• Onboarded 100+ customers to our SaaS platform with a retention rate of over 75%.

See the difference? In fact, the first example sounds more like a responsibility than an achievement.

Here’s what this applicant's entire resume summary would look like:

• Customer service representative with 5+ years of experience in telephone customer service, tech support, and customer care. Familiar with Intercom, Drift, and several other customer service software solutions. Handled up to 100 calls daily with a retention rate of over 75%. 

In some fields, there aren’t many achievements that you can mention. For example, saying that you served 50 people a day isn’t an achievement if you're a server. Don’t fret! In such cases, it’s OK to stick with your key responsibilities simply.

#3. Use Power Words and Action Verbs

Saying you’re a “team player” who was “responsible for” this or “managed” that is boring.

To stand out from every other applicant using the same words, you need to use the right action verbs and power words .

These words can make your skills and achievements pop, and the hiring manager will appreciate that you’re going the extra mile to describe your experience.

Let’s compare how the same sentence with and without power words plays out:

• Spearheaded Company X’s content marketing operations.
• Responsible for content marketing at Company X.

While both of these sentences say the same thing, the first one makes you seem more competent and implies initiative and leadership skills. The second just comes off as passive.

To drive the point home, here’s what a resume summary looks like packed with action words:

#4. Follow Our Formula

When you get down to writing your resume summary, you might still not be sure where to start or what to add.

Don’t worry!

We have a tried and tested formula that you can follow to write the perfect resume summary.

77+ Convincing Resume Summary Examples (For Different Fields)

Need inspiration to write your resume summary? No sweat!

We’ve curated a list of 77+ resume summary examples for different professions to help inspire you.

Sales and Customer Service Resume Summary Examples

#1. sales associate resume summary.

“Enthusiastic and knowledgeable sales associate specialized in upselling furniture and dealing with customer objections. Proven 2-year track record of success at Company X, having exceeded department KPIs by 40-50% for 6 months in a row.”

Read the full sales associate resume example here.

#2. Account Manager Resume Summary

“Client-oriented account manager with a successful track record in the oil industry. Managed accounts worth over $500K while working with clients such as BP and Lukoil.”

#3. Software Support Specialist Resume Summary

“Software support specialist with 5+ years of experience in providing support and assistance to clients, managing user accounts, and recruiting and hiring new IT support interns. Built customer relationships and trust with 20+ B2B clients. Skilled at simplifying complex problems, making it easy for non-technical specialists to solve IT issues.”

#4. Customer Service Representative Resume Summary

“Dedicated and trustworthy customer service specialist with four years of experience in online software troubleshooting, tech support, and customer care. Experienced in using Intercom and Drift. Received an average 87% customer satisfaction rating to date, 15% higher than the company average.”

Read the full customer service resume example here.

#5. Cashier Resume Summary

“Reliable and detail-oriented cashier. Skilled at mathematics, thinking on my feet, and solving any potential customer issues that arise without help from management. Experience in training and onboarding 3+ new cashiers at Company X.”

Read the full cashier resume example here.

#6. Retail Manager Resume Summary

“Retail Manager with 5 years of experience managing mid-sized retail stores. Increased store revenue by 15% through effective team management and customer engagement strategies. Proficient in inventory control, merchandising, and staff training. Looking to leverage retail management expertise in a larger, high-volume store setting.”

Read the full retail manager resume example here.

#7. Barista Resume Summary

“Passionate Barista with 2 years of experience in specialty coffee shops. Known for crafting signature beverages and maintaining high standards of customer service. Consistently received positive feedback for friendly demeanor and quick, accurate order fulfillment.”

Read the full barista resume example here.

#8. Server Resume Summary

"Dedicated Server with 3 years of experience in fast-paced dining environments. Skilled in order accuracy, multitasking, and providing exceptional customer service. Recognized for ability to maintain composure and efficiency during peak hours."

Read the full server resume example here.

#9. Waiter Resume Summary

“Positive and friendly waiter with 3 years of experience working at a fast-paced Italian restaurant. People skills with a proven ability to upsell alcohol, desserts, and appetizers to customers. Memorized restaurant’s wine stock and accompanying meals to the T.”

Read the full waiter resume example here.

#10. Front Desk Agent Resume Summary

“Front Desk Agent with 4 years of experience in the hospitality industry, excelling in customer service at busy city-center hotels. Skilled in handling reservations, guest inquiries, and providing travel recommendations. Committed to enhancing guest experiences and maintaining a high standard of service.”

#11. Housekeeper Resume Summary

“Hard-working house-keeper with 5+ years of experience. Past experiences include working as a housekeeper in hotels as well as private residences. Proven time-management skills and deep familiarity with all cleaning materials and tools.”

#12. Line Cook Resume Summary

“Line Cook with 3 years of experience in high-volume kitchens. Efficient in meal preparation and plating, with a focus on maintaining quality and speed. Trained in various cuisines and knowledgeable about food safety standards.”

#13. Restaurant Manager Resume Summary

“Professional restaurant manager with a strong interest in providing the highest standards of customer service and ensuring customer satisfaction. Skilled at reducing staff turnover, conflict resolution, marketing, and upselling techniques. Increased restaurant revenue by 20% through advertising lunch menu and word-of-mouth strategies.”

#14. Bar Manager Resume Summary

“Experienced Bar Manager with 7 years overseeing busy urban bars. Successfully increased annual sales by 20% through innovative marketing and menu redesign. Expert in inventory management, staff training, and creating a welcoming atmosphere for patrons. Seeking to bring leadership and efficient operational skills to a high-end establishment.”

Read the full bar manager resume example here.

Administrative and HR Resume Summary Examples

#15. receptionist resume summary.

"Organized Receptionist with 3 years of experience in corporate and medical office settings. Efficient in managing multiple phone lines, scheduling appointments, and providing administrative support. Known for a welcoming demeanor and effectively handling client inquiries."

Read the full receptionist resume example here.

#16. Recruiter Resume Summary

"Communicative professional with 5+ years of experience in recruitment. Worked with every part of the recruitment process, including sourcing, vetting, and onboarding of candidates. Passionate about IT recruitment, having worked as a tech recruiter at Company X. MBA from University X."

Read the full recruiter resume example here.

#17. Human Resources Specialist Resume Summary

“Human Resources Specialist with 6 years of experience focusing on employee retention and satisfaction. Implemented employee engagement programs that increased retention rates by 25%. Skilled in conflict resolution, performance management, and creating positive work environments. Dedicated to fostering a culture of continuous improvement and employee development.”

Read the full human resources resume example here.

#18. Office Manager Resume Summary

“Office manager with 5+ years of experience in controlling inventory, ordering and tracking new supplies, developing procedures and training material for staff. Strong communication skills, organized, with a track record of success.”

Read the full office manager resume example here.

#19. Secretary Resume Summary

“Professional Secretary with 4 years of experience in fast-paced legal and corporate environments. Proficient in document preparation, managing executive schedules, and coordinating meetings. Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail, ensuring efficient office operations.”

#20. Executive Assistant Resume Summary

“Accomplished executive assistant with experience in providing support to a high-level CEO and other executives for 4 years. Helped with everything from customer support to data entry and preparing well-researched documents. Skilled at time management, proficient in MS Office and Adobe Photoshop.”

Read the full executive assistant resume example here.

#21. Administrative Assistant Resume Summary

“Experienced administrative assistant seeking to leverage advanced administrative skills for improved efficiency at Media XYZ. 5+ years of industry experience includes decreasing data entry mistakes by 23%, decreasing negative feedback by 11%, and giving insights into creating paperless office environments.”

Read the full administrative assistant resume example here.

#22. Data Entry Resume Summary

“Data entry clerk with 3+ years of experience in verifying complex data, maintaining databases, and producing monthly reports using advanced Excel functions. Known for quick typing skills, eye for detail, and the ability to keep clients and employers happy.”

Read the full data entry resume example here.

Finance Resume Summary Examples

#23. accountant resume summary.

“Licensed Certified Public Accountant with 10+ years of experience in budget analysis, financial audits, and forensic accounting. Created financial reports within a five-person finance team and managed a $500,000 budget. Over the two years working there, helped cut annual company expenses by 15%.”

Read the full accountant resume example here.

#24. Financial Analyst Resume Summary

“Dedicated financial analyst with a track record of successful investments. 5+ years of experience in investment banking, with a focus on the oil industry. Responsible for analyzing potential investments, as well as conducting industry, market, and company-specific research. MBA in Finance.”

Read the full financial analyst resume example here.

#25. Bank Teller Resume Summary

“Bank teller with 2+ years of experience in client-facing roles at Bank X, where I handled customer transactions, cross-selling bank products, and keeping customers happy by providing a professional and efficient service. Followed strict and safe deposit box operations guidelines and processed 100+ customer transactions daily.”

Read the full bank teller resume example here.

#26. Banker Resume Summary

"Experienced Banker with 5 years of expertise in personal and small business banking. Managed a portfolio of high-value accounts, increasing client satisfaction and financial performance. Skilled in financial advising, loan processing, and risk management. Committed to helping clients achieve their financial goals with tailored solutions."

Read the full banker resume example here.

Business Resume Summary Examples

#27. business analyst resume summary.

“Solutions-driven business analyst with over 5 years of experience in consulting businesses and analyzing their operations. Previous experience in working with Consulting Company X and Consulting Company Y. Strong understanding of digital transformation. Improved a client company’s processes by taking them online, which improved manufacturing output by 3%.”

Read the full business analyst resume example here.

#28. Business Development Manager Resume Summary

"Dynamic Business Development Manager with 7 years of experience in identifying and pursuing new market opportunities. Led initiatives that resulted in a 30% increase in annual revenue. Strong background in strategic planning, client relations, and market analysis. Proven ability to drive business growth and forge strong partnerships.”

Read the full business development manager resume example here.

#29. Project Manager Resume Summary

“Project manager with a proven track record of working with agile and waterfall project management methodologies. Managed 5+ teams of software projects over the past 3 years. Basic understanding of several programming languages, including Java, React, and NodeJS.”

Read the full project manager resume example here.

Marketing and Advertising Resume Summary Examples

#30. marketing executive resume summary.

"Accomplished Marketing Executive with 10 years of experience in developing and executing comprehensive marketing strategies in the technology sector. Led campaigns that increased brand awareness by 40% and consistently exceeded sales targets by 15-20%. Expertise in digital marketing, market research, and team leadership. Committed to driving market growth and enhancing brand positioning for leading tech companies."

Read the full marketing executive resume example here.

#31. Marketing Manager Resume Summary

“Marketing manager with 4+ years of experience in a corporate environment. Good eye for design, with experience in creating marketing materials with Canva. Intermediate copywriting skills, having worked on the company website, flyers, and several other content pieces.”

Read the full marketing manager resume example here.

#32. Social Media Marketing Manager Resume Summary

“Creative social media manager with 2+ years of experience and a passion for boosting brand awareness and customer engagement. Skilled in copywriting and basic graphic design tools. Personally started and grew a Facebook page for my consultancy brand from 0-1,000+ in just a month. Looking to help Company X establish an online presence and increase their social presence.”

#33. Content Marketer Resume Summary

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

#34. SEO Specialist Resume Summary

“Results and data-driven SEO specialist with experience in keyword research, developing and marketing evergreen content, and increasing overall website rankings. Freelancing for over 2 years. Grew Company X from 50,000 daily visits to 100,000 within a year by creating long-form content and conducting backlink outreach.”

Read the full digital marketing resume here.

#35. PPC Specialist Resume Summary

“Data-driven SEM professional with 5+ years of experience with Google Analytics, AdWords, Google Display Ads, and Facebook/LinkedIn Ads. Managed a monthly advertising budget of $50,000 over 4 clients.”

IT and Software Development Resume Summary Examples

#36. it specialist resume summary.

“Competent IT specialist with 5+ years of experience working with Windows Server 2016. Microsoft Certified Solutions Expert. Advanced knowledge in SQL, C++, Bash, and Linux.”

Read the full IT resume example here.

#37. Software Engineer Resume Summary

“Results-oriented software engineer with a focus on the design and implementation of relational database systems. 8+ years of experience in developing cutting-edge engineering solutions with a wide range of eCommerce and technology features. Skilled in agile processes, backend and frontend development, and creating eCommerce websites that integrate with Paypal, Stripe, and other payment APIs.”

Read the full software engineer resume example here.

#38. Cyber Security Resume Summary

"Cyber Security Specialist with 6 years of experience in threat analysis and network defense. Implemented security protocols reducing data breaches by 40% at TechSecure Inc. Certified in CISSP and experienced in cybersecurity technologies including firewalls and endpoint security. Eager to bring advanced threat detection and mitigation strategies to XYZ Cyber Solutions."

#39. Web Developer Resume Summary

"Dynamic Web Developer with 3 years of experience in designing and developing user-friendly websites. Proficient in HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and React. Developed an e-commerce site that increased client sales by 30%. Looking to contribute innovative and efficient web solutions at CreativeWeb Studios."

Read the full web developer resume example here.

#40. Computer Scientist Resume Summary

“Creative and people-oriented computer scientist with up to 2 years of working with tech startups. Advanced knowledge of software design principles and agile development principles. Led and managed a team of five in developing new software from concept to delivery.”

Read the full computer scientist resume example here.

#41. Data Scientist Resume Summary

“Business-minded data scientist with a demonstrated ability to deliver valuable insights via data analytics. 10+ years of professional experience in working with CEOs and VPs of Fortune 500 companies. Deep understanding of statistical models, algorithms, and multivariate analysis.”

Read the full data scientist resume example here.

#42. Data Analyst Resume Summary

“Detail-oriented data analyst passionate about helping businesses grow. Former small business owner. Conducted research using three different focus groups and increased sales by 10% over 4 months. MBA recipient with strong technical skills in data mining and data, survey creation, and quantitative methods.”

Read the full data analyst resume example here.

#43. DevOps Engineer Resume Summary

"DevOps Engineer with 8 years of experience in automating and optimizing mission-critical deployments. Led a team that reduced deployment times by 50% through CI/CD pipeline enhancements. Skilled in cloud technologies and infrastructure as code with certifications in AWS and Terraform. Committed to improving operational efficiency at XYZ Tech."

Read the full DevOps engineer resume example here.

#44. AI Engineer Resume Summary

"AI Engineer with 4 years of experience specializing in machine learning and natural language processing. Developed AI models that improved customer interaction accuracy by 35% for a leading tech firm. M.Sc. in Artificial Intelligence. Passionate about deploying cutting-edge AI solutions at AI Innovators Inc."

Read the full AI engineer resume example here.

#45. Java Developer Resume Summary

"Experienced Java Developer with 5 years of experience in building scalable and efficient applications. Contributed to a major project that enhanced application performance by 25%. Strong background in Spring Framework and microservices. Aiming to apply robust coding skills to develop innovative software solutions at XYZ Tech Solutions."

Read the full Java developer resume example here.

Health and Medicine Resume Summary Examples

#46. 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.”

Read the full nurse resume example here.

#47. 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. Proven ability to create positive rapport with patients, family, and staff. Completed and submitted clinical documentation following hospital regulations and experience in supporting diagnostic and technical treatment procedures.”

Read the full medical assistant resume example here.

#48. 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.”

#49. Dentist Resume Summary

"Experienced Dentist with 10 years of practice in general and cosmetic dentistry. Committed to providing exceptional patient care, demonstrated through a consistent record of patient satisfaction and successful dental procedures. Proficient in the latest dental technologies and techniques, including digital radiography and CAD/CAM dentistry, with a strong focus on preventive care and oral health education."

Read the full dentist resume example here.

#50. Pharmacist Resume Summary

"Detail-oriented Pharmacist with over 7 years of experience in retail and hospital settings. Proven ability in medication therapy management and pharmaceutical care, with a track record of efficiently managing prescription processing and patient counseling. Skilled in utilizing digital prescription systems and maintaining up-to-date knowledge of drug interactions and healthcare regulations."

Read the full pharmacist resume example here.

Creative Resume Summary Examples

#51. graphic designer resume summary.

"Senior graphic designer with 6+ years of experience in website design and branding, across a wide range of industries. Extensive experience in multimedia, marketing, and print design. Highly skilled in communications, digital storytelling, and Adobe Creative Suite."

Read the full graphic designer resume example here.

#52. UI/UX Designer Resume Summary

“Proactive UX designer with 5 years of experience in delivering enjoyable web and mobile products for the FinTech industry. Designed UI, UX, and marketing materials for 6 apps and 3 games at Company X, 2 of which were featured in Apple’s App Store. Skilled with Sketch, and Adobe Creative Suite.”

#53. Product Designer Resume Summary

“Creative designer with 7 years experience in product design, packaging, and graphic design. Expertise in new product design, brand identity, and market research. Created and launched a new line of award-winning tableware that generated over $1 million in sales the first year.”

#54. Creative Director Resume Summary

“Experienced creative director, with 10+ years of experience in the advertising industry. Over the past 3 years, managed 2 separate creative teams, creating video ads for company clients. Worked with some high-profile clients, including IBM and Phillips.”

#55. Game Designer Resume Summary

"Innovative Game Designer with 5 years of experience in creating engaging and immersive gaming experiences. Led a team that developed 'AdventureQuest,' a game that won 'Best Mobile Game' at the Indie Game Awards and achieved over 500,000 downloads within the first year. Skilled in gameplay mechanics and story development, with proficiency in Unity and Unreal Engine. Dedicated to crafting games that resonate with players, combining artistic vision with user-friendly design."

Read the full game designer resume example here.

#56. Animator Resume Summary

"Creative Animator with over 8 years of experience in 2D and 3D animation, specializing in character and environmental animation. Proficient in using Maya, Adobe After Effects, and Blender, with a strong background in motion graphics and visual effects. Known for delivering high-quality animations under tight deadlines, contributing to successful animated features and advertising campaigns."

Read the full animator resume example here.

#57. Illustrator Resume Summary

"Award-winning Illustrator with a decade of professional experience, recognized for innovative and impactful visual storytelling. Recipient of the 'Illustrator of the Year' award at the Global Art Forum, with a portfolio that includes book illustrations, advertising campaigns, and digital content."

Read the full illustrator resume example here.

#58. Photographer Resume Summary

"Professional Photographer with a Master's in Fine Arts and 6 years of experience in commercial and portrait photography. Known for a unique aesthetic that combines technical skill with artistic creativity, resulting in visually stunning compositions. Holds a certification in digital photography from the Professional Photographers of America, with a portfolio that has been featured in several national photography exhibitions."

Read the full photographer resume example here.

#59. Actor Resume Summary

"Versatile Actor with 3 years of experience in commercials and television, known for a dynamic range that adapts seamlessly to varied roles. Strong background in stage combat and period drama. Proficient in multiple dialects and expressive character portrayal, enhancing authenticity in every performance."

Read the full actor resume example here.

#60. Writer Resume Summary

"Professional Writer and Blogger with 2 years of experience, specializing in lifestyle and travel content. Successfully increased blog readership by 40% over two years and contributed featured articles in 'Traveler's Digest' and 'Modern Living' magazines."

Read the full writer resume here.

#61. Editor Resume Summary

"Dedicated Editor with 10 years of experience in translated literature, focusing on Mandarin and Cantonese works. Expertise in preserving the original tone and cultural nuances, ensuring translations resonate with English-speaking audiences. Collaborated with acclaimed authors from China and Hong Kong, contributing to over 30 translated novels. Committed to bridging the gap between Eastern and Western literary worlds through meticulous and sensitive editing."

Read the full editor resume example here.

Education Resume Summary Examples

#62. professor resume summary.

"Distinguished Professor with 15 years of experience in higher education, specializing in Modern Literature. Published over 20 peer-reviewed articles and 3 books, receiving the Excellence in Research Award twice. Secured $500,000 in research grants and led multiple international academic collaborations. Committed to fostering critical thinking and research skills in students, enhancing the academic prestige of the department."

Read the full academic CV example here.

#63. Teacher Resume Summary

“Dedicated Teacher with 4 years of experience in elementary education, specializing in innovative teaching strategies. Implemented a project-based learning approach that increased student engagement by 30%. Eager to bring creative teaching methodologies and a passion for educational excellence to School ABC, contributing to student development and academic success.” 

Read the full teacher resume example here.

#64. Tutor Resume Summary

“Experienced Tutor with 2 years of expertise in mathematics and science, adept at simplifying complex concepts. Consistently helped students improve their grades by an average of one full letter grade.”

#65. College Student Resume Summary

"Proactive College Student majoring in Business Administration with strong leadership skills, demonstrated through roles in student government and the debate team. Organized multiple campus events, enhancing student engagement and participation. Seeking to apply organizational and communication skills in a professional internship, contributing to company projects while gaining hands-on experience."

Read the full college freshman resume example here.

#66. High School Student Resume Summary

"High School Student with 3+ months of experience as a cashier. Excellent time-management and communication skills. Actively involved in extracurricular activities, demonstrating strong teamwork and responsibility. Looking to join Retail Store X as a part-time sales representative."

Read the full high school resume example here.

Other Resume Summary Examples

#67. architect resume summary.

"Professional and creative architect with 10 years experience in developing construction drawings, 3D models, and doing design rendering. Served as a project architect at company X and won an honorable mention as a staff architect at XYZ Construction Awards 2023."

Read the full architect resume example here.

#68. Electrical Engineer Resume Resume Summary

"Electrical Engineer with 4 years of experience in power systems and automation. Holds a Master's in Electrical Engineering and a certification in PLC programming. Proven expertise in designing and implementing efficient electrical solutions for industrial applications."

Read the full electrical engineer resume example here.

#69. Interior Designer Resume Summary

"Creative Interior Designer with 3 years of experience, recognized for increasing client satisfaction by 30% through innovative design solutions. Portfolio includes residential and commercial projects, with a focus on modern and sustainable designs. Skilled in AutoCAD and 3D visualization, transforming client visions into reality."

Read the full interior designer resume example here.

#70. Construction Project Manager Resume Summary

"Construction Project Manager with a decade of experience in overseeing large-scale commercial and residential projects. Proven track record of completing projects on time and within budget, reducing costs by 20% on average. Skilled in team leadership and effective communication. Committed to ensuring the highest standards of safety and quality."

Read the full construction project manager resume example here.

#71. Operations Manager Resume Summary

"Dynamic Operations Manager with 2 years of experience in streamlining processes for increased efficiency. Expertise in supply chain management and cost reduction strategies."

Read the full operations manager resume example here.

#72. Event Planner Resume Summary

"Seasoned Event Planner with 5 years of experience, successfully organized over 100 corporate and private events. Increased event attendance by 40% through innovative marketing strategies. Excited to bring expertise in event coordination and vendor relations to XYZ Celebrations."

Read the full event planner resume example here.

#73. Warehouse Worker Resume Summary

“Seasonal warehouse worker with experience working for Supermarket X and Supermarket Y. Diligent, organized, and very hard-working. Previous experience working in the service industry for 2+ years.”

Read the full warehouse worker resume example here.

#74. Welder Resume Summary

"Skilled Welder with 7 years of experience in MIG, TIG, and arc welding. Proficient in reading blueprints and maintaining high standards of safety and quality."

Read the full welder resume example here.

#75. Real Estate Agent Resume Summary

"Experienced Real Estate Agent with 6 years in residential and commercial property sales. Achieved a 25% year-on-year increase in sales volume. Known for excellent negotiation skills and a deep understanding of market trends."

Read the full real estate agent resume example here.

#76. Flight Attendant Resume Summary

"Dedicated Flight Attendant with 1 year of experience, fluent in Spanish and French. Excelled in providing top-notch customer service, contributing to a 15% increase in passenger satisfaction. Fluent in English, French, German, and Arabic. Eager to bring customer care expertise to Airline XYZ."

Read the full flight attendant resume example here.

#77. Paralegal Resume Summary

"Paralegal with 3 years of experience in corporate law, proficient in legal research and document drafting. Certified in legal software applications, enhancing case management efficiency."

Read the full paralegal resume example here.

#78. Social Worker Resume Summary

"Compassionate Social Worker with 6 years of experience in child and family services. Successfully managed caseloads of up to 50 people, improving service delivery by 20%. Skilled in crisis intervention and developing tailored support plans for diverse case needs."

Read the full social worker resume example here.

Resume Summary FAQs

Do you still have some questions about resume summaries? Check the answers to the most frequently asked questions.

#1. How Do You Write a Resume Summary with No Experience?

If you have no work experience whatsoever, you should write a resume objective instead of a resume summary.

A resume objective is also a brief paragraph that goes at the top of your resume. However, instead of focusing on your professional experience and accomplishments, it highlights your career goals, aspirations, skills, and academic achievements.

If you have any informal experience that’s relevant to the job, such as volunteer work or relevant coursework , you can still write a resume summary to highlight why you’re a great candidate.

#2. How Do I Start My Resume Summary?

The best way to start your resume summary is by writing down your job title and exact years of experience. You can also add an adjective that describes your strongest character traits or work ethic.

To make this easy, try this formula:

[Adjective/character trait] [job title] [your experience]. Looking to help/support/apply/assist/etc [employer’s name] [describe how you can be of help to the company]. [Your top achievements/qualifications]. 

#3. How Long Should My Resume Summary Be?

The resume summary should be brief and attention-grabbing. Ideally, it should be between two and four sentences long.

Its goal is to provide a snapshot of your career that can captivate the hiring manager into reading more.

If you want to give the employer more details and elaborate on why you’re the best candidate for the job in your own words, you can also write a cover letter to complement your resume.

#4. Should a Resume Summary Be Written in the First or Third Person?

As a general rule, your resume should avoid using first-person pronouns . This includes your resume summary.

That said, the third person sounds too impersonal – as if somebody else wrote the resume summary instead of you. Luckily, there’s a neat trick you can use to make your text flow better—just get rid of the pronouns altogether.

This way, instead of writing, “She is a marketer with 5+ years of experience in XYZ,” you can write, “Marketer with 5+ years of experience in XYZ,” and get your point across just as effectively.

#5. Should You Always Use the Same Resume Summary?

As a general rule, you shouldn’t use the same resume summary when applying to different jobs.

Your resume summary should be tailored to the specific job ads and reflect how you can meet the company’s unique needs. If your current resume summary can be applied to different job applications, it isn’t as effective and tailored as it should be.

When writing your resume, go through the job ad for the specific position and try to include the skills or qualifications the employer is looking for. Make sure to also mention any relevant experience and your top achievements, and you’ll have the perfect resume summary.

#6. What Are Other Names for a Resume Summary?

Across the internet, you might find different names for what we’re calling a resume summary in our article. Some of these names include:

• Resume profile
• Career summary
• Personal statement
• Qualifications summary
• Summary of experiences
• Summary of qualification

If you’re heading for a career in academia, a “personal statement” means something different. Check out our detailed guide to writing an academic personal statement to learn more!

Key Takeaways

And that’s our full guide to writing a resume summary!

Hopefully, now you feel more confident about adding this finishing touch to your resume.

Before we go, let’s recap everything we covered about writing resume summaries:

• A resume summary is a two to four-sentence long paragraph that tells the hiring manager your key selling points. These can include your years of experience, exact job title, relevant skills, qualifications, and impressive achievements.
• If you don’t have any work experience, you can opt for a resume objective instead. This way, you can focus more on your professional goals and motivation for applying.
• The goal of a resume summary is to catch the hiring manager’s attention. Do this by tailoring your resume summary to the job ad and addressing what the company needs in a candidate.
• Back up your achievements with data whenever possible. Mentioning the exact numbers, dates, and results makes you seem more credible.
• Use power words and action verbs instead of generic descriptions to make your resume summary pop.

Need more career advice? Check out our career blog for more useful articles!

To provide a safer experience, the best content and great communication, we use cookies. Learn how we use them for non-authenticated users.

Privacy preference center

We care about your privacy

When you visit our website, we will use cookies to make sure you enjoy your stay. We respect your privacy and we’ll never share your resumes and cover letters with recruiters or job sites. On the other hand, we’re using several third party tools to help us run our website with all its functionality.

But what exactly are cookies? Cookies are small bits of information which get stored on your computer. This information usually isn’t enough to directly identify you, but it allows us to deliver a page tailored to your particular needs and preferences.

Because we really care about your right to privacy, we give you a lot of control over which cookies we use in your sessions. Click on the different category headings on the left to find out more, and change our default settings.

However, remember that blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of our website. Finally, note that we’ll need to use a cookie to remember your cookie preferences.

Without these cookies our website wouldn’t function and they cannot be switched off. We need them to provide services that you’ve asked for.

Want an example? We use these cookies when you sign in to Kickresume. We also use them to remember things you’ve already done, like text you’ve entered into a registration form so it’ll be there when you go back to the page in the same session.

Thanks to these cookies, we can count visits and traffic sources to our pages. This allows us to measure and improve the performance of our website and provide you with content you’ll find interesting.

Performance cookies let us see which pages are the most and least popular, and how you and other visitors move around the site.

All information these cookies collect is aggregated (it’s a statistic) and therefore completely anonymous. If you don’t let us use these cookies, you’ll leave us in the dark a bit, as we won’t be able to give you the content you may like.

We use these cookies to uniquely identify your browser and internet device. Thanks to them, we and our partners can build a profile of your interests, and target you with discounts to our service and specialized content.

On the other hand, these cookies allow some companies target you with advertising on other sites. This is to provide you with advertising that you might find interesting, rather than with a series of irrelevant ads you don’t care about.

How to Write a Professional Resume Summary? [+Examples]

Do you want to land more job interviews? The easiest way to achieve this is by attracting a recruiter’s attention straight away by summarizing the highlights of your career right at the start of your resume — in a section called the resume summary. 

The purpose of this resume section, which is also known as a professional summary or resume statement, is to create a good first impression. It sums up your work experience , skills, and achievements into a short and concise sales pitch where you are the product. 

Do it well, and your future employers will be more inclined to read the rest of your resume.

Without further ado, let’s show you how to write an exceptional professional summary that will not only get you to more job interviews but will also help you land a job. 

This guide will show you:

What is a professional summary?

Why do you need a professional summary, how to write a professional summary.

• What to do when you don’t have any experience in the field?
• What are a resume objective and a resume profile?
• Examples of professional summaries from real professionals.

TL;DR video guide: How to write a professional summary for a resume 

A professional summary gives the hiring manager a quick overview of your skills and achievements without them having to dive into the rest of your resume. It sits at the top of your resume, beneath your name and contact information. You can think of it as a teaser for the rest of your resume.

It should sum up your top skills, experiences, and achievements as they pertain to the job description.

Take a look at the sample below to see what it looks like in practice: 

The professional summary section is also known as a:  

• Resume summary 
• Qualifications summary 
• Resume statement 
• Heading statement 
• Competencies 
• Career summary
• Experience summary
• Personal statement 

However, don’t mistake a professional summary for a resume objective or profile . We’ll discuss the differences between them later in this guide. 

How long should a professional summary be? 

Generally speaking, a resume summary should be quite short. The most common length is 3-5 sentences or bullet points. It shouldn't be longer than 5-6 concise bullet points , but it also shouldn't be shorter than 2 bullet points. 

You can also replace the first bullet point with a short introductory paragraph that includes your job title, years of experience, and specialization. 

While many people still don't include the resume profile section in their resumes, it's a mistake. But why is it a mistake?

• You want to grab the recruiter's attention from the get-go.
• You'll make their life a bit easier because you'll immediately tell them who you are.

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

Do you know what this means? Shortcuts. At first, recruiters will be skimming resumes in search of specific keywords and phrases that align with what the company is searching for.

That’s 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. 

Christy's word of advice

While recruiters are indeed busy, did you know that the information that recruiters only give each resume 6 seconds of their time isn't true? 

“This one's a little bit of a myth. It takes about six seconds to screen the resume for the key information that I'm looking for, such as location, summary, keywords, or if there's a skills section. Within this time frame, I should be able to get a feel for who you are and what you're looking for. But it's mainly about six seconds for me to pick out the basic information I need. It doesn't mean that I'm going to spend just six seconds on it or that I won't continue reading after. ” —   Christy Morgan , Kickresume's Resident HR Expert

As we said before, a good professional summary should compel an employer to read the next section of your resume — that’s all. If it manages to do that, then it has accomplished its purpose. 

However, doing this is easier said than done, as it can be tricky to cram the most exciting bits of your career into a 3-5 bullet points summary. 

Luckily, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to craft an impressive resume summary.

Before you start writing:

• Write other resume sections, and then write your professional summary last. It’s surprisingly easy once you’ve already written other sections of your resume. All you have to do is cherry-pick the most impressive facts and stats.
• Pick the essential keywords from the job listing, so you can tailor your summary. Start with the job listing that made you apply for the job. Carefully reread it and find the most important keywords. These are the nouns or phrases that best describe the job position, related skills, as well as the ideal candidate. Before you begin to write, think about how they intersect with your own skills and experiences. In this way, you also have a higher chance to get through the ATS systems which companies use .

Once you start writing:

• In the first bullet point, write your professional title. Don’t forget to add the number of years of experience. You want to communicate your professional identity immediately. You can also write it in bold. It can look something like this: “Certified Project Management Professional with over 4 years of experience”.
• Pick the 3-4 most impressive parts of your resume and reword them into snappy bullet points. Tease your potential employer into reading further. Did you earn a recognition for the best customer service? Or hit 95% of sales targets for five consecutive years? These are the things that deserve a mention at the top of your resume!
• Translate each achievement into numbers. Each bullet point should contain at least one piece of quantifiable data. Use percentages, numbers, or impressive sales figures. It gives the hiring manager a better idea of how you performed in your previous jobs. Numbers attract attention. Take advantage of that.
• Sum up what you have to offer. Instead of saying what you want, keep in mind what they want. Make clear what values you can bring to the company. Look for common threads in your work history and for skills that apply most to the job.

How to use keywords in a resume summary

A professional summary can do more than catch the attention of the recruiter. It can also make your resume more ATS-friendly. 

It's a great place where you can squeeze in one or two ATS-friendly keywords , and it will still look natural.

Such keywords can be your industry-relevant hard skills, previous job positions, notable clients, certificates and courses from notable institutions, or a note-worthy university (if you recently finished your degree). 

Moreover, you should add keywords and relevant skills from the job listing.

Don't get too creative with the heading, though. While replacing the professional summary headline with “Snapshot” sounds great, ATS doesn't know what it means and therefore wouldn't recognize it.

Pro tip: Remember, while it's important to incorporate keywords into your resume summary, it's crucial to ensure these keywords align with your abilities and experiences. The ATS might shortlist your resume, but the hiring manager will quickly realize in an interview if those keywords were merely resume filler. Always maintain honesty and authenticity while drafting your summary.

Professional resume summary examples for most common careers

Now that you know the ins and outs of writing a resume summary, here are a few examples that can inspire you when writing your summary:

Professional summary example for customer service

Performance-driven and motivated customer service rep offering 4+ years of relevant experience. Eager to join the Techia team and contribute to the growth of the company. In the previous role, the ability to make customers comfortable and relaxed allowed for 98% customer service survey results and had 25% more sales than the average employer. 

Professional resume summary example for retail

Dedicated and hard-working storekeeper with a Business Administration degree. Eager to bring my strong attention to detail and accuracy to J&R inc. Adept at communicating with vendors and suppliers, coordinating various business operations, and maintaining documents and files in order. In the past jobs brought an extra $50k of sales per quarter and increased customer satisfaction by 20%. 

Professional summary example for nursing resume

Motivational and resourceful Orthopedic Nurse with 10 years of experience with in-depth knowledge in trauma recovery, aggressive pain management techniques, and post-surgical recovery. Especially proficient in providing external fixation care and continuous motion therapy along with neuromuscular status monitoring. Committed to work as an orthopedic nurse for people who are struggling with mobility issues due to accidental injuries and degenerative disease affecting bones and muscles.

Professional summary example for administrative assistant

Self-driven and accurate Executive Assistant skilled at performing various office/administrative duties, such as coordinating meetings, maintaining calendar and schedule, filing documents, and managing company correspondence. Highly self-motivated with a solid work ethic and multitasking abilities.

Professional summary example for data analyst

A graduate in Information Systems with two years of hands-on data analytics experience. Passionate about working with large amounts of data and to turn this data into information, information into insight and insight into business decisions. I also have a keen interest in the field of data visualization and am fascinated by the power to compress complex datasets into approachable and appealing graphics.

Professional summary example for warehouse worker

Hard-working and dedicated Warehouse Worker with 2+ years of extensive experience in inspecting incoming shipments, preparing and processing orders, and performing various administrative duties. The Employee of the Month Award winner with a strong attention to detail and accuracy and determination to achieve exceptional results. Offers excellent time management skills and important ability to work independently or in a team.

Professional summary example for receptionist 

Customer-oriented and performance-driven Front Desk Assistant skilled at performing various administrative tasks, improving all office processes and procedures, and providing support to Office Managers. Great communicator with a Business Administration degree from a well-known university and an exceptional ability to remain calm in stressful situations. Possess well-developed communication skills and excellent time management abilities.

Resume summary example for management

A Project Manager with 16 years of experience in IT projects. Responsible for the management of teams of up to 15 direct and 7 indirect employees. Has High level knowledge in project execution using best practices of waterfall and agile methodologies. High level knowledge of Jupyter Notebook, MS Project, MS Excel, MS Word. 

Professional summary example for project manager

Logistics & Planning PMO for Anheuser-Busch InBev with +7 years of experience in Supply Chain Operations & Project Management. Lived and worked for ABI in 6 cities in past years, managed +300 direct & indirect employees and +0.5 billion BRL over the years. At ABI experienced the routines in breweries operations & urban distribution. As Project Manager build the Zone Logistics Project area for ABI LAN, being responsible for 4.0 Supply Chain, integrating the technologies WMS, YMS, TMS and Tracking.

Resume summary example for stay-at-home mother

Performance-driven and knowledgeable Stay At Home Mother skilled at conducting detailed market research, developing new sales tools, creating reports, and promoting products and services. Certified Marketing Management Professional with an extensive knowledge of multiple marketing software programmes, great communication skills, and excellent teamwork abilities. Currently looking for any Marketing related remote part-time job.

Professional summary example for student

Self-driven and knowledgeable computer science student with demonstrated experience in developing user-friendly software applications, coding and testing features, and providing engineering support. Oracle Certified Professional with extensive knowledge of multiple programming languages and software development tools, excellent problem-solving skills, and ability to perform well in a team.

How to write a resume summary if you're a fresh graduate/student?

If you’re a student or a fresh graduate, you probably don’t have much to brag about in your resume yet.

But that’s true only to some extent. Even as an entry-level candidate, you already have at least some experience and skills. You just have to find the right way to articulate them.

What’s more, it’s quite likely that the other candidates are just as inexperienced as you are. After all, experienced professionals rarely apply for entry-level positions. 

Because of that, your primary goal is to stand out and make the employer remember you . And you can do that even if your experience is limited.

It’s not like you’ve just spent most of your life at school and learned nothing. You just need to understand how your studies intersect with the job’s requirements.

 Here’s how you can write your professional resume summary as a student/fresh graduate:

• State your field of study, degree, and GPA (if it’s above 3.0).
• Mention relevant skills gained in internships, part-time jobs, and volunteer work.
• Add related coursework or school projects.
• Also, try to translate your most notable achievements into numbers. Maybe you were on the student council. You can mention how you received 800 votes and helped organize 5 large school events that were attended by 2,000 students.

In the end, a fresh graduate resume summary should look a bit like this: 

Hired by Bupa — Business Administration Intern

• An adaptable and responsible graduate seeking an entry-level position in the Business Analytics market, Business Consultancy or Financial market.
• My double degree in Business and Law and my previous job as a financial controller have provided me with a well-rounded background and enabled me to develop an analytical/logical approach to tasks, software skills, and the ability to work under pressure.
• In short, I am reliable, hard-working with strong attention to detail and eager to learn about new technologies and business issues. I am able to work well both on my own initiative and as a part of a team. I’m also able to travel abroad.

How to write a resume summary as an experienced professional?

If you have 10 to 15 years of professional experience under your belt, you’ve probably developed a long list of job-related accomplishments. Your qualifications summary is the ideal place to showcase the most impressive of them. 

On the other, with that extent of experience, it may be quite challenging to pick and choose the right information for your professional summary. 

So what should you do? 

• Start by carefully rereading the job advertisement.
• Highlight any skills you already possess that match this job offer.
• See if you can think of any past accomplishments that show how you successfully used those skills in your previous job.

For instance, are you an experienced sales and customer service professional? Sell it. Mention how you developed strategies that resulted in an over 15 % increase in new customers. Or how your rewards program reached a customer success rate of over 45 %. Numbers can be much more persuasive than words . 

Also, always remember to use action words and relevant keywords.

Here’s a professional summary resume example from an experienced professional: 

HubSpot — Director of Business Development Resume Summary Example

• Passionate Business Amplifier.
• Thrives in complex market segment entry and sales and marketing launch plans for technical products and services. Founder of the highly-impactful "HubSpot for Veterans" initiative. 
• Proven Growth Consultant and Entrepreneurial Coach for over 200 organizations. Advocate of lean startup and data-backed strategy. 
• Leadership spans career with direct application towards startups, Techstar accelerators, corporate business development, and government. ROI-focused relationship builder.
• Lifelong teacher and learner: Startup Institute, Techstarts, HubSpot Partner programs.

How to write a professional summary if you’re changing careers?

As a career changer , try to show how your past experience relates to the position you’re 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, let’s say Python? You can mention how you’ve 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 don’t have any relevant job experience, 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.

On the other hand, make sure that you have absolutely no other solution, as a resume summary always makes a better impression than a resume objective . To learn more about a resume objective just scroll to the following chapter. 

Here’s an example of a professional summary for someone changing careers:

• Marketing professional with over three years of experience in digital advertising, aiming to transition from marketing to human resources
• Certified Human Resources Assistant with a working knowledge of all software programs needed for the position such as Bamboo HR and Zenefits.
• Was in charge of recruiting and supervising summer interns and co-managing marketing budgets.
• Won the Employee of the Month Award for completing all assigned tasks and projects in a timely manner.

How to write a professional summary for a resume with no work experience? 

A lot of people with no work experience default to writing a resume objective because they think they have nothing to summarize.

However, this usually ends up backfiring as the resume objective brings little to the table. That’s because the resume objective’s main focus is on you as opposed to a professional summary which focuses on solving the needs of a company.

Also, writing a summary objective can make you appear more inexperienced than you truly are. 

Instead, as someone with no work experience, you can write a professional summary by including: 

• Your education level;
• Adjectives that emphasize your work ethic (such as competent, decisive, and accountable);
• Relevant skills gained at school, volunteering , or internships; 
• Professional hobbies (for example if applying for an IT position, include that app side project you worked on). 

In addition, if you have volunteered or interned, know that regardless of whether they were paid or not, they're still considered work experience. As the skills and knowledge gained as a volunteer or intern can be quite valuable to an employer. 

With that said, here’s an example of a professional summary for someone with no work experience:

People United Foundation – Fundraiser Volunteer 

• Resourceful and talented fundraiser who uses new forms of technology and existing techniques to help raise money for organizations and groups. 
• Experienced in raising funds for various charitable and nonprofit institutes. 
• Adept at researching and presenting an array of innovative fundraising ideas to a variety of donor audiences. 
• Keen negotiator with exceptional communication time management and networking abilities. 

Resume summary vs resume objective and resume profile

While these terms are often interchangeable, a resume summary, a resume objective, and a resume profile are all slightly different things. Scroll below to see how. 

What is a resume objective?

First of all, a resume objective isn't the same thing as a resume summary. They share several common features but each serves a different purpose.

Like a resume summary, a resume objective also sits at the top of your resume. Though, it’s a bit shorter — usually about one to two sentences long . 

The biggest difference is that instead of your past accomplishments, it details your future goals.

Although a resume objective might not help hiring managers decide whether you’re qualified enough to solve their company’s problems, it may help you shift their attention away from your lack of experience.

With that said, resume objectives are a bit old-fashioned as they used to be more common in past. So it should only be written as a last resort.

What is a resume profile?

Most people think that the resume profile and resume summary are the same exact thing. And they aren't that wrong. 

However, there are some slight differences between the two. 

A resume profile tends to be a little longer than a resume summary. Still, you should try to keep it under 500 characters. Additionally, while a resume summary is simply a condensed version of your resume placed at the top of it, a resume profile focuses more on your professional accomplishments and successes. 

Still — a resume summary and a resume profile are basically the same thing. So don't worry too much about the difference between the two. Just make sure you'll include either of them in your resume. 

Final tips and tricks

We've already mentioned almost everything you need to write an effective professional summary. These are some of the final tips that didn't fit anywhere else in this guide:

• Emphasize proven experience. Instead of simply listing your skills , mention your previous accomplishments. For example, it’s much more impactful to say that you had your articles published in Forbes than to plainly claim that you’re a skilled writer.
• Try to avoid using the word “I” . It's not really necessary, especially if you write in bullet points. 
• Structure it well. Take it from a professional writer — bullet points are a godsend when you need to structure your text clearly without giving it too much effort. Not only will they naturally order your resume statement into clearly delineated logical parts, but they'll also make it look good and read well. Also, make sure to write your current job title in bold.
• Keep it short. Your summary shouldn’t be longer than 5 short sentences (or bullet points). Having a long summary sort of defeats the point of having a resume summary at all. Don’t add random things. The key is to be specific.
• Read it after yourself. When you’re finished writing, read through your summary from the perspective of a hiring manager, asking “Why should we hire you?” .

Oh, and if you want to turn your LinkedIn profile into a polished resume with just one click, we've got you covered.

Write your professional summary last. It’s surprisingly easy once you’ve already written other sections of your resume. In the first bullet point, include your job title and years of experience. Then cherry-pick the most impressive achievements and cram them into 4–5 bullet points.

There are some slight differences between a resume profile and a resume summary. A resume profile tends to be a little longer than a resume summary. Still, you should try to keep it under 500 characters. A resume profile also focuses more on your professional accomplishments and successes than a resume summary. 

Kaja Jurčišinová

Kaja Jurcisinova is a fresh graduate and a junior copywriter at Kickresume. Kaja completed her undergraduate degree in Art History at the University of St Andrews in 2018 and graduated with a Master’s in Arts and Culture from the University of Groningen in 2021. She was an intern at multiple cultural institutions across Europe, including the Dutch Museum Association in Amsterdam, the Matter of Art Biennale in Prague, and the European Cultural Centre in Venice. At the moment, she resides in Visby on the Swedish island of Gotland.

Hungry for more?

How to put your education on a resume [+examples], how to describe your work experience on a resume [+examples], let your resume do the work..

Join 5,000,000 job seekers worldwide and get hired faster with your best resume yet.

Build my resume

• Resume builder
• Build a better resume in minutes
• Resume examples
• 2,000+ examples that work in 2024
• Resume templates
• 184 free templates for all levels
• Cover letters
• Cover letter generator
• It's like magic, we promise
• Cover letter examples
• Free downloads in Word & Docs

30 Resume Summary Examples + How to Write One in 2024

• Understand the Resume Summary
• When to Use a Resume Summary
• How to Write a Summary
• 30 Resume Summaries
• Resume Summary Recap

It’s the backbone of your job hunt, but it can be frustrating to figure out what goes into a good resume .

And one of the murky areas that hopeful applicants wrestle with is whether to include a summary or objective statement in their resume. When every bit of space on your resume is invaluable, how do you know when a summary or objective is essential?

If you’re already a pro, head to our  easy-to-edit resume tool  to build your resume before moving on to making a cover letter , or you can customize the resume below. Otherwise, join us, and we’ll clear away the confusion and give you 30 summary statement examples you can make your own.

Real Estate Agent Resume

What is a Summary on a Resume?

The summary of your resume should give a quick “snapshot” of your best qualifications, which you’ll later emphasize and quantify with your skills and experience. Your summary offers an overview of which qualifications make you the perfect fit for the job:  So, focus on the highlights of your career.

You want your summary to emphasize your  history of accomplishments and excellence , leveraging that information to demonstrate how you’ll benefit the company and enhance the position for which you’re applying. Your summary should be attention-grabbing and immediately show why you’re the ideal hire!

Is a resume summary the same as a career objective?

You may wonder whether a resume summary and a  career objective  serve the same purpose—and whether they’re interchangeable. There’s plenty of overlap between resume objectives and summaries, thus muddling the waters. 

These key differences will help you simplify and clarify a confusing topic:

Summaries are great if:

• You have extensive, quality experience
• You’re staying within your field or branching out to something similar
• You have some impressive metrics to share

Objectives are better if:

• You’re a new graduate
• You’re changing careers or breaking into the field

Wait! Is the summary the same as a summary of qualifications?

The lesser-known summary of qualifications is not quite the same as a resume summary! While your summary should describe your qualifications and relevant history in a couple of concise sentences, a summary of qualifications is more technical and usually presented in a bulleted list. The summary of qualifications lets you work in some ATS-friendly keywords and then dazzle a recruiter with metrics, accomplishments, and skills.

It’s usually recommended to keep your list of qualifications to three to six bullet points, limiting each to one or two lines. But this format eats up space on your resume quickly! So, it’s best to replace your resume’s summary or objective with a summary of qualifications if you have a long, complicated history of experience in your field and need to emphasize the highlights of your background at a glance.

Know When to Use a Resume Summary

A resume summary is  often best suited to applicants with 10+ years of experience, although standalone accomplishments  can  be equally powerful . 

If you’ve achieved an unusual level of expertise or racked up an impressive list of accomplishments during a shorter time, consider including a summary!

Our simple  free resume templates  make it easy for you to add or remove information and manipulate sections for personalization without affecting the overall layout of your resume. If you work with a resume template through a word-processing program, like the creative  Google Docs resume templates  we designed, making edits can throw everything off kilter, often causing you to start from scratch to correct the problem.

Indicators that a summary would fit nicely on your resume:

• You’ve worked long enough (10+ years) that you should condense the highlights of your career
• You have an eye-catching list of accomplishments and quantifiable achievements
• You’ve worked with big-name companies or prestigious projects
• You’ve advanced quickly within your field during an unusually short time

If the list above feels intimidating, circle back to the original question of whether a summary enhances your resume.

Indicators to exclude the summary & let your skills & experience speak for themselves:

• You’re a new graduate who hasn’t had time to build much experience 
• Your previous work experience has been somewhat run-of-the-mill
• Your background and qualifications look somewhat generic or bland once written 
• You haven’t had many opportunities that resulted in quantifiable achievements

If you can relate, your resume will be strongest if you drop the summary entirely. Instead, lead with your skills and emphasize dependability, ambition, and potential in your experience section.

How to Write a Resume Summary

If you’re bracing yourself for the process of honing your summary, don’t worry! It’ll be a breeze if you follow our tried-and-true formula and keep our handy tips in mind as you write.

Follow our resume summary formula

The process is as easy as: X + Y + Z = Attention-snagging summary!

X = Your characteristics and personality traits Y = Years of experience and quantified success/results Z = How these results apply to the specific job role

Consider this resume summary for a programmer:

You can pinpoint each element when you break this summary down:

X = Inquisitive, driven, and eager Y = 8+ years of experience, a client base of 100+ people, and a savings of 725+ manual hours Z = Specific programming skills like Python and jQuery that will enhance performance within the position

Our best resume summary tips

Now, we’ll unpack some tips to help you nail down the perfect summary to jumpstart your resume:

• Summary length:  Limit your summary to two or three sentences.
• Keywords:  Consider job-specific keywords that the ATS scans for as well as keywords that will hook recruiters.
• Quantify your claims:  When you list accomplishments and achievements, back them up with hard facts! Data like improvement percentages, customer satisfaction metrics, and client base numbers will boost your credibility.
• Tailor summaries to specific positions:  You never want your summary to feel generic, so look for specific requirements in the job description that you can respond to with relevant details from your own experience.
• Grammar and mechanics:  Proofread carefully for spelling and punctuation errors, and keep a close eye on grammar. It’s also ideal to avoid informal contractions and opening sentences with “I.” Your summary should immediately spotlight your professional value—so keep sentence structure concise and use “my” when presenting your skills.

Don’t worry if this is a little overwhelming at first glance!  Save your summary for last,  even though it appears first. Once your other sections are fine-tuned, it’ll be easier to pinpoint choice details to fill in the formula and complete your perfect summary. (And who says you have to nail your summary the first time you write it?! Go through as many iterations as you need when you  outline your resume .)

The good, the bad, and the ugly resume summary

So, what do these concepts look like in action? Take a look at this example of an excerpt from a digital marketing manager’s job description:

As a digital marketing marketer, you will plan, oversee, manage, and implement our brand’s digital marketing campaigns. You will:

• Plan each digital marketing campaign and delegate tasks in a team setting
• Oversee and evaluate the quality of digital marketing materials
• Analyze campaigns and identify how to improve performance

What kind of summary works for this job description? We’ll take it from bad to best.

I graduated with a marketing degree last year and did lots of group projects. I know how to structure a market campaign and read analytics.

Why it’s ugly:  There’s zero personality here. The claims are not only weak and vague, but there’s nothing quantifiable to back them—let alone any indication of managerial skills. Even though the summary addresses some details from the job description, they’re too generic. 

My degree in marketing makes me a great fit for this position. I can use my communication and analytical skills to help your team create great ad campaigns. I’m also familiar with Google Analytics and LinkedIn and have worked with several teams.

Why it’s bad:  While this summary addresses skills and teamwork experience more effectively, the tone still lacks the gusto that most managerial roles require. The first sentence takes up space while offering too little information, and the second two are redundant and unenthusiastic.

Ambition, creativity, and a BA in marketing empowered me to gain 6+ years of experience with a digital marketing team and boost website traffic by 67%. My proficiency in Microsoft Excel, SEO, and KPI tracking enable me to plan, create, and analyze advertising campaigns. My well-honed strategies and communication skills will elevate Nestlé USA’s marketing team to new heights.

Why it’s best:  This summary completes the formula! You can see personality, experience, and quantifiable claims coupled with the applicant’s skills that fit the exact job description. Dynamic, powerful verbs such as “boost,” “create,” and “empowered” also suggest this applicant is qualified for an advanced role.

30 Resume Summary Examples to Inspire You + Why They Work

You’ve got the basics down; now you’re ready to take inspiration from these 30 professional resume summary examples across different professions. As you check them out, keep our key formula in mind. Before you know it, you’ll have a starting point for your own incredible summary.

We begin many of these with a quick list of key points in the job description, so you can see how each summary is carefully customized to the role.

1. Accountant resume summary

Accountant job description  key points :

• Adept at creating and managing financial documents
• Maintaining ledger entries and monthly budgets
• Detailed error checking and problem-solving
• Auditing and document collection
• Mentorship and training skills

Accountant resume summary :

Why this resume works

• The applicant’s ambitious yet matter-of-fact personality is evident in a way that reinforces their desire to take an active leadership role in the accounting field.
• The solid metrics of a CPA certification and an improvement percentage also quantify the applicant’s selling points.
• And lastly, the focus is on more advanced skills instead of entry-level basics. 

Need more help? Our  accountant resume guide  and  accountant cover letter examples  have you covered from top to bottom.

2. Attorney resume summary

Attorney job description  key points :

• Adept with communication and navigating client consultations
• Familiarity with litigation and a strong ability to adapt to changing legislation
• Strategic, analytical thinking, and strong ethical problem-solving skills
• Preparing, customizing, and checking legal documents
• Forewarning clients of potential obstacles and helping them understand their options

Attorney resume summary :

• The candidate immediately demonstrates an ambitious personality alongside a quantifiable accomplishment.
• Next, the more in-depth set of abilities highlights a well-rounded approach to legal success—ending on a strong note with specific examples of how they’ll benefit the law firm.

If you need more guidance on your  attorney resume  or  attorney cover letter , we can show you the way regardless of your experience level.

3. Business analyst resume summary

Business analyst job description  key points :

• Analytical and quick, adaptive thinking patterns
• Basic IT abilities in Microsoft Excel, SQL, Google Sheets, and Agile Development
• Superior communication and interpersonal/soft skills
• Meticulous attention to detail with an ability to deliver precise reports/data and advice

Business analyst resume summary :

• The formula is all here—personality with a spotlight on skills that apply directly to the job position—and the applicant dives right into measurable achievements.
• While technical skills are touched upon, broader qualifications and personal traits that mesh with the company take the spotlight.

Take your career documents to the next level with comprehensive guidance on your  business analyst resume  and  business analyst cover letter .

4. Customer service resume summary

Customer service job description  key points :

• Impeccable communication, critical thinking, and conflict resolution skills
• Flexibility, adaptability, and reliability
• Task organization and prioritization
• Personable and an affinity for welcoming customers/patrons
• Basic technical/computer skills while monitoring metrics and applying them to better meet company goals

Customer service resume summary :

• This summary would be ideal for a candidate looking to progress to a more managerial customer service role since it offers quantifiable results alongside a strong demonstration of a go-getter personality.
• The applicant also included their experience alongside relevant skills, finally tying everything in with the specific company’s goals.

If you’re  building your resume  for the first time, glancing through our  customer service resume  guide will steer you in the right direction before you transition to your  customer service cover letter .

5. Data analyst resume summary

Data analyst job description  key points :

• Analytical and strategizing skills
• Strong ability to identify trends and problems quickly
• Organization, planning, and communication
• Collaborative and team-based abilities
• Technical database management and basic understanding of key languages like Python and Oracle

Data analyst resume summary :

• A data analyst’s job is highly technical, so it’s ideal to dive right into metrics and list several hard skills in your summary.
• While you can still find personality traits and evidence of soft skills in a team setting, this summary is more focused on measurable, results-driven improvements that the applicant can provide.

You’re in good hands (this is not a plug for Allstate, by the way) with our  data analyst resume  guide if you need some solid examples. Chances are you’ll need a  data analyst cover letter  to go with your resume; we’ve got that handled, too.

6. Data engineer resume summary

Data engineer job description  key points :

• Technical skills like database and development programming languages
• Strong ability to develop, optimize, and maintain database software
• Attention to detail, problem-solving, and communication skills
• Advanced understanding of data pipelines and infrastructures
• Adaptive ability to support stakeholders and executive teams’ data infrastructure needs

Data engineer resume summary :

• As a data engineer, this applicant emphasizes leadership qualities, showing a desire for advancement with metrics to corroborate previous accomplishments.
• You can also see technical skills presented strategically to demonstrate the applicant’s skills in light of the job description.

Start your  data engineer resume  with the right  resume template  that speaks to you and your dream role. Besides a resume summary, know what else requires good writing? Yeah, your  data engineer cover letter .

7. Data scientist resume summary

Data scientist job description  key points:

• Second-nature understanding of the Scientific Method and algorithms
• Advanced ability to organize unstructured data and information
• Clear communication alongside translating large volumes of data into easily-comprehensible business insights
• Improve data quality and streamline/implement pricing models
• Integrate stakeholder input and collaborate on constant, adaptable business model improvements

Data scientist resume summary :

• This applicant demonstrates a driven personality with a highly analytical mindset and scientific background.
• You also get a realistic idea of how they’ll use their skills to produce quantifiable results—and benefit the company.

Looking for more resources? We can help you with the entirety of your  data scientist resume  and help you understand the nuances of writing a  data scientist cover letter .

8. Graphic designer resume summary

Graphic designer job description  key points :

• Attention to detail and a solid understanding of design theory for both print and digital applications (colors, typography, shapes, composition, etc.)
• Technical expertise with digital illustration/editing programs
• Understanding of marketing strategy, advertising techniques, and social media
• Excellent communication with clients and team members

Graphic designer resume summary :

• The candidate’s bright personality shines here, quite impactful for a creative field when backed by quantifiable examples of success.
• Teamwork abilities and experience with digital marketing also take center stage, demonstrating a balance between creativity and organized planning. 

Choose a  well-designed resume template  for your  graphic designer resume , and find a matching template to boost your confidence when it comes to your  graphic designer cover letter , too.

9. Human resources (HR) resume summary

Human resources (HR) job description  key points :

• A knack for facilitating communication between peers and departments
• Ability to update company policies, benefits, employee records, and payroll
• Proactivity when it comes to helping employees understand company policies
• Performance reviews, conflict resolution, de-escalation, and corrective action
• Assist with managing meetings and fostering employee communication and trust

Human resources (HR) resume summary :

• Soft skills are important in HR, especially when addressing sensitive topics, so this applicant’s focus on the personal side of company policies is wise.
• Even so, they still supply a strong metric for previous success and specify how their traits would fit the job position.

Don’t miss our complete  HR cover letter guide , and we share what works and what doesn’t on the rest of your  human resources (HR) resume .

10. Nursing resume summary

Nursing job description  key points :

• Fast, effective communication and task implementation
• Collect patient data such as medical history, current conditions/medications, and updates
• Critical thinking and decision-making abilities regarding when to treat patients vs. when to consult doctors/supervisors for guidance
• Organizational skills and ability to interpret patients’ information, adhere to treatment plans, adjust treatment plans as needed, and administer medications
• Tactfully and kindly discuss care options with patients and families

Nursing resume summary :

• This candidate’s caring, clear-headed personality shines, and they provide an empirical metric for their experience.
• Additionally, you can easily find specific examples of crucial skills that will help them perform efficiently in any fast-paced nursing position.

The roles are endless when it comes to the medical field, so make sure you’re on the right track with your  nursing resume  as well as when it comes to  writing your nurse cover letter .

11. Operations manager resume summary

Operations manager job description  key points :

• Excellent leadership and administrative capabilities
• Analytical thinking and organizational skills
• Ability to manage communication and efficiency among departments
• Adept at hiring, training, and optimizing schedules for employees
• Oversee/analyze production methods, performance, quality assurance, and related data, relying on Salesforce and Tableau

Operations manager resume summary :

• The applicant’s focused and driven personality is evident in the way they immediately showcase their lengthy experience and various aspects of their managerial prowess!
• You also see a success metric right away alongside technical skills aligned with the job description.

Your  operations manager resume  is sure to shine when you consider our  top resume tips ; then, you’ll be primed to write your  operations manager cover letter .

12. Product manager resume summary

Product manager job description  key points :

• Strong ability to analyze product quality from manufacturing to end-of-life
• Firm understanding of company goals and the ability to align products with those goals
• Superior communication and collaboration among cross-functional teams
• Skillfully interpreting data from Google Analytics and various other sources, leveraging it for improved production/distribution strategies
• Ability to analyze KPIs and identify areas for improvement

Product manager resume summary :

• As with any management-focused job description, the emphasis on strategizing and collaborative analysis here are ideal—and the technical skills balance out the interpersonal abilities well.
• The quantifiable improvement in feedback also strengthens this summary! 

Our  product manager resume  guide will ensure your resume is in tip-top shape from resume summary to  resume format . If you’re resume’s already a success, don’t forget about your  product manager cover letter .

13. Program manager resume summary

Program manager job description  key points :

• Planning, initiating, and implementing plans to achieve company goals and complete project portfolios
• Excellent management, leadership, and communication 
• Proactively motivate a team to carry out program activities
• Budgeting, organizational, and strategy-building skills
• Ability to analyze metrics of program success, such as KPIs and satisfaction rates, to identify areas for improvement

Program manager resume summary :

• Talk about detail! We can see several metrics here coupled with an energetic and goal-oriented personality.
• Additionally, these metrics and traits skillfully imply the exact set of abilities this job position requests.

Sail through the rest of your  program manager resume , and don’t forget to check it against our  AI-powered resume tool  before you draft the perfect  program manager cover letter .

14. Project manager resume summary

Project manager job description  key points :

• Excellent team management skills and a strong ability to facilitate collaboration and team cohesion
• Creativity and adaptability in project planning, budgeting, and implementation
• Ability to bridge the gap between project teams and company executives or clients to provide updates and results
• Organization, time management, and attention to codes and policy compliance
• Skillful preparation and management of briefing materials, progress tracking, and reports/reviews that can be leveraged for future improvements

Project manager resume summary :

• This job role is all about results, so leading with personality traits and metrics that support the candidate’s ability to yield these results is ideal.
• Accentuating what the applicant can offer this particular company is also a great move!

PMs, we see you! Peruse our  project manager resume examples  for support and inspiration, and sail through your  project manager cover letter , too.

15. Recruiter resume summary

Recruiter job description  key points:

• Excellent soft skills, including strategic communication. Ability to foster positive relationships with both applicants and staffing agents while managing client and candidate expectations
• Ability to gather information and quickly assess candidates
• Efficiency under pressure when working with high-priority or time-sensitive hires
• Strong ability to gauge talent/potential during interviews
• Develop/update job descriptions, requirements, proposed pay, and benefit plans

Recruiter resume summary :

• This summary concisely highlights the blend of personality traits and interpersonal skills that this applicant offers.
• The candidate still supplies a quantifiable example of their success and relevance, too.

You know all about the job hunt, but we get that you need help with your  recruiter resume , too. When it comes to  writing a resume  or your  recruiter cover letter , we’ll share all we know.

16. Sales resume summary

Sales job description  key points :

• Effective communication, persuasion, negotiation, and people-reading skills
• Ability to answer/field questions or find information quickly
• Time management and organization skills
• Preparing sales contracts, reports, and presentations
• Following up to ensure customer satisfaction, obtain payments, or promote new plans, services, or products
• Understanding and furthering company programs and specific sales objectives

Sales resume summary :

• You can witness plenty of beneficial personality traits here!
• Plus, the candidate’s experience is evident in the skills they highlight—and they specifically speak to the value they’ll offer the company.

Sell your career documents and snag your dream role with our resources for your  sales resume  and  sales cover letter .

17. Scrum master resume summary 

Scrum Master job description  key points :

• Excellent ability to lead, communicate, and collaborate with a team to meet goals while maintaining Scrum values
• Thorough understanding of Agile frameworks and ability to coach teammates in Agile
• Adaptability in fixing errors and problem-solving with strong recovery skills to keep the focus on sprint goals
• Use metrics and stakeholder/team feedback to ensure optimal product quality
• Organization, coordination, and task prioritization

Scrum Master resume summary :

• We clearly see experience, educational, and technical qualifications here.
• Personality shines through while demonstrating a clear understanding of the job role and, of course, everything ties in with the target company at the end.

Scrum Masters, we know you appreciate a logical and organized approach, so start by exploring our  resume examples  and diving into what works on the  best Scrum Master resumes . We can also teach you how to tackle your  Scrum Master cover letter  with ease.

18. Social media manager resume summary

Social media job description  key points :

• Familiarity with social media platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter, and the ability to maintain responsiveness on all channels
• Quick adaptability to changing social media/market trends and current events
• Adept at monitoring KPIs, SEO performance, and other metrics and assessing the effectiveness and potential improvements
• Ability to collaboratively plan and implement campaigns by creating, posting, and managing original content with the use of Hootsuite

Social media manager resume summary :

• It’s all there—experience, an ambitious, confident personality, credibility-boosting metrics, and highly relevant skills.
• The applicant also provides compelling insight regarding their approach to the company’s success.

As a social media guru, you have an eye for details, which is why you’ll appreciate our free and  creative Word resume templates  as you finish building your  social media manager resume  and writing your  social media manager cover letter .

19. Software engineer resume summary

Software engineer job description  key points :

• Engineering-focused educational background in math or computer science
• Technical experience with tools like C++, Java, Unix, database and cloud storage, etc.
• Strong ability to navigate, explain, and lead the entire software development lifecycle
• Solid understanding of the best software engineering practices with a focus on scalability, quick problem-solving, and information management
• Application infrastructure and design skills that mesh well with speed/optimization

Software engineer resume summary :

• There’s tons of personality here along with strong metrics that demonstrate the applicant’s skills.
• And while there’s a clear mention of technical skills, the strategic thinking of an engineer takes the spotlight, showcasing the ability to expertly handle advanced roles.

If your  software engineer resume  needs a facelift, consider one of our  free resume templates . Remember that your  software engineer cover letter  can make a great first impression.

20. Teacher resume summary

Teacher job description  key points :

• Supervisory and communication skills with the ability to process student feedback and customize lesson plans
• Ability to maintain leadership of the room and engage students with lessons 
• Planning and preparing lessons, assignments, and educational materials
• Updating grades frequently, providing thoughtful feedback, and modifying work for struggling students
• Provide insight, advice, and encouragement regarding students’ future career paths

Teacher resume summary :

• The conversational yet professional tone is ideal for a teacher delineating a diverse and adaptable skillset and backing it up with a quantifiable metric.
• The applicant’s best traits practically demonstrate themselves!

Along with your  teacher resume , your  teacher cover letter  should also be top of mind.

21. Server resume summary

22. Nanny resume summary

23. Data Entry resume summary

24. Marketing resume summary

25. Teacher Assistant resume summary

26. Caregiver resume summary

27. Social Worker resume summary

28. Dental Assistant resume summary

29. Front-End Developer resume summary

30. Web Developer resume summary

Resume Summary Recap & Your Next Steps

You’ve made it to the end, but don’t feel too overwhelmed or get lost in the weeds while striving to pinpoint the best parts of your experience and skillset to include in your summary! Return as often as you need to the summary examples above, and don’t hesitate to draw inspiration from our  resume examples . 

When you start writing your summary, keep our formula in mind:

X + Y + Z = Success!

X = Your characteristics/personality Y = Experience and quantified success/results Z = How your accomplishments apply to the specific role

Carefully read every job description while you search, and tailor your resume summary to each listing. The extra effort and finishing touches will show!

Remember it’s easiest to write your summary once you’ve drafted the rest of your resume , so you can get crackin’ in our  resume builder  for an interactive, intuitive solution. And if you like the resume below, you can start customizing it right away. So, here’s to your success. We’re cheering you on! 

When crafting your document, be sure to include specific information from the job ad but only if you actually have that experience. Because the ATS will automatically search for appropriate keywords and phrases, you can readily find what employers are searching for in other resumes and the ad for the job you’re applying for. Also, look at other ads for similar positions to find industry-specific keyword information to include.

Senior Financial Analyst Resume

How to Write a Resume Summary with Examples

Quick Navigation:

What is a resume summary?

Who needs a resume summary, how to write a resume summary.

You should know how to write a resume summary if you’re writing a resume and applying for jobs. Resume summaries show busy hiring managers and employers what you can offer them quickly and easily on a resume. This article will explain what a resume summary is, who needs one in their resume and how to write a resume summary.

A resume summary, also referred to as a summary statement or professional summary, is a short statement at the top of your resume that describes your professional experience and key skills. Including a resume summary allows you to highlight your best qualifications and get the hiring manager’s attention right away.

A resume summary can help you get noticed faster by hiring managers, who often scan a resume to make sure the candidate is a good fit for the job before reading more carefully. 

Additionally, including a resume statement is a good way to make your resume more organized, clearer and easier to read. The resume summary is like the table of contents at the beginning of a book, shaping the reader’s expectations of what they will encounter. This will help bring the reader’s attention to your best qualities.

Not every resume needs a resume summary. If you are new to the job market, do not yet have a great deal of experience, or have a pretty simple career path, you may be better off saving the space for something else.

However, if you are an experienced professional with several years of experience, or if you are hoping to switch career paths, a resume summary can help to organize your resume. A resume summary can tie together different pieces of your experience or indicate how your skill set is transferrable to the role you are seeking.

Follow these steps to write a resume summary:

1. First, start by explaining who you are

The first sentence or bullet point of your resume summary should clearly state who you are as a candidate. Make this a powerful statement that summarizes your experience and why you are a good fit for the job.

‘High-achieving sales agent with 5+ years of experience driving sales in established accounts and developing prospects.’

‘Copywriter with attention to detail and ability to turn around projects on a quick deadline.

‘Attentive registered nurse dedicated to diagnosing patients and managing treatment.’

2. Second, highlight what you bring to the role

Before you begin writing your resume summary, take some time to make a list of your most important skills and experience, including certifications, awards or other achievements, technical skills, and soft skills. Include some of these top experiences in your resume summary to highlight what you bring to the role. 

At the same time, you will want to use your summary to demonstrate how your skills and experience will contribute to the organization’s mission and goals.

‘Dynamic and motivated project manager with proven success in designing, executing, and closing more than a dozen projects.’

‘Organized human resources professional with a master’s degree in human resources management and 20+ years of experience in employee hiring and onboarding, performance management processes, and HR records.’

‘Experienced software engineer with a passion for building startup businesses.’

3. Third, capture job posting keywords

Adjust your resume summary for each job you apply to by scanning and capturing the job posting keywords. Carefully read the job description and select the key words from the ‘requirements’ or ‘education’ sections of the posting. This will demonstrate you prepared for, and are excited about, a particular position and you clearly meet the requirements the hiring manager is looking for in a candidate.

For a job posting that says the employer is looking for someone with at least 5 years of experience:

‘Compassionate registered nurse with 5+ years of professional experience and certifications in neonatal resuscitation.’

For a job posting that says the employer is looking for someone with experience working with major brands:

‘Social media communications and advertising expert with experience in creating and managing social media strategies for global companies.’

4. 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. 

‘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.’

How to Write a Resume Summary [45 + Examples]

You need a snappy resume summary to win an employer over! Here, we show you how to write a resume summary. Plus, we give 45+ professional resume summary examples for various career levels and resume formats!

Build my Resume

As seen in:

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• What Is a Resume Summary and Why Is It Important?
• How to Write a Resume Summary: 6 Steps
• Resume Summary Examples by Career Type
• Resume Summary Examples by Experience Level
• Resume Summary Examples by Resume Format
• 4 Tips for Writing Your Resume Summary
• The Fastest Way to Write a Professional Summary for Resume

Resume Summary FAQ

• Related Content

What is a resume summary and why is it important?

The summary section of your resume is the first section a recruiter or hiring manager will see when they review your resume.

For that reason, a strong resume summary is critical for any job seeker who wants to make a dazzling first impression.

A well-written resume summary consists of two to four sentences that emphasize your unique value to an organization. Think of it as a sales pitch that lists your top qualifications.

Highlighting your most relevant skills and experience shows potential employers what you’ll bring to the table if hired.

Resume summary versus resume objective

Depending on the resume format you choose, this section might be called “Professional Summary” or “ Resume Objective .”

Resume objectives or “objective statements” are slightly different from resume summaries. They focus more on what you want to achieve rather than what you’ve done and have to offer an employer.

Resume objectives are usually for these two scenarios:

• You have less than two years of experience. So, focusing more on what you hope to achieve rather than your accomplishments makes sense.
• You’re applying for a job in a new industry. In this case, you should sell your passion or motivation for the change.

For most people, it’s advised to include a professional summary if you have enough experience. Read on to see the DIY six-step process of writing your resume summary from scratch.

If you’re ready to jump into the writing process now or want an extra edge in creating a great professional resume summary, consider a faster option! Check out LiveCareer’s most powerful resume tool, our Resume Builder .

Our builder can help you create a resume in just 15 minutes because it automates the whole process!

Beyond step-by-step guidance, our builder will even provide suggested text and examples of well-worded resume summaries that you can customize and use!

Our team of career experts created the text suggestions. They’re job-specific, well-written and will help get you noticed!

Build My Resume Now

How to Write a Resume Summary: 6 steps

Study the job ad..

Before writing, gather basic information from the job ad or post.

Make a list of the required skills and experience mentioned. You should incorporate these keywords and phrases into your summary section!

As you study the job ad and the requirements, ask yourself what makes you the right person for this role. This is what will electrify your summary.

Spend time on the company website to see how they describe their business and mission. What do they describe as their core values?

Is the writing casual and light? Or does the company use a dry, professional tone?

You’ll want to mirror the same tone in your summary statement. Reflecting their style will help show you’re a fit for the company culture.

Write your introductory sentence.

Create a sentence that includes one or two words to describe you and your experience as it relates to the job ad. For example, “Friendly and engaging server with five years of experience in busy neighborhood dining establishments.”

Highlight relevant skills, experience and education.

You’ve learned the skills, work experience and education most applicable to the position from studying the job ad. Use those keywords to describe what you bring to the table in a sentence or two.

For example, if the job post calls for organization skills, work ethic and verbal communication, you could say something like this: “Strong work ethic and highly organized. Excellent verbal communication skills and a proven track record for developing strong relationships with coworkers.”

Mention at least one relevant achievement.

If you are an experienced job seeker, add a sentence or two describing your most significant professional achievement(s).

Doing so tells employers instantly what you’ll bring to the role. This can be done through a short sentence describing your achievement or by adding data and metrics to the summary.

For example, “Regularly turned up to 35 tables during Sunday brunch. Praised by management for the ability to upsell high-profit menu items and fine wines.”

Put it all together.

Here is an example of what you will have crafted if you follow the steps above:

“Friendly and engaging server with five years of experience in busy neighborhood dining establishments. Strong work ethic and high-organized. Excellent verbal communication skills and a proven track record for developing strong relationships with coworkers. Regularly turned up to 35 tables during Sunday brunch. Praised by management for the ability to upsell high-profit menu items and fine wines.”

Resume summary examples by career type

You’ll find resume summary examples for some of our most popular jobs in accounting , administration , customer service , design , digital marketing , health care , management , sales and web development .

Accounting resume summary examples

• “Efficiency-driven CPA with 4+ years experience developing and executing financial systems. Ethical professional with expertise in local tax codes. My strong data analysis and problem-solving skills help me reduce business costs.”
• “Accurate accountant brings 11 years of experience from the health care industry. Adept at bookkeeping, inventory assessment and cutting operational costs. Clear communication and honesty are the bedrock of my career success.”
• “Reliable CPA with eagerness to learn, discipline and a great educational background. My attention to detail, foresight and financial analysis skills are valuable assets for the business.”

Administration resume summary examples

• “High achieving executive assistant has 5+ years experience providing support to CEO and other executives. Provided everything from customer support to data entry and prepared well-researched documents. Great time management skills, proficient in MS Office and Google Workspace.”
• “Versatile administrative manager brings 8+ years of experience overseeing smaller and larger (10+ people) administrative teams. Adept at facilitating meetings, conference calls, workflow management and spreadsheet creation. My track record of efficient office operation is thanks to my effective organizational and problem-solving skills.”
• “Eager-to-please office assistant brings two years of experience and a positive attitude. My exceptional organization, planning and calendar management skills have earned me much verbal praise and recognition from employers.”

Customer service resume summary examples

• “Dedicated and friendly customer service specialist brings three years of experience in verbal troubleshooting, tech support and customer care. Received an average 91% customer satisfaction rating last year, 13% higher than the company average.”
• “Focused customer service agent has 7+ years of know-how dealing with customer complaints and turning them into positive experiences. My friendly demeanor and active listening help identify problems, and my analytical nature guides me to practical solutions.”
• “Committed customer service agent with experience helping a variety of customers for over two years. As a detail-oriented professional who works well under pressure, I meet deadlines and quotas and increase customer satisfaction.“

Design resume summary examples

• “Creative and detail-oriented graphic designer brings four years of experience and skills in various mediums, such as digital, print and video art. Fluid with programs in Adobe Creative Suite, including InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. Extensive experience executing digital marketing plans via social media and web content.”
• “Experienced design manager wields 15+ years of experience leading graphics and computer animation teams. My reputation as a visionary comes from my prediction of industry trends, creative interpretation and freethinking management approach. The strength and longevity of many of the teams I’ve built show the consistency and dedication I can inspire.”
• “Aspiring graphic designer touts firm internship experience, an eagerness to learn and a portfolio showcasing my creativity. Adept at following instructions, I take feedback seriously and always finish projects by deadline.”

Digital marketing resume summary examples

• “Savvy digital marketing consultant with 3+ years of cutting-edge training and experience. My background working for top SEO firms has honed my abilities in attracting organic traffic and boosting conversion rates by over 11%. My career success is thanks to my ability to create good relationships with collaborators and exceed client expectations.”
• “Veteran content strategist has a 12-year career publishing web pages that lead to user engagement and conversion. During my tenure at WebPredix, I oversaw a 700% increase in page traffic. My ability to scale content, develop funnels and build user trust are the cornerstones of my success. Up-to-date on industry trends, good at forecasting and quick responses to algorithm updates.”
• “Ambitious digital marketing specialist brings a solid foundation of social media expertise and a knack for creating engaging content. My ability to empathize with user pain points, market solutions and build an audience is the key to my success.”

Education resume summary examples

• “Conscientious and motivational high school English teacher has a seven-year history of helping students thrive. Well-versed in using social skills and empathy to manage students; adapts student feedback to create effective lesson plans to help them improve test scores.”
• “Veteran math teacher combines 14+ years of experience managing students with a boundless passion for education. Introduced standardized testing and state curriculum; helped 41 out of 48 students to get scores of 3 or higher on the AP Calculus exam. Maintain helpful contact with parents and help at-risk students course correct and pass standardized tests.”
• “Motivated teacher brings inner city classroom experience and an unstoppable attitude. Received Student Teacher of the Year award in 2022. My training in early childhood education, friendly demeanor and empathy give me the well-rounded skill set to make an impact.”

Health care resume summary examples

• “Patient-focused and empathic registered nurse has a five-year background at a growing medical practice. Bringing integrity, compassion and extensive knowledge following protocol and communicating to better patients’ lives.“
• “Compassionate medical assistant with 11 years of experience dedicated to helping patients achieve optimal health. Provides superior patient care with calm under pressure, using effective communication and critical-thinking skills. My work has earned numerous accolades from the physicians I’ve assisted.”
• “Detail-oriented nursing assistant has two years of experience working in a children’s hospital. Skilled at following instructions, reading vitals and being gentle with patients, I’m reliable and remain calm in stressful emergencies.”

Management roles resume summary examples

• “Fastidious project manager offers 8+ years of industry successes, including market research, product roadmap development and cross-functional communication. Adept at identifying opportunities and maximizing revenue. Self-motivated and possessing a sharp eye for data analysis, I specialize in project enhancement.”
• “Experienced fine-dining restaurant manager has over 20 years in the service industry. Excelling in staff education, my gastronomic and wine knowledge runs deep and is up-to-date on trends. Adept at scheduling, event planning and reducing food waste.”
• “Visionary business manager brings 4+ years experience as an accountant managing a small team. Highly advanced in financial monitoring, budgeting and business forecasting, my team building and conflict-resolution skills make me a well-rounded leader.”

Sales resume summary examples

• “Results-driven sales professional has five-year track record closing deals and building lasting relationships. Personable by nature and determined to surpass every goal, I’m always on the hunt for new accounts and business opportunities.”
• “Tenured software sales associate mixes charm with 14+ years of experience to keep clients happy. Consistent with following up on accounts and ensuring customer satisfaction, I keep up-to-date on cloud technology and SaaS. My commitment to detailed product knowledge only matches my passion for sales.”
• “Driven sales associate brings excellent training and two years of car selling experience. Strong at reading customers, building trust and negotiating deals, I was the second-highest grossing associate at my Toyota dealership last year.”

Web development resume summary examples

• “Solution-driven web developer has 5+ years of experience developing consumer-focused websites using HTML, CSS, PHP and JavaScript. Thrives in a highly collaborative work environment and at finding solutions. Up-to-date on the best practices for web design, UX and technical SEO.”
• “Seasoned web developer brings guru-level knowledge to software testing and debugging. My 12-year career has numerous accolades, including an Awards nomination for a new e-commerce site I created. Approachability, creative thinking and crossfunctional communication have been the drivers of my successful work.”
• “Passionate web developer combines a personal obsession for gaming with a cutting-edge education from AppAcademy. Beyond my coding, troubleshooting and problem-solving skills, I have the team spirit, attention to detail and eagerness to grow that will help produce next-level apps.”

Resume summary examples by experience level

Your summary statement will change throughout your career. Here, we provide examples of what this section should look like for job seekers at every career stage.

No experience:

• “Focused and attentive assistant professor of English. Recently completed Ph.D. Experienced in cultivating welcoming and engaging learning environments. Friendly and personable with the skill to stay organized and on top of important deadlines. Dedicated to developing an English curriculum reflective of the needs of students and work environments. Strong knowledge of teaching methods and techniques.”
• “Clear communicator who practices multitasking and excellent problem-solving and relationship-building abilities. Helps organize and participate in office events such as open houses, fundraisers and office meetings. Adept at doing tasks spanning all plant operations, including performance and efficiency, contract, and project management.”

Entry-level:

• “Enthusiastic personal fitness trainer capable of providing personalized attention and professional instruction to maximize clients’ health and fitness goals. Adept at tracking and recording data to show the progress of each client. Skilled at counseling clients in nutrition for fat loss and muscle growth.”
• “Motivated individual with a bachelor of science in mathematics. Possessing strong accounting and deductive reasoning skills. Eager to accurately and efficiently maintain client and company balance at J Cooper Trading. Successfully assisted in the Payson School District’s payroll disbursements and two consecutive internal audits.”

Mid-career:

• “Results-driven data scientist with a proven track record in processing and analyzing large amounts of data. Proven ability to identify business needs and develop valuable solutions to drive accuracy and process efficiency. Seeking an opportunity to drive business effectiveness through making recommendations based on data findings.”
• “Experienced Transportation Inspector possesses strong attention to detail. Talented in maintaining safety standards through outstanding problem-solving and critical thinking skills. Capable of serving as a point-of-contact for all transportation-related inquiries and issues.”

Highly experienced:

• “Compassionate, solutions-oriented genetics counselor dedicated to providing exceptional care and testing/treatment options for children, adolescents, and adults dealing with genetic conditions. Comforting approach with a deep understanding of related issues and options.”
• “Patient-focused doctor with over 15 years of experience in acute and residential care. Expertise in therapeutic care for patients with mental, behavioral, and poly-substance disorders. Team-oriented with success in leading nursing teams and coordinating care for adolescent to geriatric patient populations.”

Career change:

• “Gifted Spanish speaker with an aptitude for conveying emotion, style, and content of Spanish speakers. Bringing in-depth knowledge of cultural context and idiosyncrasies. Proven ability to provide translations quickly and accurately developed over five years of teaching Spanish. Looking to utilize my expert Spanish skills in a new position as a translator.”
• “Well-organized professional bringing excellent multitasking abilities developed over six years of support experience. Commended for consistently driving team success with knowledgeable enforcement of company procedures and skillful personnel training. Looking to leverage skills and passion in cars as an automotive technician.”

Resume summary examples by resume format

Your level of professional experience largely dictates the contents of your summary statement.

Your career stage also impacts the resume format you choose, influencing the type of summary statement you write.

Here we outline the relationship between your resume summary statement and the three main resume formats.

Chronological:

A chronological resume is the right choice for those job seekers with significant professional experience in their field who want to showcase a long work history, an impressive career trajectory or significant professional achievements. This resume type calls for a summary section that is titled “Professional Summary.”

Who should use this resume format:

• Anyone with over 10 years of experience.
• People with a continuous history of career growth.
• Executive-level applicants.

How a professional summary should appear in this resume format:

“Effective project leader and problem-solver with advanced programming skills and a hard-working mentality. Talented at managing all facets of business operations, including financial tracking, inventory coordination, and social media marketing. Seeking to apply expertise and extensive experience in marketing to take on a challenging new role with a growing team.”

Combination:

A combination resume format is an excellent choice for various applicants since it allows them to highlight their work history and skill sets. This resume type calls for a summary section that is titled “Professional Summary.”

• Entry-level applicants with relevant work experience, such as an internship.
• Professionals with several years of relevant work experience who want to show off both skills and career progression.
• Applicants who are making a career change.

“Responsible management professional well-versed in setting the direction for work areas and ensuring the quality and accuracy of performance within multiple stores. Skilled at creating innovative and eye-catching merchandise displays to boost income. Leveraged decisive leadership approaches to boost key metrics continuously.”

Functional:

The functional resume is skills-focused, making it perfect for those who are just entering the workforce or making a career change and therefore don’t have direct relevant work experience. The functional resume format most often uses a section called a “Career Objective” or “Summary Statement” rather than a traditional professional summary.

Who should use this format:

• Entry-level applicants.
• Those with gaps in their employment histories.
• Freelance and gig economy workers.
• Job seekers who need more relevant work experience.

How a career objective or summary statement should appear in this resume format:

Career objective: “Former police officer looking to transition into a role as a security guard. Well-spoken, polite, with strong conflict-resolution skills.”

Summary statement: “Motivated accounting professional focused on maintaining accurate, compliant records and controls responsive to dynamic operating conditions. Highly skilled in account reconciliation with an eye for identifying and correcting errors. Detail-oriented and organized with excellent mathematical skills, GAAP expertise and IFRS knowledge.”

4 Tips for writing your resume summary

1 Be concise.

A clear and short summary focuses the reader directly on your qualifications. Quickly explain why you meet the criteria required for the role.

2 Use keywords.

Keywords are listed in the job post or description. Study the exact language used in the job ad and stick with it!

With more and more companies using applicant tracking systems (ATS) in the hiring process, these keywords become critical to landing an interview. ATS software scans resumes for keywords to eliminate unqualified candidates.

3 List both hard and soft skills.

Many job seekers are tempted to focus on hard skills on their resumes, but soft skills count just as much.

These personality traits, like a positive attitude, good work ethic or problem-solving skills, are difficult to teach, so employers actively seek applicants who possess them.

4 Use memorable details.

The goal of the summary section is to entice the hiring manager to want to learn more about you. So, give them some information that will make you memorable and keep your name in their heads.

The fastest way to create a professional summary for a resume

Here are five ways our Resume Builder can help you craft a compelling resume summary:

• Job-specific content suggestions
• Skills targeted to the job
• Keyword recommendations
• Grammar and spell-check
• ATS compatible fonts

A resume builder saves you time because it does all of the above for you! It’s like having an expert look over your shoulder to guide you! It’s the best help you’ll get short of hiring professional resume writing help .

Create My Resume

How long is a summary statement?

A good summary statement should be between two to five sentences or around 50 words maximum.

You want something that is easy to read and has a quick flow, so you keep your reader’s attention! Make your summary statement shorter than five sentences so it doesn’t get wordy.

Should I use a resume objective or a summary?

This depends on your level of experience and the goal of your resume.

A professional summary is a descriptive catalog of your accomplishments in an active voice. A professional summary is typically used in a combination or chronological resume format.

Usually, resume objectives are only featured on functional resumes because they’re for people who lack experience. These consist of one to two sentences that solely convey the job seeker’s professional goals.

The general rule is to use an objective statement only if you have less than two years of experience or are transferring to a new industry. Using a professional summary for your resume is best if you have more than two years of experience working.

What is a good summary for a resume with little experience?

Just because you don’t have a wide range of experience doesn’t mean a summary isn’t for you.

If you have little experience, you can use the space to tie the skills or qualifications mentioned in the job posting to your transferable skills to show potential employers how you might thrive in the role.

Related content

How to Write a Resume Work Experience Section

400+ Resume Examples

Resume Objective Examples for Every Job Title

About the Author

Eric Ciechanowski • Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW)

Eric Ciechanowski is a Certified Professional Resume Writer (CPRW), certified by the Professional Association of Resume Writers and Career Coaches (PARWCC). He graduated from Tulane University in New Orleans with a B.A. double major in Creative Writing and Philosophy. His career background includes fields as diverse as education, hospitality, journalism, copywriting, tech and trivia hosting.

Please rate this article

As seen in *

*The names and logos of the companies referred to in this page are all trademarks of their respective holders. Unless specifically stated otherwise, such references are not intended to imply any affiliation or association with LiveCareer.

83 Resume Summary Examples & How-To Guide For 2024

Why use a resume summary section?

When should you use a resume summary statement, first, use your most relevant experiences and strong points/characteristics., second, have a short description to follow up., and thirdly, aim to use no more than 3-5 sentences., even more resume summary examples (100+ resume statement and profile samples).

Resume summary statements are short sections that go under the resume header . They serve as a career summary and when done correctly, it outlines your most relevant experience accomplishments and knowledge in less than four sentences.

At a glance, the potential employer should easily identify your core skills and the value you can bring to their business. Ideally, you should be striving for a concise, punchy cv summary that makes the recruiter continue reading.

Benefits of having a resume summary include:

• Preframe your entire application clearly by summarising your career and pointing out the key points or highlights;
• Take advantage, and use the keywords very early on in your resume to consolidate a powerful impression
• Define yourself very briefly so hiring managers quickly grasp a good idea of your character and get fast recognition

In this guide, we’re going to take a look at why you should use a summary statement, as well as how to write one, and we’ll go over some of the best resume summary examples you can take from for your own resume.

Test your resume summary!

Drop your resume here or choose a file . PDF & DOCX only. Max 2MB file size.

You should use a resume summary section when you want to highlight your skills, experience, and overall showcase your professional background to recruiters.

Use this opportunity to intrigue and draw them further into your resume by helping them get a quick overview of your know-how and how you can be a valuable asset.

You’re giving the job recruiter a glimpse into what you can potentially do for their business. And, depending on how good of a job you’ve done writing your summary, recruiters will either give you their full attention or click the “x” on their screen and go to the next applicant.

“But… I don’t have much of an experience to write about.”  Yeah, well, rest assured, you aren’t alone. If you’re just fresh out of school or you’re doing a major career switch, you can always include your goals and objectives.

Recommended read: Resume Sections – Everything You Need to Know

Ideally, you should include a resume summary when you have three and more years of work history. That’s because this section is designed to flatter your skills, expertise, and employment history.

If you’re just starting out in your professional career and you don’t have much to write about in your summary statement, a better option would be a resume objective statement section.

The main difference between a summary statement and a resume objective is what you focus on. The objective statement shows your future professional goals, while a summary statement focuses on your strengths, skills, and what you can do for the business you’re applying to.

And even if the objective statement isn’t your thing, consider using a substitute section. The Enhancv resume builder has tremendous resume sections like “resume headers” and “key achievements” (also known as a summary of qualifications) that can help you present yourself in the best light possible.

Whichever route you go, both should show you in the best light possible.

(Note: not all resumes are designed to have a summary section.)

While nearly all CVs you’ve probably seen have a resume overview, they’re not entirely necessary. Depending on the job position you’re applying for what matters more is how it’s going to be used to increase your chances for an interview.

You can still build a strong application even if you don’t have a resume summary section. Here’s an example of an accounting analyst resume that has no summary, but still secured the job.

Take a look at Carole’s resume. Despite not having a resume overview, it didn’t stop the employer to hire her. All the years of experience make up for it and it doesn’t look too bad overall.

Although I’ve mentioned they’re not always needed, I highly recommend you have one for your resume to emphasize you’re a perfect fit for the job.

Now without any further ado, let’s get to how you can write an outstanding resume summary.

How to write an effective resume summary section

Writing a good resume summary can be boiled down to three main points. It doesn’t matter if you’re applying for a nurse position at a hospital or as a real estate broker.

And if you decide to build your resume with our resume builder, you can choose a template suitable for your industry, click on “+ Add Section” and choose the “resume summary” from all the templated sections we have on our website.

How do you identify what your most relevant experiences and strongest points/characteristics are? How do you choose the right ones to mention?

You want the employer to understand how you can be valuable to their team.

Therefore, you should focus on any significant achievements, skills, and certifications that correspond with the job position you’re applying to.

Take note of the keywords, skills, and responsibilities the hiring manager is looking for. Use that information to reflect on your skills or experiences. Then, combine them accordingly to show how you’re going to be a high-performing asset and an ideal fit. These are the details you want to implicate in your summary.

Make sure that what you talk about is directly linkable and relevant to what they need as this is what will appeal to them. Even if you have the right information, you need to ensure it’s properly aligned to match the job description.

Experienced professionals know that showing how you can help an organization is key to getting a call for an interview. As this section sits at the top of your resume, this is what will get the attention of human resources recruiters.

Let the employers instinctively know you’re more than capable of working for them.

Keywords are one thing and buzzwords are another. Implement those specific phrases into a short description after mentioning your most relevant strengths.

You have to convey value very briefly. It’s a resume summary, so you can’t go very in-depth. Instead, focus on glancing over your experience, and leave the details for later in your work experience section.

(Pro tip: Use actionable relevant keywords, positive adjectives, and personal pronouns that correlate to what they’re demanding to show that you can contribute positively towards their success!)

Keep your summary short and punchy. Just three sentences should be enough.

We’ve found that one-page resumes generally perform better than 2-3 page resumes. Depending on your job and if you need to include more details, then you can extend up to 5 sentences but no more.

With around 3 sentences, the reader gets through your resume and quickly identifies the important information as it’s readable and easy to consume.

Another reason you’d want to keep this section short (and use keywords) is because of ATS (applicant tracking system). It helps to get you recognized and see that you’re a qualifiable person to consider for an interview.

So, carefully select the words you’re going to use. Go for fewer but more impactful words. It’s a resume summary after all – not a dissertation.

Apart from your resume header, this section should be one of the smallest sections on your resume.

As promised from the headline, we’ve handpicked 30 unique resume summary examples to help you stand out. These include career overviews and objectives, and some of these will also show a good and bad example so you know what to avoid.

(The job title links take you to a full guide for how to create a resume for that exact job, and what’s expected of you. Feel free to check them out!)

Resume summary examples and samples you can inspire from

Entry-level engineer resume summary:.

Both of these resume summaries work. They focus on work-related experience and bring up an accomplishment (B.E. graduate). It doesn’t go in-depth about skills because that’s what the skills section is for. This summary lets the recruiter know what you’re looking for, and what experience you’ve had in the past.

Mechanical Engineer Resume Summary (Objectives):

The first summary example is too vague and doesn’t quite paint a clear picture. It’s not as specific when you compare it to the one below. We can see that there’s more detail in the second mechanical engineer applicant’s summary and that they’re more skilled at what they do as they outline their skills and experience clearly.

See below for another mechanical engineer resume objective example:

Content Marketing Resume Summary:

Read through both.

You can clearly see that the first summary is pretty dull, boring, and it doesn’t have anything that makes a recruiter want to invite them to an interview, unlike the second example, where the hiring managers have social proof that makes it memorable

In the case of a content marketing resume, you want to showcase industry authority by having your name out there and flaunting it to your hiring managers.

Marketing Manager Resume Summary:

Firstly, for all resume summaries, you generally want to avoid referring to yourself as “I” as it looks unprofessional. Secondly, it’s vague – “diversity of experience” and worst of all, you can tell the applicant has probably sent the same thing to hundreds of other job applications.

Notice that the second summary has maintained only three sentences. While it’s briefly describing the results and success experienced in the past, it essentially tells the recruiter you’re a marketing manager who’s capable of getting results.

PPC specialist Resume Summary:

Paid ads resume summary., public relations specialist resume summary:.

The first example claims that the applicant is an “expert”. However, it doesn’t really show much to the job recruiter, and there isn’t anything valuable to be learned from it.

In the second one, we can easily tell the applicant is an expert since he has “over 10 years of experience”. There’s a higher degree of benefits obtained, and if you’re applying for this role, you should be taking advantage of numbers and results.

Here are two more examples for PR specialists:

Unlike the first applicant, the second applicant includes examples of work experience and tasks that they’ve worked on before. The first is more focused on talking about themselves and what the company can do for them. Whereas, the second is showing what value they can bring to their organization.

Social Media Manager Resume Summary:

Again, you should be avoiding referring to yourself as “I”. As a social media manager, you want to be very specific and use numbers to be perceived as credible.

The wrong example looks shady and far from professional. In contrast to the second example above, it’s vague and has no meaningful value derived from what they’re saying.

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 it’s meaningless, you’re wasting the employer’s time and you’ll most likely fail to get into an interview.

Officer Manager Resume Summary:

While in the first summary example we can see the utilization of buzzowrds, because of the lack of accomplishments, the summary falls short.

Sales Representative Resume Summary:

Both of these resume summaries are effective because they’re tailored for the vacancy. And two, it’s emphasizing their soft skills and includes technical details to support their statements.

Assistant Manager Resume Summary:

The first one includes relevant skills and experiences. However, it lacks details to follow up with the skills they claim to be an expert in.

Just by looking at the first summary, we can sense the applicant prioritizes what the company can do for them (“higher pay”) instead of what they can do for the company. And that’s not a pleasant thing to see as a recruiter.

business data analyst Resume Summary:

Both of these resume summaries let us know they’re professionals in the industry because of three main things:

• Clarifies technical details and lets us know about their background (3+ years experiences who loves to automate and streamline in a fast-paced environment)
• Instead of being vague and generic, the applicants are specific and also use examples to support their points
• As a hiring manager for data analysts, we can see what tools they use and how adept their knowledge is for software application

Professional graphic designer with over 20 years of experience, specializing in corporate identity, logo design, general publications, web banners, and packaging designs. Creative, professional and a flexible designer with proven technical skills. Adept at creating and building professional and unique campaigns for a wide variety of clients, services and products

Designer resume example & guide

business analyst

Serious, ambitious, strongly motivated to acquire new skills and knowledge. Creative and entrepreneurial with developed analytical and problem solving skills. I am a person who works well under pressure and with colleagues

business analyst resume example & guide

Hands-on IT Manager responsible for all aspects of technology in a corporate environment supporting 900 users. Strong background in utilizing design and technology to communicate and execute strategic organization goals

IT Manager resume example & guide

Competent, conscientious, and detail-oriented professional skilled in Data analysis, Data processing and Reporting with successful experience in both Public and Private Sector. Quick study, able to understand, assimilate, and convey new requirements with good presentation and people skills

Help Desk resume example & guide

junior java developer

I am a self-taught technology geek with a passion for tinkering with everything with a chip inside. Recently I finished my 6-month full-time internship project at VMware, which really improved my coding skills and helped me learn how to design and write high quality production-ready software

Junior java developer resume example & guide

Help Desk Analyst

I am enthusiastic about helping people and resolving issues by providing my knowledge and support. Communication and feeling connected to others is what makes me tick, therefore I thrive in dynamic environments that offer a lot of collaboration and learning opportunities

VP Business development."/Career Change

Drawing the short straw often in my 23 years of existence, I’ve built a titanium core consisting of patience, perseverance, curiosity and decision-making. I’ve put myself a number of times in the spotlight hosting events, acting in TV series, and attending talk shows so I’m not shy and I know how to handle heat. I’ve always been keen on cutting-edge tech, innovation, entrepreneurship & intrapreneurship

VP Business Development resume example & guide

Software engineer

Being involved in remote work my entire career has taught me to value two key traits, honesty and dependability. I’ve chosen to live my life by those traits, whether I’m in office in a meeting with my teammates or on the other side of the world, proactively finding a solution to some of our teams’ hardest issues

Software engineer resume example & guide

Marketing intern

My studies are on the understanding  of consumer behavior and the psychology of marketing since this is the main factor for understanding how people think and what emotions drag them to consume. I have been influenced mainly by the works of Sigmund and Anna Freud, Friedrich Nietzsche, Immanuel Kant, Karl Marx, Adam Smith, John Maynard Keynes, Joseph Stiglitz and many more historical and influential figures..

Marketing Intern resume example & guide

Retail sales associate

Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, taking the initiative in self-development, remaining flexible in work assignments, following direction and guidance, accomplishing goals in a team atmosphere.A motivated, friendly with leadership abilities person with an interest to create a wow guest experience

product engineer

9+ years of B2B integration experience working with Fortune 500 companies. 5+ years of experience building and growing successful teams

Product Engineer resume example & guide

VP of sales resume

Experienced sales and marketing professional with a successful track record of delivering high performance sales results. Vast practical knowledge of how to drive engagement and meet goals. Bring the good ideas to life while maintaining focus, strategic orientation and the ability to lead and inspire teams

VP of sales resume resume example & guide

Data scientist

Data scientist and signal processing specialist with a unique mix of theoretical, practical and experimental knowledge within mathematics, physics and signal processing. Experience leading applied research focusing primarily on the development of novel data processing and machine learning algorithms for different industries (e.g., oil and gas,  telecommunication, security and environment monitoring). Fortunate to work with and lead different strong teams from diverse backgrounds

Data Scientist resume example & guide

Full Stack Developer

I’m a full-stack engineer with years of hands-on experience in developing scalable and responsive web applications, using modern software design techniques. I love working in environments where my skills can be consistently challenged to not only improve but revolutionize products or services

Full Stack Developer resume example & guide

Account Management and Business Development Expert with 7 years of experience in performance marketing startup and banking in Europe and Asia handling digital advertising and banking products. I understand performance marketing and digital advertising in detail

Finance resume example & guide

Digital Marketing Analyst

A professional with a strong digital marketing background and mastery of digital marketing tools. Passionate about customer oriented business models and technologies that bring change and take us to the next level

Digital Marketing Analyst resume example & guide

software engineer

Accomplished Full Stack Software Engineer with 10+ years overall experience that includes product development and non-trivial personal projects across a range of languages/platforms. Avid consumer of conference videos, blogs & books. Interests include JavaScript (React, Redux, RX, Ramda), Functional Reactive Programming, Microservices, Ansible, Video Engineering, Accessibility, & Captioning

Software Engineer resume example & guide

solutions architect

My greatest passion is solving problems. Understanding the real needs is uncovering the true desires and motivations behind. Creating a customer demand, building a new product or expanding the business yells for a mixture of abstract thinking, business analytics skills and product oriented mind. As a Solutions architect I grow those every day

Solutions Architect resume example & guide

Engineering

Safety and Health Engineer with 7 years and 10 months of professional experience, including almost 4 years of directly related safety experience in the oil and gas industry. Possesses strong technical knowledge of Federal and Cal OSHA codes and regulations

Engineering resume example & guide

It director

With 9+ years in the IT Banking industry with solid experience in Investment banking, Loan Origination System and Credit Card Rewards Application. I have good working experience in Triple ‘A implementation and as well good experience in Java/J2EE design and development

IT Director resume example & guide

Accounting analyst

Highly organized, motivated professional with an eye for detail who takes the initiative and is able to develop instant rapport and build lasting relationships.  Implements strong analytical and time management skills to generate effective strategies and improve efficiency while successfully creating opportunities for new business lines

Accounting Analyst resume example & guide

15 years work experience in a range of roles and industries in highly regulated environments. I have run my own business, held leadership positions in banking and finance and I believe that my people skills have been at the heart of my success in all of my roles. I am highly motivated, driven to succeed, and take ownership of my personal development. I am friendly, honest, organised and reliable. My previous experience coupled with my capacity to learn quickly and understand changes to policy and process will allow me a short lead-time to full competence in any role

Teacher resume example & guide

Creative Marketing

Who am I? A disciplined creative mind who works in the field of marketing, advertising, brand managing, and even product management. Always ready to experiment, test new strategies and new approaches with great enthusiasm

Creative Marketing resume example & guide

Project manager

Accomplished project manager with nine years’ experience, expertly driving digital campaigns seamlessly and successfully, from planning to execution. Deep understanding of digital campaign processes across various industries such as healthcare, pharmaceutical, automotive, and consumer packaged goods. Extensive experience managing relationships with clients, agency partners, and suppliers. Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams and projects within a fast-paced environment, with a track record of managing programmes across various specialties including digital, social, and traditional

Project manager resume example & guide

Software Engineer

My passion is all forms of Java programming: server side (Spring,  JavaEE),  native Android, etc . I have significant experience with various projects, processes and technologies, which have shaped me into a responsible, multifunctional developer. Attention to detail and striving for perfection is  extremely important to me. I am a quick learner and highly motivated to improve myself and get acquainted with new technologies, patterns or \”tricks\”. I have studied English for over 10 years and I can confidently say my level of English is excellent

Senior process engineer

Experienced and goal-oriented engineer with a track record of consistently meeting and exceeding established goals and objectives related to manufacturing, process control & optimization and project management. Analytical and motivated with strong results focus and attention to details

Project coordinator

Project Management professional with academic background and industry expertise in International Business Management, Financial Consulting, Strategic Business Development and Sales and Marketing.  References available

Business intelligence

Seasoned business improvement and strategy professional with a proven track record of delivering diverse cross functional initiatives in an entrepreneurial organisation. Extensive experience with implementing practical and timely solutions to solve business problems through data and hypothesis driven approaches

Business Intelligence resume example & guide

Php developer

I have 7+ Years experience in Web Development behind my back. A Web Application Engineer who undertakes complex assignments, solves problems, meets tight deadlines and delivers superior performance in modular and object-oriented programming. Proficient in PHP with advanced skill level in Symfony2, Laravel, Codeigniter, and Drupal. Dedicated to extremely good quality of work. Highly motivated individual driven by passions and dreams. Leader. Team Player and Geek. Writes and eats codes for breakfast

PHP Developer resume example & guide

Data mining

Master Data Expert with 11 years experience with SAP and MS Office. Aimed to high-quality work and problem-solving thinking

Data Mining resume example & guide

Business Development

A competent Business Development and Key Accounts Management professional with added advantage of marketing skills and over 10+ years of relevant experience

Business Development resume example & guide

Social Media Marketing

A proven track record in Customer Service excellence and my passion for Information Technology and Social Media put me in a privileged position to appreciate the intricacy of Community Management and its related activities. Having spoken to Community Managers around the world, it doesn’t come as a surprise to me to know that we have it tough because of the unique expectations of our local customers

Social Media Marketing resume example & guide

Business Data Analyst

Big-picture strategist & wordsmith with a proven technical ability to translate business objectives into tactics. Excited by strategic planning, I thrive on connecting with clients ‘in their language’ and  ‘seeing around the corner’- I spot downstream effects and implications of business decisions before execution

Business Data Analyst resume example & guide

Program manager

Experienced program manager in a product organization with strong marketing skills, business understanding and tech junkie. Practical knowledge in Scrum, driving projects aligned with a product roadmap, user research studies and partnering with different roles in an organization to define needs and stories. Areas of expertise include: marketing personas, working with developers on marketing and business stories, working on product releases, analyzing and improving user journeys and experiences

Program manager resume example & guide

Front End Developer

Highly motivated Web Developer, flexible within the working environment and able to adapt quickly and positively to challenging situations. I am a quick learner and a good team member with a sharp eye for details

Front End Developer resume example & guide

Director of software engineering

Started off my career developing software applications for payment terminals and never looked back there after. Today I am proud to be versatile with the kind of projects and companies I have worked with & the tremendous software development & management experience of 15+ years in the payments industry is something that makes it distinctive

Director of Software Engineering resume example & guide

Substitute Teacher

Languages, communication, and writing have always been passions of mine; Spanish, English, and German sit at the top of the list. Writing, localizing, translating, interpreting, and teaching in an international setting are my jams

Substitute Teacher resume example & guide

Director of engineering

Over 17 years of diversified experience in various fields of telecommunications, CATV  and industrial product manufacturing and system design. In-depth involvement in all phases of project development, including concept creation, research, analysis, system engineering, circuit design, implementation, production, quality and technical support

Director of Engineering resume example & guide

Customer experience coordinator

I’m a dedicated professional who uses motivating strategies for team leadership. I have experience in training staff, coaching & development, as well as implementing new operational strategies while maintaining a positive environment. I am organized, detail oriented, goal driven, and a sharp thinker

engineering manager

Engineering Manager with 8 years of experience managing cross-functional teams, focused on team development, collaboration, processes and continuous improvement through agile methodologies

Catering sales manager

I specialize in off-premises catering management with experience in mobile vending operations. Planning an event for my customers is always a fun adventure and I sincerely enjoy taking my clients’ vision to the next level.I am now looking to join a larger team of like-minded professionals

test engineer

ISTQB Certified Software Test engineer focused on Manual and Automation testing of Mobile and Web Based Software Applications. Hardworking and concentrating on meeting deadlines and exceeding expectations. Good understanding of automation testing, using Selenium Web Driver, Sikuli, Appium, UI Automator, Xamarin UI Automation Tests and willingness to learn more tools.  Preparation of Automation Test for Web Based Software Applications, Flash Games and Mobile Applications for Android and iOS. Creation and upload of Automation Test Scripts to Xamarin Test Cloud

Test Engineer resume example & guide

I bring eight + years of experience building Human Resources and Operations practices. My mission and passion is connecting global organizations with remote IT talent. I take a human2human approach to all virtual relationships. I have the keen ability to unite different cultures around a common vision. Tech savvy by nature, I understand the demands across technology roles and successfully staff accordingly

HR manager resume example & guide

Project Coordinator

A competent and highly driven professional, able to effectively coordinate tasks to accomplish targets with timeliness and creativity who has experience of working within a fast paced environment with superb problem solving techniques, judgment and decision making skills

technical writer

Calm, driven professional comfortable working in fast-paced environments with leadership and management roles, and a passion for tackling tasks with creativity and critical problem solving skills

Technical Writer resume example & guide

Department head

18 year financial services veteran with leadership positions held in key segments including commercial banking, consumer and small business banking, consumer finance and credit operations. Critical experience in leading small and large teams, talent development, presenting to C-suite, training, change management, strategic planning, sales management, marketing, product management, operations, and managing reorganizations

Department Head resume example & guide

Store Manager

Experienced retail sales manager with strengths in customer service, sales and brand building. Proven skills in marketing, advertising, product integration, and promotions. Instrumental in developing an incentive rewards program that currently supports educational programs for Target Internationally. Excels in turning disorganized environments into smooth-running operations and overhauling administrative processes to improve accuracy and efficiency

Store Manager resume example & guide

Salesforce developer

Full-Stack certified Salesforce Commerce Cloud Developer with more than two years of hands-on experience. Worked with both – Pipelines and Controllers. Managing high quality and well optimised code with shortest time to deliver

Salesforce Developer resume example & guide

Technical Lead

I believe the job of an engineer is to optimise the system as you build. I am a full-stack RoR engineer who also has experience in Python, JS and C++ with a passion for computational linguistics. I also work on improving, redesigning and automating the software development and product management processes

Java Developer

For the past 14 years I have created dozens of projects and I have researched, learned and used more technologies than I can mention. I’m currently working with Node and Vue but I’m always up to date with the latest in front-end & backend development and I can quickly pick up anything

Java Developer resume example & guide

Legal and compliance trainee

With a background in law and business, I have been able to succeed in challenging positions in both fields. My work experience ranges from large multinational corporations to a non-profit working on local, community-based impact. Being multilingual, I have lived in an international environment in 5 different countries and been exposed to diverse cultures, and quickly adapted to new situations. My leadership, creativity, and adaptable nature make me a valuable asset in any team

product manager

I am an experienced Product manager with focus on machine learning projects and a strong analytical background. In my career I manage to balance business and technology to get the best synergy out of these two directions. I believe that one can understand how things work by doing. So I program in Python and implement machine learning algorithms. I have an experience of participating in Kaggle competitions. I’ve spend 10 years working and doing projects in the fields of data,  ad tech and advertising

Product manager resume example & guide

I have a knack for seeing the \”Big Picture\” and I’m passionate about delivering business results by bringing marketing strategies to life. With over 5 years in various marketing disciplines, including customer acquisition and engagement, product management and public relations

Research & Insight Manager

An experienced researcher passionate about understanding human behaviour and what makes people tick. I’m particularly interested in understanding decisions in the context of wider consumer trends, mobile ethnography, using methods that allow to get closer to people & engaging insight delivery

Energy Consultant

I am a persistent and success-driven energy planner, possessing a well-rounded competence profile, together with extensive experience in cooperating with people from multinational backgrounds. I believe that fossil fuels are both harmful and finite. Hence, one of my main interests is the decarbonisation of the energy sectors through the use of economically-feasible measures. Moreover, ensuring the security of supply and successfully creating smart energy systems is something I strive for

Devops engineer

Innovative Senior DevOps Engineer with a strong Linux background and 15+ years of experience designing, implementing, and managing cutting-edge deployment automation of cloud resources

Devops Engineer resume example & guide

Production Engineer

Engineering professional with over five years’ work experience that spans Operations and Asset Management in the Oil & Gas industry delivering circa 45 MMbbls of crude oil optimally and MEP designs for building construction. My engineering background underpinned by a passion for computer aided engineering (conceptual design, analysis & manufacture) feeds an uncanny interest in research and technology development

Social media specialist

Professional, dynamic and creative, these are the three keys that define my job. I can read between the lines of a business’ target audience in order to create the best strategy for them to be captivated with a brand, by means of social media, audiovisual material, analytics or just whatever I have at hand! Proficient in English and Spanish

Social Media Specialist resume example & guide

project director

A multilingual professional with work experience spread across six continents, twenty countries and strong background in market research and business development. Adept at building and maintaining relationships with senior decision makers at blue-chip firms and local enterprises

Financial control and risk manager

A qualified accountant and a CFA charterholder with 9 years of experience in the FS sector. Major competences include project and team management, knowledge of the IFRS and management accounting, excellent analytical, multitasking, modelling and valuation skills, application of the CRD IV package and the related banking regulations

Project Manager

For the past 10 years, I have helped AEC firms  develop, integrate, coordinate, and manage Building Information Models for design, construction, and field use during Pre-construction, Construction and for Facility Management. This incorporates 3D Visualization; 3D Clash Detection; 4D Phasing, Sequencing, Scheduling Analysis, 5D Quantity extraction and the next levels of ‘6D’ and ‘XD’. I also regularly participate in Project Pursuits and am involved daily with project executives, owners, and design teams

Test Engineer

Trilingual student, currently studying the fifth year of mechanical engineering at University of Los Andes. Interested in the production or quality field of the automotive industry. Capable of group management and situations that demand pressure as well as teamwork to achieve suitable results

External Affairs Coordinator

Seasoned and versatile public affairs expert with experience delivering dynamic results for major public health and legislative businesses. Prior experience in public relations consulting for Fortune 500 health care, financial, and pharmaceutical organizations

Head of Business Transformation & Systems

IT Executive with 20 years’ of experience in Business Transformation, Global Delivery, and M&A Integration. Passionate, trusted leader delivering innovative solutions with strong credibility across business and technology groups. Extensive experience building high-performance global teams providing strategic results by aligning business goals with an integrated IT strategy and delivering enabling technologies to influence shareholder value

Accomplished Program Management Leader with an outstanding record of introducing innovative hardware & software products to market within multiple industry settings. Adept at balancing company objectives with business realities and customer needs. Strong advocate of leadership beyond operational excellence, with a special passion for empowering individuals to grow within an organization

Program Manager resume example & guide

Business Analyst

A former creative writer and a born communicator with technical savvy, I traverse the gap between business and technology, helping tech teams understand their customers’ motivations and do the right work

Business Analyst resume example & guide

Sales manager

Highly accomplished Sales director with knowledge of all sales processes, demonstrating solid analytical and team management skills. With more than 15 years of experience in Digital Media

Sales Manager resume example & guide

Marketing specialist

Accomplished and motivated Marketing Specialist offering extensive expertise in lead generation, event planning, and channel program development in the consumer electronics industry. Skilled in the cultivation of strong relationships with different media. Well versed in the design and execution of marketing strategies intended to match company’s products and services need

Marketing Specialist resume example & guide

software development manager

Engineering Management professional with 16+ years of IT experience across a wide range of engineering functions with a strong record in leading projects in crisis and successful turnaround by improving quality & predictability of deliverables. Proven ability to build and lead highly efficient teams through  successful execution of projects and strategic product

Testing delivery manager

Test manager with 10+ years of experience in leading QA/Testing projects.  Successfully led projects, working in complex environments with teams working in onshore-offshore delivery models. Worked with US & European customers. Expertise in transitioning large scale projects to offshore or from other vendors working across different cultures. Worked on RFPs for testing projects

Strategic Advisor

Hands-on results-oriented executive manager known for strategic and focused approach. Extensive experience with business development, strategic processes, client leadership, team management and international cooperation. Adept at create added value by combining analytical with creative thinking skills

Program Manager

A passionate, highly ambitious, self-driven Program Manager who thrives in a fast paced environment, looking for a suitable job to learn new skills. I am extremely organized, ambitious with a strong bias towards action. Being adept at Agile Methodology, Scrum, SDLC and with 12+ years of experience in the IT Industry, I believe I can bring a lot to the table

Director of finance

I am a seasoned business professional with expertise in financial planning, management, reporting and analytics. I have been highly effective in enhancing organizational, corporate and client relations by continuously offering excellent support in a matrix organization. I have the ability to perform advanced functions in Excel, Essbase-Hyperion and MS Access and create models to analyze financial data

Director of Finance resume example & guide

Software architect

Over 5 years experienced IT consultant who worked in three different countries with expertise in technology and  development architectures. Substantial technical and functional experience across the entire software development lifecycle, and has led onshore and offshore teams to implement a sustainable and effective solution across the enterprise

Software Architect resume example & guide

technology consultant

A SAP CO Certified who brings 10 years of professional experiences in global and multicultural organizations.  Has a high degree of multi-tasking skills as evidenced by being able to lead various ad hoc activities on top of the current job requirements. Knowledgeable and supported General Ledger, Treasury, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Asset Accounting, Cost Accounting, Controlling & Profitability Analysis, Vendor Invoice Management, Travel Management, Product Supply,Investment Management, Funds Management, and FSCM

Network engineer

An aspiring network engineer with an excellent IT educational background. Hands on experience on IP networking. Skilled in network design, configuration, deployment and a basic level of network security. In depth knowledge of L2 Switching technologies and Data Center technologies

Network Engineer resume example & guide

Talent acquisition manager

HR Specialist with over three years experience,versatile professional with Technical recruitment experience ranging from mid level to full scale high budget senior most  level roles.Proven ability to oversee and manage the team while ensuring timely completion of project deadlines on individual as well as team level all while remaining aligned with budgets provided

Talent Acquisition Manager resume example & guide

Director, campaign technologies & services

Creative, results-oriented technology executive with more than 20 years experience in envisioning, developing, evangelizing, and selling high quality software solutions, and building, leading and managing strong cross-functional teams

Assistant Vice President – Program Test Manager / Project Manager

16 years of proven track record as a Delivery Manager, Program Test Manager and Project Manager in IT industry and expert in smooth delivery of program/projects and having international work experience – US, UK, Singapore & India

Environmental Engineer

Environmental Engineer with more than 5 years of professional experience. Excellent communication skills with strong teamwork ability, experience and interest in working with multinational groups and crews, strong planning, quick action and problem solving skills, self motivated, energetic and hardworking within tight schedules

Proficient in Finance team coaching and training due to all-around knowledge and experience in financial accounting, report consolidation and internal control. Ability to create Operating Plans from Financial Analytics in forecasting and budgeting

Accounting resume example & guide

Test Lead (Market Risk)

I bring 11+ years of experience in Software Quality Assurance for Banking and Financial Services industry, with expertise in leading, managing and delivering end to end QA services to large scale complex global projects and programmes

Sales Director

Relationship management and business development leader with 8 years of proven tangible achievements in the travel and aviation industry. I drive results by formulating and executing strategies that ensure the sales pipeline is always full, by engaging stakeholders and providing defining solutions to their critical issues.  With an entrepreneurial zeal, I perform best under pressure and in environments where action supersedes words

Sales Director resume example & guide

Marketing Director

Innovative and analytical problem solver with 10+ years of managerial experience in Marketing & Sales. Focused on \”integrating systems-to-people\” in order to create accurate workflows with smart monitoring capabilities for the decision making processes

Marketing Director resume example & guide

operations manager

An IT professional with 5 years of experience in system administration and hardware maintenance. I designed and delivered cost optimization, migration and maintenance projects, managed the team and day-to-day operation. Familiar in working with critical and high demand environment which requires on call standby and emergency service

Operations Manager resume example & guide

A results orientated individual.  Self-development has been a continuous trend in my career together with consistent determination and enthusiasm.  Experience and strength in working in driven environments with the ability to multi-task and achieve deadlines.  Curious minded with a willingness to always learn and succeed

Recruiter resume example & guide

Solutions Architect

Software developer with 10+ years of experience. I engaged in the development of different business domains that include telecom, banking, ERP, e-learning and education. I contribute as a software engineer, lead, solution designer and architect. I work with Microsoft technologies and open source as well

Product Leader

Product Leader with more than 15 years of experience in customer centric, product development and operations across  multiple sectors and industries, both B2C & B2B. Expertise in stakeholder management and leading product teams to create value by radical focus on objectives and simplifying complex customer, business and technology problems

PPC Specialist

Digital Marketing Enthusiast with focus on Paid Ads across Google’s & Facebook networks. With an in-depth experience in the field working with US & UK clients, I have developed an all-around vision in Digital Marketing

PPC Specialist resume example & guide

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 (business development and account management). As a consultative and strategic problem solver, I have been effective in building relationships across functions at senior levels (up to CxO)

Senior technical analyst

14+ years of overall IT experience with a unique mix of skills (tech & soft). I am genuinely passionate, fun and always looking to learn and improve. I take issue ownership, willing to help, share my knowledge and be open to listen to others. Give me data and purpose and I give you actionable insights ready to be consumed by business or non-analytically oriented minds.

It recruitment specialist

IT Recruitment Specialist with over 2.5 years experience.  Managed various recruitment requests from specialists wanted with Java, .NET, PHP, Erlang, Perl knowledge, to BI&BA, Project Manager & Scrum Master, Card Management System/ Way4, ColdFusion, Liferay, Oracle Database, DevOps & Cloud expertise

business consultant

6 years of rich experience in Sales force effectiveness, sales crediting,  Compensation and incentives, Commercial Data Analysis and Project Management for US Pharmaceutical/Telecom organizations. Currently managing a large team of geographically dispersed cross-functional stakeholders and peer

Sr. Resource Manager

Overall 16yrs of Cross -functional experience in IT/ ITES industry. After a successful Journey in Outsourcing – Product Support, e-commerce support and Quality Management, I moved to the US to earn my MBA in MIS. I was associated with a Salesforce Implementation company as an Account Manager, where I contributed to enterprise Sales and Resource Management. I currently Serve as a Sr. Resource Manager with an ERP Solutions Company being responsible for entire Resource Management. I hire, develop and deploy technical workforce in multiple projects which include Fortune 500 Customers

Product Manager

Dynamic, entrepreneurial sales & product management strategist with 10+ years of record achievements and demonstrated success driving sales growth. Providing sales leadership in highly competitive markets, by being adept at driving growth of company revenues and improving sales-team performance; always tenacious in building new business, securing customer loyalty and forging strong relationships with external business partners

Senior Business Program Manager

I am a strategic leader, trusted advisor and experienced entrepreneurial program manager with strong influential leadership, negotiation, governance, team management and conflict resolution skills. A proven record of success in fostering teamwork to deliver complex programs of work in large, global and cross-functional implementations within budget & time constraints, expertise in organisational change management (ADKAR) and process improvement

Business Evangelist, Cloud & Devices

Biz Dev, Sales & Marketing Professional with 8 years’ experience in technology, handling projects spanning program management, partnerships and Go-To-Market activities, with exposure to managing business operations for a cross-functional, global team

Business Excellence Manager

Change manager with demonstrated track record of driving growth, reducing costs, improving operations and successfully creating solutions for complex business problems. Studied MBA in Business leadership, Lean Six-Sigma (Black belt), ISO (9001 & 14001) auditor, BEE certified Energy manager & Project Management  trained management professional. Overall 8+ years of wide experience in consulting, business excellence, strategy, projects procurement & maintenance in automotive & manufacturing sectors

Head of Communications

Over 11 years in the media industry, 6 years in leadership positions. Public speaker & university lecturer. I created development strategies for web portals, content marketing agencies and other products. Social media, communications & online media are my passion, my life and my job. I am good at it

Digital Project Manager

Digital Analyst, 4+ years of industrial experience. Sound knowledge in the areas of digital marketing, SEO/SEM, web analytics, Ad management, web development, UI/UX, project management & social media. Avid reader, especially biographies

Client Executive – Global Business Services

A seasoned finance and strategy executive with 19 years management experience at Hewlett Packard, positioned to take on most types of finance roles including a CFO position in a small or medium sized company. In particular, I can provide the controllership expertise required to facilitate growing companies or transform how finance is currently carried out in an organisation needing to evolve and change

Five years of Analytics, Operations and Technology experience with high proficiency in data mining. Compelling business acumen with decision making and problem solving skills. Leadership and team building capabilities. Excellent communicator with remarkable presentation qualities

A full stack architect/developer with extensive experience in Java/JEE/Web development. Self-starter and highly motivated with excellent analytical and problem solving skills with 8 years of industry experience

Human Resources Generalist with various different industries background, known as dynamic HR professional with solid experience in dealing with Sr. Management personnel and special project setting

Senior regional talent acquisition consultant

A result-driven Recruiting Professional who blends strong recruitment experience with a background in Branding and Marketing. Proven record in the ability to understand business needs and building rapport with Talent Acquisition Teams and Hiring Managers. Proven ability to source, select and secure top-notch candidates for multiple concurrent positions

Well rounded professional with 14 years of experience across consulting services, banking & retail.  Very good understanding of global markets, particularly developed markets. Core consulting experience in developing & implementing outsourcing, offshoring & program management process for program sizes upwards of $25m+. Avid interest in the start-up ecosystem & mentored start-ups for business plan preparation & sales & marketing strategy development

4+ years of experience in analysis, design and development of client/server, web based and n-tier applications using .NET C#. Expert in developing web applications, databases and web services using ASP.NET MVC, C#, SQL, JQuery, HTML, CSS and Bootstrap

acting hr manager

A well rounded Leader who gone through all activities in HR for almost 14 years and a person who tries to help people know more about their capability

It project manager

A seasoned certified IT Project Manager / Scrum Master offering 9 years of experience in delivering small to large scale software and mobile based solutions to government and private sector clients coming from various business domains

Solution sales manager

A professional with close to 12 years of industry experience and exposure to diverse international markets of Africa, South East Asia and SAARC; having excellent analytical and managerial skills. My forte lies in strategic planning, marketing & product management function

Advertising and marketing professional with 13 years of experience with a vital track record in program management, strategy development, formulating business & technical requirements, along with managing project scope, stakeholders, and risk

Cofounder – Tech Sector

15+ years of experience in designing technology strategy and leading multiple teams to build enterprise class software products. Helped customers achieve business objectives by combining product mindset and hands-on expertise on a wide range of technology stacks

VP of Sales Resume

Well qualified and experienced strategy professionals gained in a multinational environment. Highly motivated team person with strong analytical, presentation and communication skills. 10+ years of professional experience in leading strategic market, competitive & customer analysis for strategy, GTM & business development. 6+ years of professional experience in strategy planning, execution, strategic initiatives deployment and developing excellence & capabilities. Strong experience in leading  and developing highly engaged teams

CTO / Chief Technology Officer

Experienced in all roles and phases of software development. Love agile, start-ups and leading people (7+ years). Managed four products & several remote teams. Excelling in complex projects. Being developer for 15+ years in relational databases

Chief Operating Officer

Senior executive with international experience in high end engineering businesses. Highly adaptable to various business sectors with a high sense of ethics and responsibility. Results oriented, constantly seeking improvements to processes and believer in the empowerment in individuals to achieve their potential, hence benefiting to both the employer and employee

Resume summaries bring together the highlights from your career and empower the value shown to the recruiter.

If your job title wasn’t mentioned in any of these examples, take a look at Enhancv’s 530+ resume examples here . You’ll also get a full guide that specifically teaches you how to create a resume for your chosen profession.

On the other hand, did you find your job title in our chosen examples? Is there anything else we’re missing? Let us know in the comments below!

• Resume Guides

Follow-up emails that will get you hired

Do i need a cover letter for a federal job, what to do when i forget to attach my resume, interview question: tell me what you know about our company, your personal mission statement guide: why and how to write one (with 10+ examples and 3 templates), what stands out on a resume.

• Create Resume
• Terms of Service
• Privacy Policy
• Cookie Preferences
• Resume Examples
• Resume Templates
• AI Resume Builder
• Resume Summary Generator
• Resume Formats
• Resume Checker
• Resume Skills
• How to Write a Resume
• Modern Resume Templates
• Simple Resume Templates
• Cover Letter Builder
• Cover Letter Examples
• Cover Letter Templates
• Cover Letter Formats
• How to Write a Cover Letter
• Cover Letter Guides
• Job Interview Guides
• Job Interview Questions
• Career Resources
• Meet our customers
• Career resources
• English (UK)
• French (FR)
• German (DE)
• Spanish (ES)
• Swedish (SE)

© 2024 . All rights reserved.

Made with love by people who care.

You control your data

We and our partners use cookies to provide you with our services and, depending on your settings, gather analytics and marketing data. Find more information on our Cookie Policy . Tap “Cookie Settings” to set preferences. To accept all cookies, click “Accept All”.

Cookie settings

Click on the types of cookies below to learn more about them and customize your experience on our Site. You may freely give, refuse or withdraw your consent. Keep in mind that disabling cookies may affect your experience on the Site. For more information, please visit our Cookies Policy and Privacy Policy .

Choose type of cookies to accept

These cookies allow us to analyze our performance to offer you a better experience of creating resumes and cover letters. Analytics related cookies used on our Site are not used by Us for the purpose of identifying who you are or to send you targeted advertising. For example, we may use cookies/tracking technologies for analytics related purposes to determine the number of visitors to our Site, identify how visitors move around the Site and, in particular, which pages they visit. This allows us to improve our Site and our services.

These cookies give you access to a customized experience of our products. Personalization cookies are also used to deliver content, including ads, relevant to your interests on our Site and third-party sites based on how you interact with our advertisements or content as well as track the content you access (including video viewing). We may also collect password information from you when you log in, as well as computer and/or connection information. During some visits, we may use software tools to measure and collect session information, including page response times, download errors, time spent on certain pages and page interaction information.

These cookies are placed by third-party companies to deliver targeted content based on relevant topics that are of interest to you. And allow you to better interact with social media platforms such as Facebook.

These cookies are essential for the Site's performance and for you to be able to use its features. For example, essential cookies include: cookies dropped to provide the service, maintain your account, provide builder access, payment pages, create IDs for your documents and store your consents.

To see a detailed list of cookies, click here .

This site uses cookies to ensure you get the best experience on our website. To learn more visit our Privacy Policy

Professional Summary for a Resume: Examples for 18 Jobs

Want an easy trick to make your resume shine like a jewel? No need to print it in gold. Just write a summary for a resume that will hook employers and leave them wanting more.

As seen in:

Does your resume feel dry, almost soulless? There’s a solution to your predicament, and it’s way easier than arranging a new photoshoot in your kurta for your application picture.

You can impress the hiring managers with the best summary for a resume.

Continue reading to see how a resume summary sets the right tone for your job application and works on your behalf to attract employers.

This guide will show you:

• The perfect formula to write a great summary for a resume.
• Reasons why adding a resume summary for a job can improve your chances of landing your dream position.
• 18 examples of summary for a resume to inspire you to write your own.

Want to save time and have your resume ready in 5 minutes? Try our resume builder. It’s fast and easy to use. Plus, you’ll get ready-made content to add with one click. See 20+ resume templates and create your resume here .

Create your resume now

Sample resume made in our builder— See more templates and create your resume here .

What is a summary for a resume?

A summary for a resume is a short introductory paragraph that appears at the top of a resume. It presents the highlights of your career and your key qualifications for the job. A professional summary for a resume can help the candidate to stand out from other job applicants.

Why do you need a resume summary?

The answer is pretty simple. There are over 470 million working people in India . That means thousands of other applicants for any job you’re interested in. The better the job, the bigger the competition. 

You need all the tools available to boost your chances of landing an interview. And adding a resume summary is a straightforward and effective way to increase those chances.

Which resume profile to pick: resume summary or career objective?

You might have heard of another type of resume profile—a career objective. So, how do you know whether to write a resume summary or an objective?

It all depends on your experience:

• A career objective is best for candidates who don’t have much work experience.
• A summary for a resume is recommended for applicants with at least a year of work experience.

However, that doesn’t mean that students or less experienced candidates can’t write a beginner summary for a resume. They can adapt the resume summary format by showcasing other relevant experiences, such as academic achievements, personal projects, volunteering experience, freelance work, etc. The next chapter of this guide will tell you how to do that!

Are you a fresher writing a resume for your first job? Check this guide: How to Make a Resume for Freshers

How to write a summary for a resume?

You’re lucky—writing a resume summary isn’t rocket science. You simply need to follow the proper steps and pick the most impressive facts about your career to create one. 

Here’s how to write a resume summary in 8 easy steps:

• Write 3–4 sentences in the third-person narrative .
• Start with a strong personal adjective to describe yourself.
• Add your job title .
• Follow up with years of experience , professional certification, or your area of expertise.
• Continue to express your interest in the offered position and name the position you’re after.
• Explain what you can do to help the company achieve its goals.
• Highlight a major relevant accomplishment from your previous jobs or experience.
• Check for spelling and grammar .

After you finish writing your summary for a resume, read it aloud to check if it sounds good. Remember that it should be easy to read, so don’t use complex grammar structures or unnecessarily long sentences. This isn’t the next Bhagavad Gita; no need for poetry!

Want something even more manageable than the eight steps described above? I’ve got something for you.

Here’s the job-winning formula for writing the perfect summary for a resume:

[adjective(s)/strong character trait(s)][your job title][your experience]. Eager/Keen to support/help/assist/etc. [company name][what you want to help the employer achieve and how you want to do it]. [your key achievement(s)].

Isn’t this amazing? Just fill it in, and voilà!

Check the example of a profile summary for a resume below to understand what I’m talking about:

Sample resume summary for a job

This teacher sounds impressive. I bet A. P. J. Abdul Kalam would shake their hand after reading their resume. But what makes this job applicant’s resume summary so great? Several things:

• It’s short: the whole resume summary is just four sentences long.
• It’s easy to read: there are no complex sentences or grammar structures.
• It’s enthusiastic about the job offer: the candidate expressed what they’ll do if they get that position.
• It’s impressive: the job applicant shared one of their achievements to prove their worth.

Now, let’s talk about entry-level resumes. What do you write in the summary of a resume in terms of a key achievement if you don’t have much experience? It’s an essential part of a resume summary, after all.

Here are a bunch of ideas on what to use instead of work history in a summary for a resume with no experience:

• Internships or freelance gigs if they’re relevant to the job you’re applying for.
• Academic accomplishments including organising events, being a president of a student organisation, participating in national competitions, speaking at conferences, etc.
• Personal projects , such as building a website for a family business, running social media accounts for a school team, learning software skills in your free time, or mastering any skill relevant to the job offer.
• Volunteering experience , such as helping arrange fundraising events, tutoring children, designing leaflets, managing a charity project, etc. As the volunteering rate in India is growing, more opportunities arise to do charity work in communities and online.

Remember that no matter what type of experience you choose to describe, it must match the position you are applying for. You might have ten years of experience up your sleeve, but if you’re applying for a job with an accounting resume and talk about loving work parties instead of showing accounting-related achievements, it won’t get you far.

Have you completed your first year of work? Then you’re not a fresher anymore. See more: Writing a 1-Year Experience Resume

When making a resume in our builder, drag & drop bullet points, skills, and auto-fill the boring stuff. Spell check? Check . Start building a professional resume template here for free .

When you’re done, Zety’s resume builder will score your resume and tell you exactly how to make it better.

Professional summary for a resume: Examples

It can be difficult to develop a witty personal summary in a resume. That’s why I’ve collected a bunch of resume summary examples to serve as inspiration for you. You can even mix and match!

Here’s a collection of resume summary examples for multiple jobs:

Resume summary for an executive assistant

Dependable executive assistant with 6+ years of experience. Hoping to support the board at PushCats Ltd. with organisational and analytical skills. Managed to decrease travel costs at Screenify by 28% and initiated a new policy for internal assemblies to reduce unnecessary meetings and save employees’ time.

Beginner summary for a resume for an IT helpdesk agent

Empathetic software engineering student with advanced knowledge of computer hardware. Keen to join XFC Printers as an IT helpdesk agent to solve customer problems promptly and efficiently. Provided technical support for over 100 campus residents from Lucknow University. Ran a computer club for Rani Senior Secondary School students in Lucknow in 2018–2019.

Resume summary example for students: Software engineering student

Motivated student working towards a B.Sc. in Software Engineering at Delhi Technological University (CGPA 8.9). Enthusiastic about joining G&Q Software as a Junior Tester to improve user satisfaction with newly developed applications by performing automated and manual testing. Detected and fixed a critical error in an e-commerce application during an internship in 2021.

Resume summary for experienced candidates: Social media manager

Conversion-oriented social media manager with 5+ years of experience in a fast-paced SaaS business. Increased Facebook engagement rate by 42%, boosted the number of Instagram followers by 84% and established a YouTube channel with 4000+ followers in 2020–2021. Identified a more accurate target customer base, which increased retention by 22%.

Accounting summary for a resume

Meticulous chartered accountant with over 6 years of professional experience. Keen to employ proven account reconciliation skills at Trading Overseas Ltd. Identified and eliminated a taxation issue that saved almost ₹3,97,81,502 in 2021.

Executive summary for a resume

Goal-oriented sales executive with 10+ years of experience, skilled in new business development and communication. Seeking to reinvent and boost BangaFinance Inc. KPIs. Increased revenue by 32% while cutting costs by 28% at Stripes&Dots Consulting in 2018–2020.

Resume summary for bank jobs

Financial analyst with over 5 years of professional experience. Seeks to leverage risk assessment and forecasting expertise for Bank of Kolkata. At K&P Finance, prevented a major loss of ₹7,95,74,700 by identifying a series of fraudulent transactions.

Resume summary for customer service jobs

Personable customer service representative with over 4 years of professional experience assisting customers in solving complex issues. Keen to support Diamonds & Pearls International in becoming a market leader through proven customer support skills. Awarded Agent of the Year in 2021. Resolved 97% of customer queries without the need for escalation.

Resume summary for software developers

Creative software developer with 6+ years of experience. Keen to join Growing Trees Coding to help develop reliable applications for e-commerce businesses. Previous accomplishments include increasing the coding efficiency of the Dolphin Factory web app by 72% and helping to boost client retention by 62%.

Resume summary for software engineers

Determined software engineer eager to use Python and Java skills to support Bangalore Shared Services in delivering programming excellence. Developed a total of 12 mobile and web apps. Collaborated on 7+ projects on GitHub and tested and debugged 15+ applications. Contributed to developing back-end code for over 20 e-commerce websites.

Marketing summary for a resume

Driven marketing consultant with 7+ years of experience. Passionate about planning marketing strategies to support the growth of new businesses. Seeks to improve brand recognition at PinkoLingo to bring new customers and increase revenue. At Taurus Learning, developed a successful digital marketing strategy that boosted sales by 48%.

HR summary for a resume

Efficient HR manager with 7+ years of experience. Eager to boost employee retention for WorkHard Inc. In 2021, managed to increase employee retention by 18% YOY, improved employee effectiveness by up to 22%, and boosted participation in internal training sessions by 36%.

Summary for a business analyst resume

Goal-oriented business analyst with an M.Sc. in Computer Science and 7+ years of professional experience. Eager to employ top-class leadership and analytical skills at Fireside Works. Increased warehouse profitability by 30% for a Fortune 500 retail company in 2020 and performed in-depth business process analyses that helped optimise costs by 23% in 2021.

Summary for a project manager resume

Experienced project manager with a background in data analysis and 5+ years of experience growing revenue for an international shipping company. Seeking to lead overseas trading projects at Goldmine Ltd. to successful completion within established deadlines and budgets. Found opportunities to save project costs by 17% by setting clear roles and delegating duties to team members in 2021.

Summary for a civil engineer resume

Detail-oriented civil engineer with 5 years of experience. Seeking to use proven project management and problem-solving skills to improve quality, cost, and time metrics for Agra Engineering. Completed 3 major city infrastructure projects on time in 2018–2021.

Receptionist summary for a resume

Well-organized receptionist with 5+ years of experience in the business and hospitality sectors. Enthusiastic about supporting Go Here Hotels with organisational and communication skills to create an unforgettable experience for business travellers. At Grand Hotel Delhi, implemented a booking system with reporting capabilities that contributed to cutting costs by up to 18%.

Sales resume summary

Effective sales representative with over 5 years of experience in pharmaceutical sales and managing key accounts. Exceeded sales goals by more than 26% each quarter. Seeking to leverage solid negotiation skills and extensive product knowledge to be the senior pharmaceutical sales rep for Stardust Pharma.

Mechanical engineer resume summary

Detail-oriented mechanical engineer with 7+ years of experience. Expert at performing static, fatigue, and fracture analyses for F-21 structural components of the main landing gear. Seeking to leverage project management skills as a senior mechanical engineer at Aircraft Technologies. 

Want a reminder of how to write a resume from scratch? See here: Guide for Writing a Good Resume

A great cover letter that matches your resume will give you an advantage over other candidates. You can write it in our cover letter builder here . Here's what it may look like:

See more cover letter templates and start writing .

Key takeaway

Need a quick reminder of the principles for writing a great summary for a resume? Here it goes!

Here’s how to write a resume summary:

• Start with a strong personality trait.
• Add your job title and years of experience.
• Show your interest in the advertised position.
• Explain how you can help the company achieve its goals.
• Show off a relevant accomplishment from your career.

And that’s it!

Thank you for taking the time to read my article. Now, feel free to share your thoughts:

• Do you find writing a resume summary easy or difficult?
• Do you always add a profile summary to your resume?
• What’s the perfect resume summary, in your opinion?

Let me know in the comments below!

Similar articles

What Is a Résumé for a Job Application? Meaning & Use

Ready to apply for a job, but all lost and confused about the application documents? Our brief guide describes what a resume is and shows resume writing basics.

Data Analyst Resume: Sample and Writing Guide

Don’t turn your application into dark data. Recognize successful patterns and write a data analyst resume that visualizes your dream career in data analysis.

How to Make a CV for a Job: CV Writing Guide & Examples

Writing a CV giving you a headache? We’ve got you covered. Follow this guide on how to write a CV and land a job faster than you can say curriculum vitae!

How to write a resumé summary (with examples)

When applying for jobs, you’ll want to take every chance you have to stand out from the crowd. Adding a resumé summary to the top of your resumé can help interviewers get a quick snapshot of who you are and why you’d be great in their team. But what if you’re not sure how to write a resumé summary? 

In this article, you’ll find a step-by-step guide of what to include, what to leave out and how to nail your resumé summary so it lands you an interview.

What is a summary for a resumé?

A resumé summary is a short statement at the top of a resumé that outlines key experiences, roles and achievements. Its purpose is to highlight at a glance why you’re the ideal person for a specific job and what you bring to the table. 

It can often be confused with a career objective . What’s the difference between a career objective and a resumé summary? A career objective outlines the future you’re hoping to achieve, while a resumé summary is an overview of your career so far. 

Understanding your target audience

Before writing your resumé summary, you should first identify your target audience, i.e. who will be reading and vetting applications. Think about what role they’re likely in, such as team leader or HR manager . Then consider what they may be looking for and what would stand out to them. Then, tailor your resumé summary to suit. 

For example, if a job ad implies the application will be going to a manager of a team or department, they will likely be looking for skills and experience, in addition to teamwork and communication skills . Meanwhile a HR manager or recruitment agent might have a checklist of technical skills that directly relate to the job. 

Key elements of a professional summary for resumé

With your target audience in mind, it’s time to move onto the main elements of your resumé summary. Here are a few things to keep in mind: 

• The length. Keep your professional summary short, clear and concise, ideally one to three sentences. 
• The tone and style. The tone and style of your professional summary should be consistent and align with the rest of your application documents. 
• The use of keywords. Your professional resumé summary should include keywords of the skills and experience you have that match those in the job ad. You can bold them to make them really stand out to the interviewer.
• The structure. A resumé summary is typically one to three sentences outlining your key skills, experience and qualifications that align with the job ad. 

How to write a resumé summary

Here are some practical tips on how to write a resumé summary that will highlight your skills and catch the interviewer’s eye. 

• Start with a hook – a relevant qualification or unique skill – to capture the reader’s attention.
• Highlight your key skills and achievements, matching them to the job description.
• Include metrics or data-driven evidence of your accomplishments, such as percentage increases in performance, sales figures or the number of people you managed.
• Showcase your unique value proposition – what you believe you can offer that no one else can.
• Ensure you have proofread your summary so it’s free of spelling and grammatical errors.

Quick tip: Write your resumé summary in the first person ( “I led a team of five” rather than “[Your name] led a team of five”.) In the rest of your resumé, omit pronouns altogether ( “Led a team of five” . “Increased sales by 23%” .)

Writing a resumé summary with no experience

If you’re writing a resumé summary with no professional experience, you should focus on your soft skills and technical skills. You may have more than you think! 

Research the job you’re applying for and see what additional skills may help you, outside of what’s mentioned in the job ad. This could include things like computer proficiency, basic coding, customer service skills and more. Even if you’re still in school, you’ll likely still have teamwork and other soft skills you can mention. 

Resumé summary examples

To get you started, here are some resumé summary examples. Take note of the format: lead with the strongest statement, use specific data (where possible), include your most relevant skills, and be sure to personalise your summary before sending it to a potential employer.

Entry-level resumé summary ideal for a first job

I am a proactive and confident person looking for a casual customer- service position in Darwin. Through my studies I have developed strong communication and interpersonal skills. I am a people-person and eager to be in a role that allows me to help people every day.

Resumé summary for recent graduates

Data-focused computer science and business graduate with experience in app development and marketing. My first project app surpassed 2,000 downloads in 30 days, and I’m excited to build off this achievement and further develop my skills with a business that prioritises agile development and app innovation. 

Resumé summary for experienced applicant 

Accomplished in-house  marketing director with a proven track record of executing successful results-driven campaign strategies. Have led multiple regional and global campaigns in my 12 years in the automotive industry. 

Tailoring your resumé summary to different industries

Resumé summaries can easily be adapted to suit any industry or job. It’s all about focusing on your key skills and what you can bring to the role. You can use these personal summary resumé examples as ideas for your own, swapping out the titles and experiences as you need.

Resumé summary for a teacher

Dedicated and passionate educator with over 5 years in early-years development, focused on fostering a positive and inclusive learning environment. Proven expertise in curriculum development and pioneering new teaching methods for students with learning challenges. 

Career summary for a tradesperson 

Multi-skilled tradesperson with 12 years of experience in carpentry, project management and commercial fit outs. I have completed more than 120 projects on time and on budget, have mentored several apprentices and have supervised teams on multiple job sites. 

Professional summary for a customer service person

I am a results-oriented customer service professional with more than three years in big box retail. Over the past year, I have been awarded staff member of the month twice, and have more than 20 mentions in Google reviews for providing outstanding customer support.

Tips for optimising your resumé summary for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)

Some organisations will use an ATS (or Applicant Tracking System) to help them manage the hiring process more efficiently. ATS software collects information from applications and filters them for the most relevant applicants. From there, employers will often take the filtered piles and begin their own screening. 

As a job applicant, you can optimise your resumé for ATS. Some tops ways to optimise your application include:

• Use standard fonts (such as Arial) to ensure your resumé is easy for the software to read.
• Use clean formatting with no charts, tables or graphics, as this may impair the ATS from properly reading your application.
• Use an ATS-friendly template.
• Include keywords in your resumé that match the job ad.
• Stick to standard heading names, like Work Experience, Education and Skills to ensure your information is read correctly.
• Proofread your resumé, as ATS may not be able to read typos, missing crucial information.

A business likely uses an ATS if its careers page has you fill out a series of forms, the job application has a long URL or it is a very large corporation. 

The dos and don'ts of resumé summary writing

By now, you should know the basics of writing your career summary, but these quick dos and don'ts of resumé writing can help make sure you get every detail right.

Best practices for writing a resumé summary

Writing a good resumé summary helps capture the attention of employers. Here are some best practices to keep in mind.

• Keep it clear and concise. Only include your key skills, qualifications and experience.
• Start with a strong statement. Your opening sentence should hook the reader by showing how you’re a good match for the role.
• Quantify achievements. Use specific data, examples of how you have used your skills and knowledge, and what results you achieved.
• Include keywords. The skills and experience in your career summary should reflect those mentioned in the job ad.

Most importantly, don’t overthink it. If you had to sum up your entire career in a sentence or two, what would you say? How would you highlight your skills and achievements? That should give you a good idea of what to write. 

Common mistakes to avoid when writing a resumé summary

Some top mistakes to avoid when writing a career summary for your resumé include:

• Being too general. Your summary should be specific to your skills and how you’ve used them in the past.
• Being too long. Remember: a resumé summary should only be one to three sentences long. It’s a summary, not a cover letter.
• Lack of personalisation. Every resumé summary should be personalised to the job ad and industry.
• Using exaggerated language. Avoid exaggerating your skills and accomplishments – you may need to qualify your skills in a job interview (and eventually in the job role).
• Not proofreading. Mistakes in your resumé are the biggest giveaway that you lack attention to detail, so proof, proof and proof again!

Remember: your resumé summary is often the first impression a potential employer has of you, so it's crucial to make it impactful and tailored to the specific job you're applying for. With employers and hiring managers filtering through multiple resumés, a well-written resumé summary is the thing that could make you stand out.

The most effective resumé summaries should somewhat mirror the job ad, while highlighting specific career achievements and data that reinforce why you’re the perfect fit. It should also be free of errors, clearly formatted and optimised for ATS. If you’ve aligned your summary with the job ad, you’ve given yourself an even better chance of getting a callback.

What is the ideal length of a resumé summary?

The ideal resumé summary should be one to three sentences. It’s a snapshot of who you are and what you have to offer. Make sure to keep it concise, with only relevant information, enticing the employer to read your full application. 

Should I include my career objective in my resumé summary?

Adding a career objective to your resumé is a personal preference and is not required. But using an objective statement can help immediately draw attention to specific skills, experience or other credentials that will help you stand out from the crowd. It can also be beneficial if you need to address a career change, location change or gaps in your resumé .

How do I tailor my resumé summary to different job postings?

To tailor a resumé summary to different job postings, read the job ad carefully and review your resumé to ensure you are highlighting the desired skills and experience. These skills, qualifications and expertise should be front and centre, and quick to absorb for the reader. 

Can I use the same resumé summary for different job applications?

You should ideally have a different resumé summary for different job applications. Read the job ad carefully and align your skills and experience with the qualities they are looking for, to help you come across as the perfect candidate.

How do I make my resumé summary stand out from the competition?

Some top ways to help your resumé summary stand out from the competition include:

• Personalise your summary to the job ad
• Include impressive data
• Match your skills and experience closely to those mentioned in the job description
• Keep it concise – less than three sentences
• Ensuring it is free of errors

Browse top search terms

Popular on seek, explore related topics, subscribe to career advice.

• Online Degree Explore Bachelor’s & Master’s degrees
• MasterTrack™ Earn credit towards a Master’s degree
• University Certificates Advance your career with graduate-level learning
• Top Courses
• Join for Free

How to Make a Resume: 2024 Resume Writing Guide

Learn how to identify important resume keywords, format your resume, and write each section in this comprehensive guide.

Your resume is a document that encompasses your entire professional journey, showing where you currently are in your career, how you got there, and where you hope to go next. Since it’s meant to be a concise brief—condensed to just one or two pages—that can feel like a lot of storytelling for a small space.

To make a resume showing your experiences and goals, you must be strategic with the language, format, and sections you include. In general, there are three broad steps to making your resume:

Identifying keywords and important skills

Choosing a format

Writing each section

In this resume guide, we’ll offer tips and resources to ease you through the process.

Free resume templates

If you’re starting with a blank page, use free customisable templates for either a chronological resume or a functional resume to make your resume in a Google Doc. Log into your Google account and select the ‘Make a copy’ prompt.

How to write a resume

The key to making an effective resume is keeping your audience in mind. First, consider who the people (and technologies) who will be reading your resume are.

When applying for jobs online, your first audience member will often be an applicant tracking system (ATS). This screening program uses an algorithm to 'read' incoming resumes and sort qualified candidates. After the ATS deems you qualified for a role, a human recruiter—your second audience member—will review your application materials and decide whether to invite you to interview.

Now that we’ve established your likely audience, let’s take a closer look at how to determine the information the ATS and human recruiters may be looking for and how they will best receive that information.

1. Identify keywords and important skills.

You can find much information about a role directly from the job description. Within the listed responsibilities and qualifications, you can get a strong sense of the language and experience a successful candidate will have on their resume.

As you read a job description, highlight the action words, keywords, and specific workplace and technical skills mentioned. The ATS is likely programmed to look for the same or similar language as that which appears in the job description, so this analysis can help shape the way you approach writing your resume.

2. Select a resume format.

Regarding formatting, there are three common types of resumes—chronological, functional, and combination—along with several more specialised options. With your audience in mind, choose the format that best demonstrates how your experience aligns with your desired role’s job description.

If you’re applying for jobs online, ATS software is generally programmed to interpret chronological resumes. The software may still identify important keywords in alternative formats but potentially less accurately.

If you’re unsure of the resume format you should choose, a chronological resume with standard 1-inch margins, black text, and a common font like Times New Roman or Arial is typically a safe choice.

3. Write your resume sections.

Guided by your keyword list and format, you’re ready to start filling out your resume sections. You’ll typically want to include sections for your header, work experience, education, and skills, but there are optional sections you can add to amplify the story you want to tell.

Resume checklist

At this point, you are almost ready to submit your resume. Before you do, let’s do one final check. Ask yourself:

Did I write my resume with my audience in mind?

Did I strategically select action words and keywords?

Have I demonstrated my relevant skills and experience?

Are my margins set to 1 inch on all sides?

Is my font easy to read?

Did I include all of the key resume sections?

Did I edit for proper spelling and grammar?

If you can answer 'yes' to all these questions, save your resume as a PDF file with a title that includes your name and 'resume'. Check that the file is saved correctly, then prepare to submit your resume.

Add a new credential to your resume with a Professional Certificate from industry leaders like Google, Meta, and IBM on Coursera. Learn key skills to prepare for entry-level roles in digital marketing, web development, data analytics, and more. Sign up for a free 7-day trial and start learning today.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How many pages should a resume be‎ ‎.

A resume should ideally be no more than two pages unless you write an academic CV. A page may be sufficient if you are a recent graduate or applying for an entry-level role. ‎

How far back should your resume go?‎ ‎

Typically, the time you include on your resume depends on your relevant job experience. You should include the experience you have that is relevant to the role you’re applying for. However, if you have 10 or more years of work experience, you may be able to shed some of those earlier experiences from your resume to highlight your advanced skill set better. ‎

Should you list references on a resume?‎ ‎

It’s generally not recommended to list your references directly on your resume. Instead, use that space to highlight what makes you a great candidate. As you progress through the hiring process, the hiring manager or recruiter will request your references when they can contact them. ‎

Keep reading

Coursera staff.

Editorial Team

Coursera’s editorial team is comprised of highly experienced professional editors, writers, and fact...

This content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

The Best Resume Format: 20+ Examples + How-to Tips

How to format a resume the right way and how to choose the best of the three standard resume formats, depending on your current career circumstances. Plus, examples of well-formatted resumes you can steal.

The term “resume format” might mean different things: 

• For some, it’s about the nuts and bolts of the document—things like margins, fonts, overall structure.
• For others, it’s about picking the right type of the three standard resume formats—reverse-chronological, functional (skills-based), or combination (hybrid).
• Then there are those who think of “format” as the visual design and layout of a resume.

Whichever of those aspects of resume formatting you’re curious about, you’ll get all the answers you need here.

In this guide:

• How to format your resume to make it readable and professional.
• Which resume format to choose, based on your current career situation.
• Recent resume formatting trends you should know (and not always follow).

Just came here for the TL;DR version? Here it goes.

Short answer:

• Consistency is the most important aspect of resume formatting. Use a standard font like Arial, Calibri, Helvetica, Georgia, or Garamond. Use 10–12 pt font for the main body and 14–16 pt for headings. Set line spacing for 1–1.15 and margins not below 0.5 inches. For dates, choose one date format and stick to it.
• To save time and effort and make sure your resume looks just right, use an online resume builder. Obviously, I’d love you to take Rezi for a spin because we’re strongly focused on ATS-compliant formats, but if you want alternatives, Wozber, FlowCV, and Teal are also worth a try.
• The reverse-chronological resume format is a safe choice for all jobseekers and the best choice for 9 out of 10 candidates. 
• If you’re fresh out of school and have no work history to showcase, still use the reverse-chronological resume, just put your education section above the work experience part. 
• The combination format might work if you’re changing careers, but only if you’ve had a lot of professional experience in that previous field.
• The functional resume format is usually too risky. Use at your own peril. The only scenario where it might be okay is if you’re applying for a highly-creative role and your portfolio matters more than your resume.

How to Format a Resume?

• Set margins for 1 inch. If a few lines spill over to the next page, you can make your margins slightly smaller, but not smaller than 0.5 inches.
• If you have less than 5 years of experience, make your resume one-page. Two-page resumes are fine for mid-level to senior-level candidates.
• Use one of the standard, recognizable fonts like Arial, Calibri, Merriweather, Helvetica, Georgia, or Garamond. You can use a different font for headings: a combo of serif and sans-serif fonts often looks better.
• Go for 10–12 pt font for the main body and 14–16 pt for section headings.
• Put essential information in bold but don’t overdo it—use it for things like company names, educational institutions, or certifications.
• Use single or 1.15 line spacing for the main body, and 1.5–2.0 for the space between headings and sections.
• Structure your sections in the following order: Contact Information, Summary, Work Experience, Education, Skills, Additional Sections (Certifications, Courses, Conference Participation, Volunteer Work, and similar).
• Use bullet points to describe your duties and achievements in your work experience section. Use up to 7 bullet points per job—the more recent the position, the more bullets you can shoot for.
• Save your resume as a PDF unless the job ad explicitly asks for a different file format. Name the file FirstName_LastName_Resume_TargetCompany , e.g., John_Doe_Resume_Apple.

Formatting your resume right won’t automatically get you hired. Formatting it wrong, though, will automatically get you rejected. 

It’s the bare minimum you need to take care of in your job application. So yeah, don’t mess it up.

These essentials make sure your resume isn’t just professional, but also easy to skim and visually appealing.

Set proper margins

Margins frame your resume, giving it a clean, organized look. Aim for one-inch margins all around. If you’re tight on space, you can squeeze them down a bit—just not below 0.5 inches to avoid a cramped look.

Use respectable fonts

Your choice of font matters a lot. Stick to clear, professional fonts like Arial, Calibri, Merriweather or Times New Roman. Keep the main text between 10 and 12 points, bumping up headings a bit to make them pop. The aim is clarity, ensuring anyone can easily read your resume.

Get your line spacing right

Good line spacing keeps your resume from looking like a wall of text. Use single spacing for your content, with a bit more space between sections (1.5 to 2.0) to break things up visually.

Use clear, descriptive headings

Headings guide readers through your resume, so they need to stand out. Whether you bold them or use a different font, keep it consistent. This helps employers quickly find what they’re looking for.

Put the sections in the right order

How you organize your resume sections can make a big difference. Kick off with your contact info and a punchy summary or objective. After that, what comes next depends on what you want to highlight. Usually, you’ll lead with your work experience, followed by education, skills, and any extra goodies like certifications or awards.

Use bullet points strategically

Avoid using paragraphs to describe previous experience. Bullet points are your best friend for listing achievements and responsibilities. Start each one with a dynamic action verb and, whenever you can, quantify your successes. This format is not just reader-friendly, it also shines a spotlight on your contributions.

Save your resume as a PDF

When saving your resume, PDF is usually your safest bet to keep the formatting consistent across different devices. Name your resume file clearly with your name and the word “resume,” like, John_Doe_Resume.pdf . 

For brownie points, you can add the name of the company you’re applying to: Michael_Tomaszewski_Resume_Rezi.pdf (to be frank, I never got to send one).

Understanding these formatting basics sets a solid foundation for your resume, making it look good and read well. 

But that’s the easy part. Here’s where things get a little more complicated (or do they?).

Which of the Three Resume Formats is the Best?

• The three standard types of resume formats are: reverse-chronological (the most common one, focused on your work history), functional, AKA skills-based (focused on your skills), and combination (highlighting skills while tying them to professional experience).
• Reverse-chronological resume format is the best choice for most candidates, no matter their industry or seniority level.
• Combination resume format can work well for senior professionals with stellar achievements or for career-changers with extensive experience in their previous field.
• Functional resume format is generally risky: most recruiters don’t like it, and it might not pass some ATS scans. You can get away with it when applying for creative roles, where your portfolio matters more than linear work experience.

I’ll go into details right below. But first, consult this handy flowchart.

Below, I’ll break down the three main types to help you pick the best one for your current situation and career goals.

Reverse-chronological resume format

This is the go-to format for most jobseekers. Its main focus is in the work experience section, with jobs you’ve held listed in reverse-chronological order (starting with the current or most recent one, then working your way back in time).

This is the standard order of sections on a reverse-chronological resume:

• Contact Information
• Resume Summary or Resume Objective
• Work Experience
• Additional sections (Publications, Courses, Certificates , Volunteer Work , Hobbies and Interests, and similar)

And here’s what a good reverse-chronological resume looks like.

Reverse-chronological resume sample

Pros: it’s a recruiter- and ATS-friendly resume , highlighting your career progression and best achievements. It focuses exactly on what matters the most to potential employers.

Cons: if you’ve had plenty of success over many years of your professional career, some of the best bits might get lost between the cracks of a reverse-chronological resume.

This format is a no-brainer when you’ve had a straightforward career in the same field. 

That said, the reverse-chronological resume will work well even for career-changers, people with career gaps, or recent grads with little to no professional experience. 

Here’s why:

• Career changers: write an effective reverse-chronological resume by expressing your desire for a career switch in the resume summary, then, focus on experience and skills that are transferable to the new industry.
• Employment gaps: a 2014 study has shown that career gaps are far less significant to hiring decision-makers than you’d fear. As long as the gap has been followed by a period of continuous employment, it’s unlikely to bother your potential employer. The same goes for any gap shorter than 9 months. It shouldn’t even be called a “gap” in that case, you were just out of work for a while. Of course, you still need to explain the break, but something as straightforward as “Job Seeking” or “Break for Personal Reasons” will do the trick.
• No relevant work history: still fresh out of school with no work experience? Put your “Education” section above your “Work Experience.” In the education section, elaborate on relevant coursework or extracurricular activities . As for the work experience, list anything that might count, even that part-time cafeteria job or volunteer work.

Note : more recent, post-pandemic studies suggest that Americans do display slightly negative sentiment towards those who were unemployed during the pandemic. That said, those surveys were run on general population, not hiring professionals, so take the results with a grain of salt.

Functional (skills-based) resume format

Here, you focus on your skills rather than when you worked where. 

It’s commonly advertised as *the* resume format for candidates with gaps in employment or who are switching careers and want to highlight transferable skills.

The twist is that, technically, you don’t even have to put in the dates next to your jobs. And that might sound really tempting to those of you who aren’t too confident about your career progression so far.

But it just doesn’t work like that. 

You’ll be much better off honestly addressing any irregularities in work history on your resume than trying to conceal those. A functional resume immediately raises questions.

Honestly, any time I had to write a sample functional resume to show that it MIGHT work, I always ended up creating something closer to a combination resume (more on that in a moment).

This is the standard order of sections on a functional resume:

• Resume Objective
• Skills Summary
• Additional sections

Here’s what it looks like in practice.

Functional resume sample

Pros: it lets you play up your strengths and downplay less relevant positions. Can be a good choice for creative or artistic positions or when applying to small businesses.

Cons: recruiters aren’t fans because it can seem like you’re hiding something. It’s not great for dealing with ATS scans. It conceals what hiring decision-makers are interested in the most—your career progression.

If you’re dead set on using the functional resume format, by this point, I’ve probably run out of options to convince you otherwise. 

My final piece of advice: provide concrete examples that prove the skills you’re listing. And if you have an online portfolio, by all means include a link in the contact information section.

Combination (hybrid) resume format

Also called a chrono-functional resume. A mix of both worlds, this format showcases your skills upfront, followed by a reverse-chronological work history. It’s ideal for highly experienced senior candidates or career-changers who’ve had long stints of employment in their “previous” careers.

• Extensive Skills Summary

Combination resume sample

Pros: highlights your most important skills and achievements up top. The magic sauce is tying a skill you mention to concrete evidence from your work history.

Cons: it’s fairly difficult to write it well. The whole point is compiling the highlights from your career in the skills summary at the top, but you don’t want to repeat all that information all over again in the work experience section.

A great example of someone who benefited from a combination resume comes from my individual client from a few years back, we’ll call him Jose.

Jose had over a dozen jobs throughout his 20-year career. He wasn’t much of a job hopper, more like a jack of all trades, taking a part-time gig here and there or holding two jobs simultaneously at times. 

He spent most of his life as a goalkeeper coach for a soccer club in Florida. Jose also handled some promotional activities for the club, was responsible for fundraising, and worked as a sales rep for a niche goalkeeper gear manufacturer. He was looking for a job in sales. And—

As we started talking, I realized he was an amazing salesperson! 

For instance, he single-handedly closed a sponsorship deal with the then Real Madrid’s first-choice goalkeeper (to those of you in the US—trust me, that’s a huge name in Europe) despite competing with the Nikes and Adidases of this world, and other companies he wouldn’t have been able to outbid. He also did spectacularly well managing sales initiatives for the soccer club.

And yet, if two of his most recent job positions had just read “Head Goalkeeper Coach” and “Goalkeeper Coach,” all of those other relevant achievements would have gotten buried. And recruiters won’t dig for information they don’t have readily available at first glance. 

Long story short, we wrote a combination resume for Jose and quickly landed him his dream sales gig. If your current situation sounds even a bit similar, this might be your cue!

CV format vs. resume format

Just a quick note here. If you’re looking for a job in academia, none of the above holds true. You’ll need to follow a CV format—and it’s an entirely different document.

A CV (Curriculum Vitae) is not just a “fancy” resume. It’s way more detailed and used primarily in higher education teaching and research positions, covering your entire career. 

How to choose the best resume format for you?

Depending on your experience level:.

• Entry-level with no experience: lean towards a modified reverse-chronological resume with the education section above the work experience.
• Mid-level: use the reverse-chronological format, which showcases a solid work history and upward career trajectory.
• Senior-level: go for a combination format as it allows you to display a rich mix of skills and impactful career milestones.
• Career-changers: the combination format is a good bet, letting you emphasize relevant skills over past job titles. You can also use a reverse-chronological resume, but provide some context for your desire to change careers in the resume summary or resume objective.

Depending on other factors:

• Linear work history: when you have a solid, consistent work history in the same field, use the reverse-chronological resume format. If your work history is varied with gaps or changes in career paths, a combination resume format might be better.
• Your industry: creative fields are more open to unique formats and designs. For more traditional fields, stick to the basics of standard resume formatting and, ideally, use the reverse-chronological resume.
• The role’s requirements: no matter the exact structure you end up using in your resume, always tailor any resume format to highlight the skills and experience that the role requires.

Here’s what you need to know about resume formatting and resume formats:

• Make your resume presentable. Treat it as any other formal document. Use an elegant font, single line spacing, 1-inch margins, and clear, visually-distinct headings.
• Always include the following sections: contact information, summary or objective, work experience, education, and skills.
• It’s best practice to throw in additional sections that back your expertise up: certifications, conferences, publications, volunteer work, projects, and similar.
• There are three standard resume formats: reverse-chronological, functional, and combination.
• The reverse-chronological resume is the best pick for a majority of candidates.
• Senior candidates or career-changers with a rich history of employment can benefit from using the combination resume format.
• Functional resumes are a less-than-perfect choice. They’re not exactly ATS-friendly, and they conceal some of the most important information.

Thanks a ton for reading and, as always, keeping my fingers crossed for your job hunt! Got any questions unanswered? Check out the FAQs below or hit me up via a DM on LinkedIn, always happy to talk careers!

Should my resume be one page?

For most early-career professionals, keeping your resume to one page is ideal. It forces you to highlight your most relevant experiences and skills. However, if you’re a mid- to senior-level professional with extensive experience relevant to the job you’re applying for, it’s acceptable to extend to two pages. The key is relevance and value—every section should add something meaningful.

How do I create an outline for my resume?

Start by listing the essential sections: Contact Information, Summary or Objective, Work Experience, Education, Skills, and any other relevant sections like Certifications or Projects. Next, under each category, bullet point the items you plan to include, focusing on achievements and skills. Adjust the order based on the resume format you choose and what you want to emphasize most.

What’s the best resume format for college students?

College students often benefit from a modified reverse-chronological format with education placed above work experience. It allows you to highlight your academic projects, and extracurricular activities, especially if you lack formal work experience. However, if you’ve had significant internships or relevant work, a traditional reverse-chronological format that showcases this experience can also work well.

Can I include a picture on my resume?

Generally, it’s best to avoid including a picture on your resume, especially for jobs in the US and UK, where it can actually work against you due to anti-discrimination laws. However, there are exceptions based on industry (like acting) or geographic location (some countries outside the US expect a photo). Always research the norms for your specific situation.

What’s the best resume format for ATS scans?

A reverse-chronological format is the safest bet for ATS (Applicant Tracking Systems) because it’s straightforward and easy for the software to parse. Regardless of format, ensure your resume includes relevant keywords from the job description, uses standard headings (like “Work Experience”), and avoids overly complex layouts or elements that could confuse the ATS.

What should I always include on a resume ?

Always include your contact information, a summary or objective (tailored to the job), your work experience (with achievements and quantifiable results), your education, and relevant skills. Depending on the job, you might also include sections for certifications, languages, volunteer work, or projects. Remember, customization based on the job you’re applying for is key.

Michael Tomaszewski

Michael Tomaszewski, CPRW, is a resume and career advice expert with 7+ years of experience in the hiring industry. He has helped millions of readers and dozens of one-on-one clients create resumes and cover letters that *finally* do their talents and accomplishments justice.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Vivamus convallis sem tellus, vitae egestas felis vestibule ut.

Error message details.

Reuse Permissions

Request permission to republish or redistribute SHRM content and materials.

How to Write a Powerful and Memorable HR Resume

No matter how many thousands of resumes you've reviewed throughout your HR career, you are likely to still find it difficult to write your own. Like anyone else, you need to step back and look at your career objectively. What will make people remember you? Why will others want to hire you? What can you bring to an employer that no one else can?

While there's no single formula or template to use in crafting an effective HR resume, we offer some guidelines that will help you showcase your greatest talents and accomplishments. 

1. Use a Well-Branded Headline 

Of course, your resume will start with your name and contact information (phone number and live links to both your e-mail address and LinkedIn profile) prominently positioned at the top of the page. Then create a headline statement that tells readers who you are professionally with regard to your current career objective. Readers should instantly see whether you're a generalist, specialist or senior executive. Your headline replaces the now outdated "Career Summary" or "Professional Profile" heading you may have used in the past. 

Think about adding one or two subheadings to further define your expertise. Do you have an industry specialization? Any distinguishing credentials? Experience with a hot-button HR issue? With just a few words, you can convey what sets you apart from other candidates.

Be certain to highlight not only what you've done in the past but also what you want to do in the future. This is extremely important because you want readers to perceive you as qualified for the positions you're targeting.

If you have extensive experience managing compensation and benefits, for example, but you don't want that to be a major part of your next job, don't note it in your headline. Rather, simply mention it as appropriate in the experience section. Be selective and be strategic.

 Tips continue below. 

Resume Samples

2. Share Details About Where You've Worked 

Help your readers understand the depth and breadth of your experience by providing details about the organizations where you've worked. You can cite the number of employees, locations, total annual revenue, specific business or industry, and other details. Knowing where you've worked before helps hiring managers put everything into context and makes your experience and accomplishments that much more impressive.

Just as with your headline, be strategic. If you've worked only at large public companies and now want to move to a small privately held business, the size of your prior organizations might scare off your target employers. Think about your goals and add the details that make you a good fit for the jobs you want.

3. Emphasize Achievements 

This is perhaps the most critical strategy in creating a powerful and memorable resume. Without highlighting your achievements, your resume will sound much like that of any other HR professional who has similar experience.

While your knowledge and expertise are important, hiring managers want to know more. They seek to understand what you have done—how you have contributed to business objectives, how you have made a difference, what measurable results you have produced, what you have done to improve company culture and more.

Both quantified and unquantified results can add value, so don't feel you must have a hard number for every bullet point. But dig deep to find results wherever possible. Ask yourself about the problem you solved—not just the activity or task, but why it was important to the business.

4. Highlight HR Keywords 

You know how important keywords are for both human readers and the electronic eyes scanning your resume, so make sure to scatter them throughout the document. You can create a "Core Competencies" or "Professional Skills Summary" section at the top, but that's not enough. Consider adding bold keywords at the start of each bullet point. This is a very effective strategy both for increasing the keyword density of your resume and for making your resume highly "skimmable." 

5. Prepare Your Resume for ATSs 

As an HR professional, you have the advantage of being able to "look under the hood" of an applicant tracking system (ATS) to see what happens in a typical keyword-driven resume review. Use that knowledge to your benefit.

Because there are so many ATSs, and because candidate searches are conducted by humans who have their own habits and preferences, you can't guarantee a perfect result from every ATS scan. But you can and should follow best practices for formatting your resume, integrating keywords and increasing keyword density. 

For example, use and spell out acronyms so that the ATS has the best chance of picking up relevant terms, however they're defined. You might have "SHRM-SCP" at the top after your name, but that should become "Society for Human Resource Management Senior Certified Professional" under the "Education & Professional Credentials" section. 

6. Share What Makes You Special 

In addition to your professional experience and educational credentials, share your professional credentials (e.g., SHRM-SCP), professional affiliations (e.g., SHRM, OD Network), board of director appointments, and other leadership posts, presentations and public speaking engagements, media features and quotes, and publications.

We recommend that you focus on professional activities and exclude common civic or community-based affiliations. Resume "real estate"—just one or two pages—is extremely valuable, so you want to be certain that each line of text adds strength to your candidacy.

7. Write Tight, Lean and Clean

Clean, clear, concise writing is the hallmark of a good resume. Readers simply don't have the time or inclination to wade through irrelevant experiences, fluffy adjectives, unnecessary details and the other "filler" that weighs down many resumes.

No one writes this way on the first pass. It requires repeated review, careful editing, and a constant focus on strategy and goals to determine what's important to include and what does not support your professional brand and career objectives.

In addition to writing tight, pay attention to formatting. Avoid dense paragraphs (anything longer than three or four lines) and allow ample white space to create an inviting document that rewards readers, whether they come for a quick skim or a more thorough read.

Moving Forward

These guidelines cover just some of the things you can do to create a strong resume. Constantly remind yourself that you're writing to the future—to the positions that you're targeting—and emphasize relevant skills, experiences, achievements, keywords and results. If you do, chances are you will get noticed, interviewed and, we hope, hired.  

Wendy Enelow and Louise Kursmark are both master resume writers, job and career transition coaches, and certified professional resume writers who have authored 40-plus books, including  Modernize Your Resume: Get Noticed … Get Hired  (Emerald Career Publishing, 2016). 

Related Content

Rising Demand for Workforce AI Skills Leads to Calls for Upskilling

As artificial intelligence technology continues to develop, the demand for workers with the ability to work alongside and manage AI systems will increase. This means that workers who are not able to adapt and learn these new skills will be left behind in the job market.

Employers Want New Grads with AI Experience, Knowledge

A vast majority of U.S. professionals say students entering the workforce should have experience using AI and be prepared to use it in the workplace, and they expect higher education to play a critical role in that preparation.

Advertisement

Artificial Intelligence in the Workplace

​An organization run by AI is not a futuristic concept. Such technology is already a part of many workplaces and will continue to shape the labor market and HR. Here's how employers and employees can successfully manage generative AI and other AI-powered systems.

HR Daily Newsletter

New, trends and analysis, as well as breaking news alerts, to help HR professionals do their jobs better each business day.

Success title

Success caption

7 Best ChatGPT Prompts To Help You Write Your Resume

Looking for a job? You’re going to want to perfect your resume. The hard thing is that writing a resume is time-consuming, and it seems like tips for writing a resume are always changing. This is where ChatGPT can be of service.

Make Money With AI and ChatGPT: How To Earn $1,000 a Month

Learn: How To Build Your Savings From Scratch

Experts told GOBankingRates that there are certain prompts that can help craft your resume into something that will catch recruiters’ eyes. Here are the top prompts for ChatGPT to help you write your resume. 

Ask ChatGPT To Create a Custom Resume for a Specific Job

The more specific a resume is, the better. Recruiters are looking to see that you have the exact skills that fulfill the job they’re hiring for.

Career expert Michael Gardon says there’s a simple method to create a specified resume using ChatGPT. “Here is the best prompt: ask ChatGPT to ‘please personalize my resume for [this job] at [this company]. Here is the job description [paste it]. Here is my resume [paste resume],'” Gardon advised.

See Also: 5 Ways To Use AI To Generate Passive Income

Get Keywords Based on the Job Description

The truth is most recruiters — or systems they use — are looking for keywords to separate your resume from those that aren’t qualified. ChatGPT can help you find those keywords.

“You can share a job posting and ask [ChatGPT] to provide you with a list of keywords or skills from the job description,” said Laci Baker, a career advisor at University of Phoenix . “You can then share your resume with [ChatGPT] and ask if all those keywords and skills are present on your resume, which can help with ensuring you are tailoring your resume to the job description.”

Ask ChatGPT To Follow a Resume Template

Found a resume template you like online? Phil Siegel, the founder of AI nonprofit CAPTRS , says you can submit that to ChatGPT and ask for a similar resume based on your experience.

“Start from a template you like (they are all over the web) and give ChatGPT some detailed information about you. Ask it to create a resume using the format and your data. The advantage is it will give a more detailed resume and it can be done fairly quickly,” Siegel said.

Use Your Experience To Create a Professional Summary

Writing the professional summary at the top of your resume can be challenging. It’s hard to know how to speak about your personal experience in a way that hiring managers will gravitate toward.

Baker suggests typing elements of your past job experience into ChatGPT and asking it to write a professional summary. “You can share your past experiences and a target role you are hoping to apply to, and [ChatGPT] can give you a career summary that you can then edit and make your own,” Baker said.

Use ChatGPT as a Career Expert

Siegel says there is a way you can “chat” with ChatGPT that can help it create a resume for you. “‘Pretend’ ChatGPT is a friendly expert and hold a conversation with it about creating your resume. Tell it you’re creating a resume for a job role and ask it to ask you about the most important information to build a strong resume.”

Siegel notes this will take more time than other prompts but will help create a stronger and more focused resume that’s tailored to your strengths.

Change the Tone of Your Resume

Sometimes you know what you want to say, but you’re not sure how to say it in a professional tone. ChatGPT can help tailor your wording to fit what a recruiter is looking for. “[ChatGPT] can rewrite resume elements to be more focused and more formal if those are elements you need assistance with,” Baker said.

You can even prompt ChatGPT to make your resume sound more impressive with this prompt from Juliet Dreamhunter, the founder of Juliety : “Here is the experience section of my resume. Rewrite it in bullet points and use powerful action verbs to highlight my expertise and achievements. Make it sound more impressive and professional.”

Reduce the Length of Your Resume

Generally speaking, you want your resume to be 1-2 pages. If your resume is longer, ChatGPT can help reduce it. “You can ask [ChatGPT] to take the content you already have and rewrite it to reduce the length to 2 pages,” Baker said.

More From GOBankingRates

• Mark Cuban Says This Is the No. 1 Thing To Do To Build Wealth
• Why Home Prices Are Plummeting in These 6 Cities
• 3 Things You Must Do When Your Savings Reach $50,000
• Financial Goals That Are Easy To Stick To All Year

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : 7 Best ChatGPT Prompts To Help You Write Your Resume